​A Holistic Approach to Dog Raising and Training

Take a step into the holistic dog movement if you haven’t already when it comes to dog training. 

There’s a philosophy that has taken over the old dog-training model in the natural dog world in the past decade or so. It is all about positive reinforcement.

Just like it did in horse training as well called ‘Natural horsemanship’ which is a collective term for a variety of horse training techniques which have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980s. It is the holistic approach.

Training your dog, holistically can help you to create a wonderful warm connection with your canine companion so you can have a healthy relationship with your loved one for years to come.

Learning and following a holistic approach to your training techniques will affect everything in the health of your pet. From behavior to disease control. It is not a step my step training program necessarily, but more a way of being with your pet.

You will have a in a happier, balanced dog with less issues and, if any, behavioral problems if you just change a few things about the way you are interacting with your pooch. A happy, healthy holistic dog is High-Vibe and their frequency radiates vitality.

Our dogs don’t actually respond to what we are asking them to do with your words or actions. Our dogs are connecting more deeply to what we are feeling.

Of course in the holistic approach we do not practice the use of any methods or tools that would either force to either frighten, or cause anxiety or even pain to train your canine friend, which is the old school approach. It can take more time and patience for sure, but it won’t mess with your dog’s head and emotional well being this way.

(I did use an ecollar for a while to stop a barking situation with one of my dogs. I realized it was creating a bit of a rift with my dogs emotional connection to me. This is actually an example of the old school approach that I was guilty of too. Even though it was just a sound or vibration it was still not helping her to feel totally safe. Which is what we want in holistic dog training. So I found another method of dealing with the barking at the neighbor’s fence. I am always learning too.)

So it really makes sense that our fur buddy to be safe in their environment. It is all about redirecting when something is happening we are not ok with.

Dogs have an innate ability to help us to get back in touch with our own feelings, vibration and frequency that we put out to them and to our world in general. Our dogs are our vibration monitors and they pick up on every little emotion so watch what you are putting out to them.

Keep in mind that holistic just means to see the bigger whole- the entire being - as in connecting to or tapping into the complete energy system rather than breaking it up into parts and the analyzing it separately. Or treating it as disjointed- as in naming a disease, as if it is a separate entity on it’s own. The conventional medical model is good at dissecting our pet’s illness or health into independent pieces or parts, but unfortunately is not addressing the ‘whole animal’.

It is crucial to your dog’s well being to understand your canine’s physical, emotional, mental and social requirements as a holistic being in your family.

Understand and learn their unique methods of communicating and interacting with each other and with their human pack as well. This requires a commitment to understanding your furry friend on every level, which is key because all those aspects influence and hinge on one another.

Holistically raising your dog includes embodying a deep understanding and kindness, as well as grasping the science of canine behavior and learning. We truly need to be aware of our dog’s feelings and emotions.

Dogs are extremely social animals and have developed from living in a pack with other canines to living predominantly in a pack with human beings. Yet, your pet dog’s basic nature has not changed through the ages. However, we expect our dogs to make modifications of their own instinctual nature to fit with our routines and human way of living, which is unnatural for them to adapt to. Because of this it is vital to the overall well being of our dog that we respect them enough to make a few change ourselves to meet our dog’s needs.

When you get started and head down the road on a holistic dog training program, you must be working together as a team. You and your dog are deepening together on a physical, mental, emotional and social level. Seeing from your dog’s point of view and inner nature is the biggest piece to having a holistic relationship.

Most of the canine behavioral issues have a direct connection to your dog’s physical, emotional and mental health in general.

To be effective, any tactic used to work with a behavioral problem must take into account the dog’s diet, exercise level, general overall well-being and vibration. As well as relationship with you, the pet parent. As their pets parent we have the ability to continue to support our dogs as a whole being on all levels including nutritionally and other holistic health care (physical aspect) as well as all other facets of the whole necessary to meet the emotional and mental needs of your beloved friend.

It is the use of this understanding and working together with all aspects that now creates a trusting relationship with your pooch. It is so important that you meeting your dogs needs and thus guaranteeing their vitalism and total well being.

Making sure you are adding these important health practices of building natural immunity through species appropriate feeding and removing chemical toxins as well.

Building their immunity naturally is an important part of holistic dog raising in general.

Our pups need structure and good healthy boundaries as part of their training to help them develop their self-control, culpability, bond and dependability.

You want to make sure that your dog’s training foundation is rock solid, so that you can go on to do anything you want to with your canine companion. This allows you enjoy a long and happy life together.

Training your dog requires commitment, consistency and it takes the passion and patience for ‘dog speak’. You have to be willing to tune into their language and help them make the connection to what they think and what you want.

But most importantly it requires some skill and understanding. You need to develop YOUR talents and abilities as your dog’s handler, trainer, partner support system all rolled into one.

A big piece of the equation of being a good holistic dog trainer is that you make the development of learning and training fun for your pet and for you too.

Chunking it down into easy do-able steps increases the likelihood of a successful outcome and enhances the relationship between you and your dog. Also, it is important to manage your dog’s entire environment so that it is high-vibe and in harmony. This can help to prevent unsafe situations and unwanted behaviors, especially if you start at a young age and never let them down from the beginning.

