Inclusion, not isolation.
Like humans, dogs are social, pack animals. There is strength in numbers, and both recognize the significant increase in level of comfort and survival when this is so.
Feeling and being included is a deep emotional need we humans have. To feel accepted. Welcomed. Seen and heard. To feel we belong. This is no different for our canine companions. Their livelihood, self and world concepts, and overall quality of life is 100% dependent upon what we choose to provide and how we choose to show up for them.
I see so many dogs spending hours upon hours in isolation and confinement due to busy work schedules and lack of understanding on their human's part on how to deal or handle them. They get used to "manage" behavior. While it may be taking care of a momentary dilemma, it actually does more harm than good to the dog and only exasperates existing states of mind and behaviors when used inappropriately.
Isolation creates stress; inclusion promotes peace. Isolation creates physical, mental, and emotional imbalance; inclusion promotes balance. Isolation creates distance and separation; inclusion promotes bonding and nurtures relationship. Isolation imparts the message our presence doesn't matter; whereas inclusion says just the opposite, and lovingly whispers, "you matter".
Isolation is not a solution to a problem, nor is confinement. Unreleased energy builds and compounds upon itself, and dogs can, literally, go crazy when used inappropriately. Used *respectfully* and *responsibly*, they can be part of a most effective training protocol; but it's up to us on how we use it.
Much like human children need their "time out's", nap times, and down times, it's the same for dogs. We provide safe, structured outlets in which to utilize and expend... and also to relax and recharge. Channeling and releasing energy, and resting and recalibrating.
When we leave our dogs to their own devices and allow them to call their own shots. Offer endless gains, permissions, and privileges without rules, boundaries, or any type of living structure; we inevitably nurture insecurity, confusion, imbalance, nervousness, anxiety, and fear. Why? Dogs don't understand how to make sense of or navigate our world like we do. It's very far from instinctual. It's up to us to help them understand their place and how to connect those necessary dots.
It's our role and our responsibility to manage our dog's choices and states of mind. Their mood and energy. It's also up to us to teach them the rules and boundaries of the home, as well as in the world outside the home, and the difference between appropriate and inappropriate. When we do this, we set them up for success and make it a much safer, more peaceful space to coexist for both ends of the leash.
