A Balanced, Happy Dog

Decision making has never been my strength. Just ask my husband, who patiently waits while I hem and haw over whether to order the Veggie Burger or Veggie Chili. So you can imagine how long the decision making process took when we decided to adopt a dog.

I like to do the research before making any life-altering decisions. So when we agreed to add a dog to our family, I had a mission.

In my quest for information, my dad recommended Cesar’s Way: The Natural Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems by a dog expert named Cesar Milan. Little did I know that Cesar is a nationally recognized dog expert. I loved this book. It helped me understand that humanizing a dog actually harms the dog. I learned that dogs need rules, boundaries and limitations and that invoking these principles helps the dog become balanced. A balanced dog is a happy dog.

Cesar also asserts that dogs need exercise, discipline and affection [in that order] to be balanced. Key to Cesar’s approach is projecting a calm-assertive energy when interacting with your dog. Cesar defines a calm-assertive leader as relaxed, but confident. Cesar’s book really helped me prepare to be a pack leader and consequently Jax is a balanced, happy dog! I highly recommend this book to all dog parents. Get Cesar’s Way at Amazon.com for $11.16.