Why would I use the holistic method to train my dog?

Holistic training uses reward-based methods to teach the dog to offer actions that help them flourish within our human environment.

Your training sessions should be short, fun and rewarding for your dog. This should not be difficult to do because, training can become a routine part of daily activities and be part of your building a strong bond with your dog.

Physical Exercise

You want to make sure your dog is in good physical condition to perform the tasks you are asking of them. Of course it is important to take a few things into consideration:

• how old is your dog?
• What’s your dog’s size and physical abilities?
• Has your pet had any earlier injuries or health issues?

Start gradually, then slowly increase the amount of exercise. Whether it’s walking, chasing, fetching or just running and jumping, feel free to switch up the type of exercise they get each day.

A good example would be walking your dog for 20 minutes on a leash would be perfect for a pug or a small breed dog, however may not be enough exercise for an Aussie, lab or a husky. 10 -20 minutes walk might be just right for an older dog, though.

Mental Exercise

Often pet parents think all a dog needs is a walk or two a day, but that may not be enough. Just focusing on physical exercise only, without considering your furry companions need for mental stimulation as well can be a cause of behavior issues with your dog.

However, just adding some other mental challenges can results in an improvement in all areas of the dogs life. Especially having more happiness, increased stamina and a ‘higher vibe’ frequency and energy. Mental exercise, using your pet’s natural predispositions, is a significant piece to your dog’s emotional make-up and total well being. It often exhausts your fur kid much faster than actual physical exercise does and has a greater impact upon the dog’s general behavior and sense of belonging.

Without a good outlet for this boosted energy the innocent pet parent may find the dog has even more exuberance than ever before and that the “unwanted” behaviors have not significantly improved. This is why you need the holistic approach- which includes a healthy lifestyle, adequate exercise, mental stimulation and good overall vibration in the environment of the family to produce a wonderful life long companion.

Emotional Health

To encourage a healthy emotional state in your dog, you need to provide an psychologically healthy home environment.

Dogs are natural sniffers and explorers and love to use all of their innate 5 senses to understand the domain they are living or exploring in.

If you keep constantly confining your dog on a leash or keeping them crated too often, you aren’t providing your dog with the room needed in both a literal and symbolic sense for them to grow and have full well being. In other words you are stifling their inner nature.

Because of this it is imperative to have some off-leash time for your dog on a daily basis. Either in your own backyard where you can play together or take them a dog park where they can run and socialize. Your dog needs to roam and sniff and feel emotionally comfortable, free and happy in his situation to just be a dog.

Social Environment

Our pet dogs are naturally social creatures. Even though most canines these days spend more time with their human  pack they are descended from ancestors who lived in packs and that is their natural, inherent need and nature. It is super important not to overlook this very significant part of who they are. Social pack animals. The social needs of your dog are an important part of his overall well-being. There is however, always a pack leader. If you are not it- most likely your dog is.

Think about the natural pack relationship that each one in the household has, and how everyone has its own place and role. The pack leader is the one responsible for keeping order and teaching the pups to follow the rules and to maintain a wholesome social environment for the entire pack. Have you every noticed a household where the dog is pack leader? Lol- I sure have.

As the pet parent, your job is always to be the pack leader. It’s your responsibility to recognize your dog’s needs and provide for those needs in the highest and best way you can with the knowledge and ability you have. It is important to establish healthy boundaries to make sure there is a reciprocated respect between you and your pack. Not with force or strong will necessarily, but with loving direction and taking charge.

So.... are you ready to try out the holistic approach?

Taking the time out of your busy lifestyle to really comprehend what makes your dog happy, holistic and high vibe will help build a bond with you and your dog. It will build trust and will strengthen the love and connection you share.

Having this bond and understanding makes it highly likely your dog will listen to you, have a deep respect for you as pack leader and will naturally behave for you. A set-up for a win-win for both of you.

You will discover that this is the whole new way of training your dogs through a holistic partnership: You are teaching your companion through trust, understanding and teamwork.

You learn to communicate through a natural awareness and with a mutual language of inner connection. By doing this you automatically start to learn to lead your dog in this wonderful dance of your shared life together because of a deep respect and understanding.

Holistic dog training is based on the viewpoint of using a dog's emotional interaction with his or her environment, especially their natural prey drive, to provoke obedience and to help resolve those problems like aggression, barking and hyperactivity.

Holistic Dog Training is about making it’s pack leader human the most important object in your dog’s emotional world. This connection has to avoid all negative emphasis or intimidation methods that are often used in other training techniques, but as I’ve said earlier based on feeling and emotional connection.

Whether you are just doing basic obedience training or just need some partnership bonding skill or working to solve some behavior issues…Even if you are beginning from stratch with a new puppy or starting over with an adult dog…You can take the holistic method and apply it to your situation starting today.

Holistic Dog Training is about connecting deeply into our dogs’ natural instincts and helps you to see their realm through their eyes, or, more precisely, to ‘feel’ the world through their own heart.

If you decide to work and play together with your canine companion as a team, assisting them to be positive, healthy and happy…and most importantly, becoming a support and an advocate for a healthier, more effective and more loving method to raise and train dogs, you are on a path to a super satisfying relationship beyond your what you could imagine possible with a dog. 

• #holistic dog care