Do You Need Your Dog to be a Ferrari?

Let’s talk about wants and needs. We may want a red Ferrari to zoom around backcountry roads with the wind in our hair and not a care in the world. But, our daily commute has us in stop-and-go traffic. If we accidentally hit the gas pedal with too much vroom vroom enthusiasm as the light turns green, we may rear end the car in front of us. So while we want a high performance car, we need something more practical.  

Take the day we met our Siamese cat, Sinky. We visited Slinky in his foster home. Slinky was sharing the bedroom with another foster, a very cool black cat. This black cat was very hyper and my husband was drawn to him. This cat would dart across the room in a cartoonish way with an imaginary flame following behind. He would pounce on Slinky, who was already resigned to the cartoonish shenanigans.  My husband wanted to adopt this cat. In that moment, the black cat was certainly stealing the show. However, I encouraged my husband to imagine this cat in our home, crashing into all of our things. Being our first cat, Slinky seemed more our speed. The black cat ended up with an artist and I’m sure he is the perfect muse. 

The other day I was taking the metro downtown. As the train stopped at the station, a woman walking her muzzled German Shepherd dog behind a building in Washington, DC caught my attention. Given that she was walking in that area to avoid others, I thought about all of the preplaning that goes into walking her dog. As the train accelerated away from the station, the dog erupted into barking and lunging at the train. I thought about how small she must be making her dog’s world, and subsequently her own world, to help her dog. I doubt she went to the breeder, shelter, or rescue and said, “I love German Shepherds, please give me the most reactive one you have!” And yet, there she was, walking between a building and the metro track in Washington, DC, because that was the best walking option for her dog at that moment. 

Dogs were originally bred for specific purposes. Guard dogs need to be reactive to alert their people and scare away intruders. Livestock guardian dogs need to be suspicious of newcomers. Herding dogs need to gather sheep and move them. Terriers need to be tenacious to flush and kill vermin. Beagles need to bay loudly so you know where to find the fox. You get the drift. 

Speaking of drift, most of our dogs are living a very different lifestyle than they were originally bred for. However, these instinctive behaviors are still bubbling up to the surface. In our homes, the dog’s instinctive behaviors, often expressed in dysfunctional ways, become our complaints. 

How should we address our dog’s undesirable behaviors? Consider what your dog’s ancestors were originally bred to do. Brainstorm an appropriate outlet for your dog’s instinctive behavior. There are many fabulous dog sports available to meet your dog’s need to, well, be a dog! And, if giving your dog more things to do doesn’t quite fix the issue, there’s always better living through chemistry. Veterinary Behaviorists are fabulous team members for dogs living with fear, anxiety, and aggression. Because when your dog is a Ferrari, you may need a professional driver’s help.