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Do dogs belong inside or outside?
You buy that cute puppy from the store or the newspaper. It is adorable, has cute puppy breath and
does the funniest things. You give it lots of attention, play with it, brush it, buy it toys, bowls and a
bed. But eventually, life moves on. You still have to work, tend the house, take the kids to soccer and
you don't have time to be with the dog. It becomes a "teenager" and starts chewing on things, barking
to get your attention because you haven't had time to play for several days. You never got around to
completely house training her because you have a busy life. So she starts relieving herself on the
carpet. Eventually it becomes too much and the dog goes into the back yard.

This is a scenario we see many, many times. But don't dogs like to be out in the fresh air, with lots of
places to run around. Well the answer is absolutely Yes, if you are out there with them. Why?

Dogs are part of the Family Canidae which also includes (coyotes, dogs, foxes, jackals, and wolves. So
what does that mean? They are ALL PACT animals. They live in groups. They sleep in groups, hunt in
groups, cooperate in raising young. They depend on the group for protection from enemies. They have a
very developed social structure. If you see a wolf alone in the wild, that is a wolf that is not long for
this world. This behavior is genetically ingrained in all dogs. The short amount of time that humans have
had a relationship with dogs has not changed that. So guess what. You are your dog's pact. After a very
short amount of time, the dog will accept you as his pact because he is genetically programed to know
that he needs a pact for survival. He also needs a pact to be secure, happy, social. He wants to be with
you wherever you are. No exceptions.

Okay, but the dog is chewing, peeing, barking. What am I supposed to do? You have to spend time with
the dog. You have to train the dog. It will take a lot of time. There will be mistakes. But if you invest
some time now, you will have years of a happy, health companion. There are countless books and
websites on how to house train, crate train, break destructive behavior etc. You can find the help from
your vet or from many trainers and obedience classes.

If you want to know how a dog feels about being put outside in the back yard and only seeing people for
a minute when they put the food out for the day, and no one speaks to you all day, and there is nothing
to occupy your mind or use up your energy for days...picture yourself as that dog. What kind of life
would you have if you never saw your family members for days, none of them spoke to you or touched
you for days. The dog is a social creature who is meant to live surrounded by his family just like you.
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				Shih Tzu Lhasa Apso Rescue