The rhythm imposed on us by the society in which we live leaves little room for appeasement, observation and perspective. We are caught up in the whirlwind of our lives, caught up in injunctions from all sides.
The relationships we have with our dogs are not spared from this observation. In a human world, the behaviors inherent to the canine species are often perceived as inappropriate, disturbing, even dangerous. So we want to erase them, and fast.
As soon as this puppy comes out of the reassuring cocoon of his siblings and his mother, we ask him to be clean inside the house, to support our absences, to be sociable with all the dogs he meets, to tolerate the cries and intrusions of the children without flinching... As soon as this dog has recovered from an altercation with a fellow dog, we put him back in the bath by taking him to the market in the middle of a crowd of dogs on a leash, to the detriment of his emotions and his experience...
As sentient beings, endowed with a consciousness and a very elaborate emotional panel, our dogs need TIME. Time to integrate the emotions they experience, to transform them and to experiment with them. Time to learn, to observe and to adapt to a world governed by human codes, which they must integrate or else their (meager) freedoms will be increasingly restricted.
The freedom of our dogs, which is the subject of so many debates. Yes, freedom can be learned, and it takes TIME. We are responsible for our dogs, morally and legally. Their safety depends in large part on us, as well as that of others when they share the same space. Let's take some time to know our dogs, to observe their preferences, their hesitations, their emotions. Let's be their guides in this adventure, let's show them the way to reach a maximum freedom in the respect of the society in which we live. Let's be their pillar, their security, the benevolent hand that shows them what behaviors to adopt to enjoy this freedom that every being needs to blossom and to become autonomous in their decision making.
Juliette Sastre
Yes We Dog ! - Dog training & Canine behavior
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