Having a relaxed dog is best. Having a voluntarily submissive dog is best. Both relaxation and submission keep your dog’s energy levels low. Paradoxically it reinforces their low energy levels. It keeps problems at bay. Problems appear when their energy levels are high. Problems appear at the high energy range. That’s when their brains disconnect, Nature takes over. Nature puppets a dog to do progressively more and more ugly things—your dog’s wild animal has arrived.
Happy is not a dog behavior.
Sleeping is a behavior. Eating is, too. Additionally, so are running, barking, retrieving, digging, peeing or pooping.
Happying is not. To the point: have a relaxed and voluntarily submissive dog, not a happy dog.
Every time you see a dog sleeping, that’s identifiable and measurable. Every time you see your dog with a cold, wet nose, with relaxed, open mouth breathing, that’s measurable, too. Remember, relaxation is measurable. Voluntary submission is measurable. “Happy” is not measurable. Happy is in your head, not in your dog. It’s not about the fight whether it is or not, either. If we’re fighting, we’re not fixing the dog’s problems.
You always want a relaxed, voluntarily submissive dog. A dog with a cold, wet nose. And dog with relaxed, open mouth breathing. Once you have them there in that state, keep them there.
