Human Dog Connection Do dogs sense their owners feelings

I talk a great deal about the human/dog bond. It is one of the reasons that I think walking your dog regularly is important.

People who have been around dogs for any length of time may begin to notice that the dog can sense your feelings. They can sense when we are sick. Most of the time when I am sick, Copper acts remarkably different. He stays physically closer to me than usual. I have noticed this with many dogs that I have had the pleasure of living with over the years.

Dogs can also sense our frustration. This is one reason that I encourage people to keep training sessions short and to end on a high note. If you get frustrated with the dog, he will sense that and become more stressed likely heightening your frustration. This soon becomes a vicious downward spiral.

I think my dogs can also sense when I am irritable or feel down. They certainly act differently. Copper really gives me a wide berth, so to speak, when he senses that I am angry, irritable, or just feel a little down.

I bring this up because, in training, it is important that you be in the correct mindset. If you have other concerns that are causing you stress or making you angry, try to do the training work with your dog when you are a little more relaxed and less stressed. It will make things more pleasant for you and your canine buddy!

You know, dogs are really pretty incredible animals. I have noticed over the years that my dogs have been very sensitive to weather changes. If a bad thunderstorm is coming, I can usually tell hours before it arrives just by carefully watching the behavior of my dogs. If you know what to look for it is easy. I have said before that dogs are very much routine oriented animals. If I see my dogs voluntarily breaking their routine, something is always causing it. Sometimes it is a change in the weather.

Well I hope you are all having a great week!

I am finally starting to feel a little better and am getting some work done.

Remember if you would like to talk about your dogs behavioral issues, I am always available. Feel free to contact me.

Till next time 

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

678-702-4791

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Human Dog Connection Does my dog know when I am sick

I have had some sort of stomach bug for the last couple of days. It has not been pleasant at all. I worked a little over half a day yesterday and have not done much other than rest since then.

I have written before about the Human/Dog Connection. In the earlier post I wrote about how dogs can tell how we feel emotionally. That is why it is important not to get frustrated while training your little guys and girls.

I also mentioned how Copper can tell when I am not feeling good. That post was written before we adopted Little Cody. This time, I have had two little guys taking care of me :) .

As soon as I got home from work yesterday, it was apparent that both Little Cody and Copper Whopper knew that I was sick. I spent the rest of the day in bed. Cody slept right next to me. This is unusual. Cody does sleep in the bed with us sometimes but he is not normally nearly as close to me as he was yesterday. I woke at one point to find Copper on the pillow next to me and Cody right against me. This is also very unusual. Copper prefers to sleep on the floor these days. I think the floor feels cooler and more comfortable for him.

At one point later I woke to find Cody right next to me and Copper lying on the floor in the bedroom doorway. As soon as I woke, Copper jumped up on the bed to check on me. He sniffed me, licked my hand , let me pet his head, then he jumped back down to lie in the doorway.

My point in relaying this story is that these remarkable little guys knew I was sick. I really think they were sort of worried about me. I have no real evidence to back this up but, their behavior changed quite dramatically when I was sick. Normally, at that time of the day, Copper Whopper likes to take his nap in the living room and you can hardly wake him.Cody really likes to have his afternoon nap in his basket bed in the dog training shack office.  Routine is important to dogs and they both broke that routine because they sensed that all was not right with me.

Today, I have been taking it much easier than usual. I have been in the house most of the day. Eating soup and crackers. My little buddies have been checking on me all day. One or the other of them has been right by my side all day.

One of the many advantages to having a dog is that they are a comfort when you dont feel well. I think it is because they sense that you dont feel well and try to make you feel better. I have been around dogs most of my life and have noticed this phenomena many times. I think it is perhaps universal (well maybe not on Venus... although I have never been there :) ) with dogs and people.

Take care of your canine buddies because they love you and will show it when you feel sick.

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

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