Adopting A Shelter Dog

There is a misconception surrounding shelter dogs that their families did not give them enough love or attention, but this is not always the case. I have seen many dogs that received tremendous amounts of affection from their owner, yet they still ended up on a shelter’s kill list due to aggression and misbehavior. So, where did it all go wrong?

In nature, everything is based on balance. To raise a healthy and happy dog, a dog owner must find balance in themselves before transferring this energy to a dog. When adopting a neglected or abused animal, keep in mind that you will always love the dog, but that doesn’t mean they can get away with whatever they want.

You must approach dog adoption as a way of improving the dog’s quality of life by providing the necessary resources in order for that dog to have a balance, happy life. You should not adopt a shelter dog for selfish or emotional reasons.

Back in the day, dogs were used for labor purposes, in which they had a specific job to do. Today, families wander into an animal shelter for the sole reason of buying a Christmas present for their two-year-old child.

Dogs are naturally pack animals and they seek a pack leader, as known as the “alpha”. The alpha is the strong one of the pack and protects other pack members by maintaining the consistency of everyone’s role in the group. The alpha uses logic and never makes emotional decisions.

When a dog does not have a strong pack leader, then the problems begin. When you use your emotions to discipline your dog, he will view you as an unbalanced “follower”. Dogs do not understand complex human emotions and they will perceive your sensitivity as a weakness.

In order to raise a well-behaved dog, you must learn about the nature of these animals and how they treat each other. Humanized dogs are not happy dogs. By using balanced discipline and affection, you will fulfill your dog’s need for a strong pack leader and, therefore, provide him with a happy life.