You may have heard the term "agency," but I'm not referring to a travel agency or anything of that sort. The agency I'm talking about relates to having choices and control over your environment.
In April, Pippa underwent surgery for a torn cruciate ligament, which meant a long, slow recovery with lots of time spent in a crate and on a lead around the house.
During her recovery, the little time she was allowed out of the crate, I noticed she began guarding objects like a toy, a strawberry, and items of clothing. Why was this happening?
I believed that it was partly because her world had become very small, and all her choices had been taken away. She no longer had the freedom to move around the house, go upstairs when she wanted, or go outside freely. She was kept on a lead even for toilet breaks.
Her world was restricted.
I tried to make things more interesting for her with scent work and bringing items from the outside world inside, but it wasn’t enough.
As soon as we started venturing out on walks, and she was able to be out of the crate more the guarding behaviour stopped.
This made me reflect on street dogs and dogs in general. We make a lot of the choices for our dogs—when they eat, when they walk, where they sleep, and so much more. Rehomed street dogs may struggle in particular.
Are we really rescuing these dogs (that's a topic for another day)? They've had a life of freedom, albeit with varying degrees of quality, and then they are brought to a strange country with different temperatures, smells, and confined to four walls.
Pippa is a prime example of what a lack of choices can do. She felt the need to control something in her life. Aren't we similar?
So, what can we do to help?
Let them choose where they want to walk every now and then, where they want to sleep, and relax. Consider consent-based training and handling, allowing a dog to move away when things become overwhelming, which is your cue to stop, is incredibly empowering for them. Finally, you need to understand dog communication, paying attention to subtle signs like head turns, leaning away, and lip licking are all so important.
Allowing our dogs to make choices builds confidence, strengthens the human - dog bond and is very empowering.
So what choices are you going to let your dog make tomorrow?
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