Making Choices

I prefer to get something that I wish to have independently. Have you every wondered if your dog feels the same way? How he feels when you choose a toy to play with yourself? What of he wants to pal with a different toy - maybe he has a favourite toy that you do not know is his favourite and he often wants to play with it? Do you give him the choice when it comes to playtime?

PAWSOME FACT:

Did you know, dogs who lead more stimulating lives (this includes making decisions for themselves, retrieving objects that are hidden in hard-to-reach places etc) are overall more happy dogs? 

Not so long ago, I experimented to find out if Earl was capable of choosing his own toys on command. As he knows we play fetch with two toys at a time (I throw one, he retrieves it, stops it, then I throw the other, he chases it, I pick to other one up and the process goes on) he can now choose one toy when I say 'go choose' or 'go get it', take it out of the toy tub and drop it near me, then go back again and get another one on command. We are currently working of getting Earl to retrieve both toys after only the FIRST command.

You can almost see all those intelligent cogs in his brain spinning madly!!

The joy I receive when watching Earl choose for himself and then going off to play with those 'chooses' himself is lovely - its wonderful to see him be so self-sufficient, for a dog!

PAWSOME FACT:

Did you know, dogs can use their paws to move things (e.g. like a ball in a small ditch) as well as using their mouths? It gives them even more mental and physical stimulation to use a body part in which they use less frequently and with more difficulty (POSITIVE difficulty!) that their mouths.

You may ask: How can dogs be so smart?

Well! I am not sure if this study is 100% correct, however, I heard there was a study in which shows that the typical dog has the brain power of a typical human child, but without the human languages, the physical bodily ability, and the teachings of human activities in which human children receive. Amazing, isn't it!?

Well how can that study be correct? Your asking.

People taking out studies and investigations work extremely hard and scientifically to impressively and knowledgeably find the answer to certain topics, but really 'getting their hands dirty' in the topic they are looking into. 

Not only does making choices in dogs improve their mental state and well-being, but it also  improves their physical well-being - take using their paws and leg muscles to remove items from difficult places, and using their mouth muscles to lean over and grab something they are, at that time, also using their intelligent brains to choose to take.

You can now go and look at your dog. He/she is your human child, with the brain capacity, apparently, as such!

We are in for a FitDog Friday!

Earl and I.