"If you force an animal that has roamed the earth freely for millions of years to spend most of the day light hours in a 2 by 1 foot area, you’re naturally going to end up with an anxious and possibly more aggressive dog. That pent up energy has to go somewhere, and often aggression is a release mechanism. The “we are what we make them” statement applies in that an unfulfilled dog eventually shows behavior problems. We may call them “domestic animals”, but inside, they still have the needs of a wolf. That’s why if you read this forum, every other post is “my little baby is biting/barking/crazy, and I don’t know why”. The reason: A Yorkie is a wolf with a teddy bear disguise. Admitting that is the first step to relief."
These horror stories that you often hear are simply because there isn't a BALANCE in those dogs lives. You can (I do this REGULARLY) have a dog crated for the times I mentioned, with ZERO issues, so long as there is a balance. You cannot be firm and not be fair. So, give your dog something constructive to do and think about when you are with him. When you cannot be with him, do what is safest for him and yourself and that would often times be to confine him and w/ our little ones, that often means a smaller space-i.e. a crate.
With the variety of purebreds out there today, there is very little that they still share in common w/ them. I would go as far as to venture that SOME have atributes akin to a wolf, but their responces to your manipulations are COMPLETELY different than that of a wolf. Therefore, please for the love of god quit comparing them. Even our domestic dogs have a different digestive system than their wolf counterparts. There is enough physiological change that to compare them to wolves would be like comparing us to OUR ancestors! Yes, yes, we're related, but we've come a long way and while wolves and dogs don't have the same length of seperation and breeding through history that we do, they've made leaps and bonds faster than even we have.
POINT is: Dogs really are what we mold them to be, within reason. Crating your dog is NOT a negative, so long as when you do have the time to spend w/ them, you are. And I don't mean that you take them out and let them aimlessly run at the dog park, give them something constructive to do W/ you...more one on one. Develop your dog w/ yourself, not just w/ others and others dogs. |