Cesar’s Fulfillment Formula for a Balanced and Healthy Dog
This book isn’t a “how-to” manual. As I mentioned in the introduction, I’m not here to teach you how to get your dog to recognize voice commands or hand signals; I’m not here to teach you how to properly make your dog “heel” or do tricks. There are plenty of guides and books related to dog training, and many qualified specialists out there who can do that. But although my primary mission is simply to help you understand your dog’s psychology better, I also have some practical advice to offer you. This advice applies to all dogs, no matter the breed, no matter the age or size, no matter the temperament, or whether the dog is dominant or submissive. This is my three-part formula for fulfilling your dog’s life. Be reminded—this isn’t a one-time fix for a troubled dog. Dogs aren’t appliances; you can’t simply send them out to be repaired once and that’s it. If you expect this formula to work, you have to practice it every day of your dog’s life.
The formula is simple: in order to have a balanced dog, you must provide three things: exercise
discipline
affection
...in that order!
Why is the order important? Because it’s the natural order of your dog’s inborn needs. The problem in the United States is that most dogs receive only part of the formula from their owners—affection, affection, affection. Some people do better, giving their dogs half affection, half exercise. Others practice all three, but put affection first. As I’ve stressed again and again in this book, that is a recipe for an unbalanced dog. Yes, our dogs crave our affection. But they need exercise and leadership first. Especially exercise, as you’ll soon see.
1. Exercise
This is the first part of your dog’s formula for happiness and it is absolutely the one thing you cannot skip. Ironically, it’s the first thing most owners in the United States fail at doing. Perhaps it’s because Americans in general seem to have problems with getting enough exercise for themselves, and don’t recognize that all animals, even humans, have an inborn need to be active.
Just getting out and being physical, moving our bodies, seems to have taken a backseat to everything else in our society these days. Our modern lives are so busy that it seems overwhelming to have to add in daily walks with our dogs on top of everything else. But if you are going to take on the responsibility of living with a dog, this is the contract you sign. You need to walk with your dog. Every day. Preferably at least twice a day. And for a minimum of thirty minutes at a time.
Walking with your dog is a primal activity. It is hardwired into her brain to migrate with her pack. Dogs don’t simply enjoy walks because they get to pee and poop and get some fresh air—although shockingly, this seems to be the perception of many owners. To some dog owners, walking the dog” means letting her out in the yard to do her business, then letting her back in the house. This is torture for a dog. Every cell in your dog’s body is crying out for a walk. In nature, dogs will spend up to twelve hours migrating for food. Wolves—dogs’ living ancestors—have been known to range over hundreds of miles and hunt for ten hours in their natural habitat42.
Dogs naturally have different energy levels, and some dogs need to walk more often than others.
Some breeds have genes that tell them to walk longer, or faster, or farther. But all dogs walk. All animals travel. Fish need to swim, birds need to fly…and dogs need to walk!
Wrong Ways
Walking with your dog is the single most powerful tool I can offer you to help you connect with all the aspects of your dog’s mind—animal, dog, breed, and name—all at the same time. By mastering the walk, you have the ability to truly bond with your dog as her pack leader. The walk is the foundation of your relationship. It is also where a dog learns to be a dog. She learns about her environment, about the other animals and humans in it; about dangers such as cars and things to be avoided such as bikes and skateboards. She gets to pee on trees and really get to know her territory.
Animals need to connect with the world and be out in it. It’s not natural for them to spend all their time indoors or behind walls. Another part of the “powerbroker paradox” that I spoke of—the tendency for very powerful people to have very messed-up dogs—is that these people often have huge, luxurious homes with enormous backyards. They think letting their dog roam in their estate’s backyard is enough exercise for her. Never think you can substitute having a big backyard for going on a primal walk with your dog! Sure, it could be several acres of property, but to your dog it’s a just very big kennel behind walls. Also, allowing your dog simply to roam around all day by herself isn’t providing her with the structure she gets when she migrates with her pack leader. A structured, regular walking schedule is vital, especially for dogs with behavior problems and issues.
MASTER THE WALK
Every once in a while,