To know, know, know you
Like the the Phil Spector song says........"is to love, love, love you"
As a dog owner of almost three years, I have unwittingly undertaken a course of study and research with a diligence that has surprised me as it certainly exceeds any efforts I have made previously in the pursuit of knowledge- certainly more the minimal scholarly efforts I put into to getting my bachelor's degree.
I have read a gazillion books, countless articles online, joined many lists and forums regarding breed, nutrition, behaviour and it continues to be a daily regimen. I now have an arsenal of bookmarks to online veterinary manuals, scholarly papers, canine nutrition databases. Why do I do this ?
It started quite simply by wanting to know the rudimentary stuff-how to housebreak your puppy, the best food to feed. It was just the good intention to be better informed about this soon to be new member of the family but what I've come to discover is there's nothing rudimentary about understanding a completely different species. Add to that the dynamic of it growing and evolving through various life stages- none of them familiar or similar to one's own. The more I read, the more there seemed to know. The more I knew, the clearer it became that some issues are simply not that clear. In fact some of them are mired in controversy.
Is a dog a carnivore or an oppurtunistic onmivore? What are fear periods? Why is he yawning? Is hiccuping normal? There are a surprising amount of things to know and you ultimately have to know them because you have to make some important decisions along the way. So the reading and the googling and the bookmarking began and like I said its never really stopped. Has it paid off?
So far his life has been relatively free of health issues, so he is at least free of the stresses and discomforts of poor health. He's easy going and friendly, and has nice manners with people and other dogs. Nature or nurture? Did my late night swotting on meat and bone ratios and new vaccination protocols and positive dog training play a crucial role or is it simply good genes -a healthy constituion and temperament. Who knows.
If you'd like to see a list of books containing titles that I own, some that I read for free at Barnes & Nobles with a Starbucks Coffee in hand, and some well reccomended ones that I hope to get round to reading- they are listed here:
Nutrition
Behaviour
Wellness
As a dog owner of almost three years, I have unwittingly undertaken a course of study and research with a diligence that has surprised me as it certainly exceeds any efforts I have made previously in the pursuit of knowledge- certainly more the minimal scholarly efforts I put into to getting my bachelor's degree.
I have read a gazillion books, countless articles online, joined many lists and forums regarding breed, nutrition, behaviour and it continues to be a daily regimen. I now have an arsenal of bookmarks to online veterinary manuals, scholarly papers, canine nutrition databases. Why do I do this ?
It started quite simply by wanting to know the rudimentary stuff-how to housebreak your puppy, the best food to feed. It was just the good intention to be better informed about this soon to be new member of the family but what I've come to discover is there's nothing rudimentary about understanding a completely different species. Add to that the dynamic of it growing and evolving through various life stages- none of them familiar or similar to one's own. The more I read, the more there seemed to know. The more I knew, the clearer it became that some issues are simply not that clear. In fact some of them are mired in controversy.
Is a dog a carnivore or an oppurtunistic onmivore? What are fear periods? Why is he yawning? Is hiccuping normal? There are a surprising amount of things to know and you ultimately have to know them because you have to make some important decisions along the way. So the reading and the googling and the bookmarking began and like I said its never really stopped. Has it paid off?
So far his life has been relatively free of health issues, so he is at least free of the stresses and discomforts of poor health. He's easy going and friendly, and has nice manners with people and other dogs. Nature or nurture? Did my late night swotting on meat and bone ratios and new vaccination protocols and positive dog training play a crucial role or is it simply good genes -a healthy constituion and temperament. Who knows.
If you'd like to see a list of books containing titles that I own, some that I read for free at Barnes & Nobles with a Starbucks Coffee in hand, and some well reccomended ones that I hope to get round to reading- they are listed here:
Nutrition
Behaviour
Wellness
posted by MetroChien | 4.12.06
