For those who love animals, when they adopt one it happens that it becomes part of the family, sometimes even going so far as to lose the balance between what can be done and what cannot. As much as you wish otherwise, a pet is not a person (although it is said that “some are better than many people”) and ” humanizing ” it can have serious consequences, both for you and for your four-legged friends.
In this article we will talk about what these consequences are and how you can avoid them.
Consequences of humanizing animals
Difficulty in socializing
Who hasn’t seen on television some famous owners who dress their animals as they are? They almost seem like people, with their clothes, their gestures and even their looks. This leads the dog to consider himself superior, not wanting to socialize with other dogs, thus leading a life of lower quality.
Dogs are pack animals: although they are now domesticated, they will always need to maintain contact with other animals of the same species. Depriving them of this opportunity with the sole purpose of humanizing them is not healthy: the animal could show episodes of anxiety, stress and even aggression.
Loss of one’s identity
A dog that goes to the toilet is no longer a dog. Of course, having succeeded in this intent is a great result for you masters, but to the animal this will not be very clear and it is possible that then it will seem strange to him to see his fellowmen raise their paw to urinate.
A dog is a dog, and must therefore behave like one.
His needs are ignored
When you want to humanize your pet, it means that you are neglecting something far more important: its needs. If you feed him your own food, you are forgetting that he needs the nutrients for his bones and body that only high quality dog food can give him.
When you want him to sleep in your bed, you are not thinking that maybe one day you will not be there. What will he do then?
When you demand that he go in a pram, even if he were a baby, you are forgetting that a dog needs to run, jump and get dirty to be himself and feel happy.
When you want to take your dog for a walk around the park by putting him in a basket, you end up ignoring his needs for socializing with other dogs and with other people as well.
Loss of hierarchical principles
Humanizing your pet can lead him to no longer understand who is in charge. As explained on many other occasions, dogs need a leader and, if this is absent, they proclaim themselves as such.
By humanizing your dog, it is possible and extremely likely that the balance between what is allowed and what is not is lost . This can lead him to believe himself the leader of the pack, to imagine that he can do what he wants and that everyone is at his service, at his complete disposal. In this way, aggressive behaviors are generated, which can lead to serious disturbances to the animal.
Does stopping humanizing mean stopping pampering?
The above does not mean that you should stop cuddling or showing affection to your pet in other ways . The secret is to find a good balance: to prevent him from feeling free to do what he wants, by making him identify you as the alpha male and feel loved and protected at the same time.
It seems like something more difficult than it really is. You just have to teach your dog to obey orders, but at the same time you have to make him feel your love.
Let the rest of the family understand that, even if the animal is part of it, certain limits must be set. Treat your dog with love, but like an animal.
