04Jan
Allowing dogs to exhibit their natural behaviours releases happy hormones and they are more likely to be calm and relaxed. If we didn't allow them to be themselves, they may become frustrated and stressed.
Natural Behaviours
Natural behaviours include sniffing, running, digging, playing with toys/humans/other dogs, chasing things, chewing, retrieving items, eating, sleeping and scent marking. Some breeds show more of certain behaviours due to their genetics (retrievers will enjoy playing games of fetch, huskies were bred to pull sleds and enjoy running and bikejoring, sheepdogs like to herd etc).
Raven loves to dig and puts her head in muddy puddles. I wouldn't dream of stopping her (unless the puddle was likely to contain harmful algae or bacteria). She snorkels in water- she doesn't hesitate to put her head in water and you can see bubbles come to the surface. It's something she loves and her puppies inherit her love of water.
I have seen and heard owners not allowing their dogs to go in water, dig or go in mud because they will get dirty and owners will have to clean them. If the dogs want to go in, I let them. The great news with Pomskies and Huskies is that they have a great waterproof coat and by the time we get home, you would never believe how dirty they were. I wear wellies, waterproof over-trousers, a waterproof coat and have a towel handy to dry us off if necessary.
Pomskies and many dogs love to run. Above is Alaska running with a family members pug and a mostly Pomsky pup called Roxy. It was very interesting to see them running together and clearly enjoying themselves. Alaska kept Roxy in line using low growls when she got silly (trying to bite others legs whilst running).
Complex social behaviours come into play when they are with other dogs and interacting with one another. I haven't learned enough to fully understand what is going on but I absolutely love watching them and figuring out what is going on. Some dogs naturally fall into the pack and they behave as if they have always known each other. It's fascinating and I make sure the pack interact with new dogs often.
Seeing Raven running with her daughter is such a beautiful thing to see. Raven likes to run ahead and really shows her speed yet she also listens out for the other dogs in case she needs to get involved to calm down excited play.
Here is Raven stalking Alaska who was a little to my right. A game they enjoyed playing.
Enclosed Fields
Enclosed fields allow the pack to do everything they enjoy in a secure environment. They can run to get rid of some energy, sniff a lot of new scents, scent mark if they choose to, dig if a digging area is available and more fields have ponds or a body of water for dogs to paddle or swim in.
I like to visit new fields whenever we can to ensure we are providing new scents, activities and cover various aspects of enrichment. There are areas of woodland that have been fenced in to provide a wooded secure environment. Dogs loves these areas. They are in a natural environment where they can explore and be themselves. The pack are content and relaxed after visiting these areas.
Other Activities
I have a pack who is adaptable, loves to do activities with us and they sleep a lot. They always have hooves, antlers, buffalo horns, and various long lasting chews around as they like to chew. They get daily enrichment via walks, cuddles (on their terms), games, lickimats, food games and I like to add one to one training on a long line. Walks have structured parts and unstructured parts. We will purposefully walk to an area of my choosing and then I allow them to sniff, play- whatever they choose to do when we get to a safe area. I usually attach a longer lead so they do not feel any tension on the lead or feel they have to be too close. They can just explore and do whatever they want to do.
They love activities such as visiting family, beach trips, long walks in new areas and socialising with other dogs.
Claire 🐾
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