I Want My Dog to be Free!

It is not my nature to pussy foot around (or puppy foot as the case may be) any topic.  This has long been a disturbing topic for me and I hope that I can meaningfully describe why in the paragraphs below.  

I am among all those who live here that LOVE taking my dogs in the woods and mountains to run free and play in the meadows of wild flowers and clear, cold rivers!  As a dog loving photographer, there are no better photo ops for me than to capture those joyful moments so I can enjoy them over and over, as well as share them with my dog loving friends.

Letting your dog run free in appropriate, safe places is nothing short of a blessing we have here in this community!    The problem comes when freedom becomes an every day, every moment relationship between owner and dog.  

Dogs will behave as dogs, a descendent of the wolves when left to their own devices without structure and rules.  Dogs are not humans with the capability to discern when something is socially appropriate or not.  Their “dog society” relates to everything entirely differently than we do.  While we admire, and enjoy dog societies, we also have to understand they are not humans and cannot process things as we do.  This is one reason anthropomorphism can be so deadly to a dog’s mental health, and many times we won’t see it until something dramatic happens such as a dog bite or horrible dog fight.

While temperament of dogs is more genetic than environmental, we can highly influence dog genetic behaviors with proper training and fair leadership.  When we allow dogs to be “free” and handle life as they want to, we may very likely end up with a dog who reverts to primal ancestral behaviors that include territorial and possessive behaviors,  dominance aggression, resource guarding (such as bones or even your vehicle), and the loss of bite inhibition.   Dog decisions and our human society can come to a screaming collision.  And at that point, the dog owning relationship may become not only dangerous to other dogs and people, it can also become a legal liability. 

It’s sort of like driving a car.  If when we are out driving on public roads, it is safe to obey the traffic signs and be thoughtful of others.  Then, if we want to drive off road, we buy the proper vehicle or we head to a race track. Even then, we have to LEARN how to drive in those situations in order to enjoy it and be safe.  

The thing that makes dogs and wolves different is the dog’s ability to learn or what is called biddability.  In order to honor our dogs and who they are, we must train dogs to behave in a human society acceptable manner.  Then they are a joy to live with and for others to be around!  

Caption:  I LOVE photographing my dogs running free! But, they also EARN that freedom with training that keeps them safe and friendly! Mariah learned appropriate pack behaviors and how to come and sit in the yard before she ever gets to go on hikes.