Canine Wellness

What is this and why does it matter?

When I looked up the definition of ‘Wellness’, various sources said ” It is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Wellness is an active process of making choices toward a
healthy and fulfilling life” and stated that for humans there are between 6 to 12
dimensions such a physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc…

When we think of our ‘pet’ dogs, the dogs that are a part of our family and live with us in our homes, we want them to be ‘well’. In fact, we ourselves reap many benefits from sharing our lives with them including lowered blood pressure, a decreased risk of heart attacks, decreased pain and anxiety levels, alleviation of depression and encouraging us to exercise.

We provide food, fresh water, standard veterinary care, daily walks, maybe some toys or chew toys, and believe that this is sufficient.

And it could be. But is it always? What are the true needs of our furry companions and how can we help them beyond surviving, to fully thriving?

Who are our dogs?

Canis Familiaris, or the ‘Domestic Dog’ as we more commonly refer to the species, probably derived from an ancient, now extinct wolf, with the modern grey wolf possibly being the domesticated dogs nearest living relative. It is important to note here, even though they are of the same genus (Canis), dog are not wolves.

They were likely domesticated some 15,000 years ago, and have been selectively
bred since for their purpose, behaviors, physical attributes, and capabilities. They vary greatly in size, shape, and color and have multiple roles in our closely entwined lives.

Take a moment to think about the complex and varied roles that dogs provide in our complicated, modern world: Guide dogs for the blind, service dogs, airport security dogs, military and police K-9’s, hunting dogs, truffle hunting dogs, sport dogs, guard dogs, protection dogs, companion dogs, and many more!

The majority of the dogs in the world right now, a number estimated to be 900
million, however, don’t live in our homes or in kennels. They are free ranging dogs that often live on the street.

But I would like to zero in on the ones within our homes, the 17-24% of the world population, and even more specifically, the ones within North America.
Most of those approximately 90 million dogs in the U.S are ‘pets’, or companion
dogs. You know, the ones that we spend billions of dollars on each year as a country; pet spending was at a record breaking 99 Billion Dollars in 2020!

What are our dogs basic needs?

But even with all that money being spent, are we actually meeting our dog’s needs? And, most importantly, what are those needs?

Dogs have fundamental needs — food, fresh water, shelter, medical care, rest and exercise, just like us humans do. These are the minimum provisions to keeping our pet dogs healthy and happy, although some of these can vary greatly like food quality or the level of provided Veterinary care, for example.

I would look to the ‘Five Freedoms’, first developed in 1965 and formalized by the UK Animal Welfare Council in 1979, to see if we are meeting our dogs general needs.

Dogs basic needs are:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst.
2. Freedoms from discomfort
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease
4. Freedom to express normal behavior
5. Freedom from fear and distress

As you can see, it actually encompasses a few more considerations. As our dogs guardians we are responsible for their welfare, but with gaining a deeper understanding of their lives we can offer them a higher quality of life and
wellness.

Dogs are complex animals. As aforementioned, after dogs were domesticated, we
split them further into breed groups, often for purposes to serve our needs or our preferences. As we chose specific traits and developed different breeds, the genes changed further. Each of those breed groups has distinct genetic expressions in the behavior and aesthetics of the dog, as well as each breed itself.

What is normal behavior for dogs can be similar within breed groups, but it can also vary widely between breeds. Yes, all dogs like to sniff and chase and run, sure, but what about the more specific needs of our dogs? A Jack Russell Terrier has very different needs to a Border Collie or a Cane Corso, and will want to express their needs differently. They are genetically driven to do so.

Beyond a dogs basic needs.

So we must ask ourselves, who is is my dog? What does he need beyond the basics? One of the best books to find the answers to these questions is Kim Brophy’s “Meet Your Dog”, in which she divides breeds into ten groups, describes their history as well as the breed group tendencies. Some of the breeds we have are a blend of two or more of these groups, beyond even that, it is critical to remember that your dog is an individual, and there are no absolutes with genes, behavior and expression. So while you will discover a great deal about why your dog does certain things, a lot more behaviors will make more sense, it isn’t a guaranteed guide map to your individual dog.

What happens when we fail to consider both the breed and individual needs?
Unmet needs can cause an enormous amount of stress within our dogs and will
often manifest in many ways including undesirable behaviors, sickness, aggressive behavior, anxious behavior and more. And those are likely to cause you increased stress as well.

Here are a few things to consider that can make a difference to the general and
overall health of your canine companion, to meet their wellness needs, and some of these topics I will delve into in greater depths in other blog posts:

• Exercise — Ranges from dog parks, doggie day cares, running, playing ball and walking with our dogs: This is a big topic!
  
• Sniffari — What it really means to go for a walk with the dog and what that looks like if the dog could tell you his preferences.
• Training — What are the basics for your dog to know and is a group class or an in- home consult best for you and you dog? What kinds of training activities and sports are available?
• Enrichment — A wonderful way to use objects and places to stimulate and enrich the minds and bodies, and to help them express innate behaviors to decrease stress and boredom increase their happiness.
• Sleep and Relaxation- Why sufficient rest is so important to our dogs. How much do they need, and what does that look like?
• Food — Why what we feed our dog is important and how many different types of foods are there to choose from?
• Veterinary Care — Could there be underlying pain, anxiety or discomfort? Would your dog benefit from hydrotherapy, chiropractic care, laser therapies, massage and other alternative therapies?