Behavior (Issues, Challenges, & Understanding) – Page 5

Despite so many pet’s being loved society places an unrealistic expectation on a pet’s ability to show emotions, especially dogs. When I communicate with the animals the most common complaint is having to repress their emotions. When it gets really frustrating for them, many animals will demonstrate behavioral issues as a show of their emotions or they finally show their emotions and are frowned upon for doing so.

Think of your pet’s as children. They are dependent on us and their communication skills are not equivalent to an adult’s. When you think of pets in that way, it is unfair to expect more from them. Yes, must in some ways adapt to our way of life as humans. Even though they are domesticated animals they are in fact animals. And animals live and communicate differently than humans do. However, they have instincts, opinions and emotions just like humans. Make your pet’s emotional health a priority.

Last week I was preparing for a hike up Knifes Edge to Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin. My son and I were going to do the hike together. He doesn’t hike but he’s an athlete so I knew he was fit enough to make the climb. Knifes Edge and even the climb up to Paloma is quite daunting. But ,we were totally up for the challenge and to some degree we wanted to be intimidated enough that we felt like we were facing our fears and overcoming them once we reached the top.

Our dogs are a huge part of our family. They spend time with us every day, all day. The day before the climb my blue nose pitbull, Titan, was especially clingy with my son Brady. They always sit on the couch together but this time was different. He was literally on top of Brady and would not leave his side. He had his head connected to Brady all night. We didn’t think much about it but Brady did make a comment that Titan was very clingy that particular night.

We went to bed as usual But Titan didn’t take his usual spot at the foot of my bed like he does every single night. Instead, he laid on top of me with his head in my neck. It was hard to sleep but I was happy that he was snuggling with me. Throughout the entire night he was on me in someway. At one point I had to roll over because my back hurt and when I did that he crawled up into the crease of my legs with his head on my hip. Shortly after he was back on top of me with his head by my head.

I know he loves me and we spend a lot of time together but it was very abnormal for him to be that close to me all night. Literally his entire body on top of mine. I didn’t sleep well.

The next day Brady and I headed up to Katahdin. We dropped our dogs off at my moms so she could watch them while we were away. We said our goodbyes to them and off we drove. We stayed overnight and woke up very early to climb the following morning.

Our hike started off very uneventful and Brady did a wonderful job keeping up.

Once we got above tree line and started our climb to Paloma we noticed how windy it became. We were the first ones on the trail so there was nobody in front of us. We continued to climb despite the challenges of sustained 55 mph winds with stronger gusts (gusts to 65). The winds were so strong that they were pushing us sideways. We literally could not stand and were being forced to sidestep from the power of the wind. We were leaning on rocks to avoid falling. As we continued to climb up to Paloma the winds got worse and increased in strength.

Continue reading “Do you listen to your dog?”

Category: Behavior (Issues, Challenges, & Understanding)

Your Pet’s Emotions

Do you listen to your dog?