All Dogs Have Certain Rights
Posted by Anne Corke on 2009-01-02. Filed under Monthly Feature
All dogs have certain rights:
Most of us have goals for our dogs – a nice, obedient pet; a companion for the children; an obedience, tracking or field trial dog; a breed champion; a protector: a bed warmer; a therapy dog or a movie star. But your dog has an existence separate from his life as your pet. Before everything else, he is a dog, has a right and need to be a dog, can't be anything but a dog, and as such, he has the inalienable right to grow up canine.
He has a right to have his natural language understood. Aside from teaching him English (sit, stay, down, come, etc.) you should speak canine – not just understand it, but speak it. You should know the meaning of all his gestures, facial expressions, body language and sounds, those endemic to dogs in general, those specific to your own dog. You sometimes should imitate these gestures in order to communicate with your dog in his own tongue. He has a need and right to be understood, as all living creatures do.
He has a right to natural structure in his life – some order to his pack, a clear leader, a clear pecking order, some consistency. This gives him a sense of order in the universe, a sense that his world is understandable and clear. This allows him to know how to proceed. It makes him secure and comfortable in a way that always getting his way cannot.
He has a right to education. He has a mind and a desire to use it. He is born, as we are, with curiosity and intelligence. His life will be richest if he can use both to the maximum. Your bonus – educated, he'll be an infinitely more interesting companion. Do you have a sporting dog and no desire to hunt, a herding breed and no flock, a sighthound and no desert filled with game? No matter. When you can't help your dog live out his genetic heritage by teaching him that which he was bred to do – haul a sled, move sheep, protect your estate, bring a downed duck to hand – you can expand your dog's potential by dipping into his specific talents (retrieving, guarding, herding ) and the general talents of his species (tracking, scent discrimination, obedience work, agility work). You can give him work around the house and in your neighbourhood (collecting twigs in the yard, collecting laundry in the house, carrying packages from the store, sounding the alarm when someone comes). You can make him the ambassador of good cheer, teaching him sociable tricks (give your paw, find an object hidden on a person, speak, whine, howl on command) and having him entertain your family and friends or, if time permits, people in institutuions such as nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and homes for the mentally or physically handicapped. There are jobs to be done that any dog can apply himself to and be the better dog for it.
He has a right to use what he's got. He has a body, muscles, energy. He must flex himself. He must move. Insufficient exercise is one of the underlying causes of many dog problems. Simply stated, the more energy your dog uses up constructively, the less energy he'll have available to use up destructively. He needs more that running around. He needs some planned exercise to increase confidence, agility, speed, strength, stamina, especially if you have big plans for him – to be a show dog, a working dog, an obedience dog, a great pet.
He has a right to privacy. There are times he may just want to be left alone. Every creature needs time to rest, adjust, be alone, time to integrate what he has learned, time to go blank and do nothing, time to just be.
He has a right to the comapny of his own species. Yes – he loves you. No – that is not enough. Only another dog can understand him and play with him in a perfectly smooth way with no communication glitches, with no physical awkwardness.
He has a right to be protected. He must see his veterinarian regularly for a check up and proper innoculations. He needs protection from the elements – excessive heat and cold. He needs a warm, dry place to sleep. If he had his druthers, that place would be in your room. He needs a wholesome diet, appropriate to his age and size and a supply of fresh clean water. He needs someone - you - who will consider his needs at least for a small part of every day.
He has a right to be leashed or fenced or at the very least, accompanied when he goes out. He cannot understand what a car could to to him. There are no car-smart dogs, only drivers with quick instincts and good brakes.
He has a right to be loved. In this, he is no different from you and me.
He has a right to be disciplined. He is a dog, It is a natural, understandable, important part of being a dog to learn from and get order through both positive and negative reinforcement, whether that comes from you or from another dog. Think of his mother. Yes – she petted and cleaned him with her soooth tongue, she cooed to him, she nuzzled him, she let him sleep near the considerable warmth of her body. But she also growled and snarled at him when he was in danger, cheeky or out of line in any way. She also slammed him with her paw or rolled him on his back when his behaviour needed editing. She was swift, fair and graceful. Her communication was always perfect. She never had to repeat herself. This is a part of a dog's natural life – praise and correction, reward and punishment, positive and negative reinforcement. It doesn't matter to the dog what you call it. It only matters that it is part and parcel of what makes life comfortable and clear to a dog.
And saddest of all to have to say, he has the right not to be subjected to pain and torture, nor be held captive in an unloving and fearful place, nor to live a hopeless life and die when his caretakers have finished using him. He has a right not to be regarded, because he cannot speak for himself, as less than we are. Anyone who lets himself truly know a dog will know that he is not less, just different.
In all his various shapes and sizes, he is magnificent to behold – loyal and funny, graceful and touching, natural, smart, mysterious, important. There's not much around as wonderful as the dog. Given his canine rights, he'll give the world in return.