The most important thing in a relationship with your pet is to be available. — dpa
Dogs love to play, run for sticks and have fun with their owners but nowadays they are fighting to compete with social media as their distracted owners focus on their mobile phones.
For dogs these days, it seems as though their owners spend more and more time chatting with their friends and fiddling with their mobile phones. They can’t get through to humans anymore – it’s as though there is a constant busy signal.
That leaves dogs stuck exploring an unwanted freedom, says one animal rights organisation.
“Dogs realise pretty quickly that no one is focusing on them, so they go ahead and play on their own, ” warns Ann Kari Sieme, a professional dog trainer who works for Germany’s Aktion Tier animal rights group.
Pet owners barely notice that the dog has gone off to chase a child wobbling along on a bicycle, or is peeing in the middle of a path.
For insecure dogs, it is difficult to handle when the dog mum or dog dad fails to notice their canine signals. Dogs need feedback and otherwise are left to themselves; some become aggressive when they are on the leash.
The most important thing in a relationship with a dog is to be available, Sieme said. “I have to keep making it clear to the dog that it pays to focus on it.” – dpa
Did you find this article insightful?
