12/03/2025
THE CHOICE TO CHOOSE
WHY DOGS SHOULD BE ALLOWED CHOICE
Imagine every little detail of your life is controlled - what and when you eat, where you sleep, when you’re allowed inside or outside, when you’re allowed to go for a walk and if you’re allowed to stop and sniff, who you’re allowed or forced to interact with, what activities you’re allowed to participate in, when you’re given attention, where you’re allowed to be touched etc.
This would create stress and anxiety, a feeling of helplessness, apathy, a lack of confidence and many other negative emotions. The same is true for dogs.
Dogs live in a world where just about everything is controlled by us.
Allowing choice, no matter how simple or small that choice may be, provides so many benefits.
The context and parameters in which we allow choice is obviously important.
Safety, boundaries, environmental factors, other people or animals always need to be taken into account.
A very long time ago, when my daughter was little, she would flat-out refuse to put on the set of clothes I had picked out for her.
Tantrums and stubbornness would often make us late for wherever we were going. This problem was solved by laying out 3 different sets of clothes and allowing her to choose which set she was going to wear.
These were still within my parameters and were still my choice, but by doing this I had allowed her a choice and the problem was solved, without harsh discipline or emotional fall out.
Dogs that are allowed some control over their environment and how they respond to situations are more confident, more emotionally balanced, more resilient, better able to cope with stressful situations, less anxious, less stressed and generally have fewer behaviour problems.
Look for simple, safe ways to provide more choice for your dog.
Improve their wellbeing and quality of life in a world that seeks to dominate and control.
