here are many reasons for a person to have a dog in his home and his life. Some reasons are legitimate, some are not. Dogs in our society are stellar companions for people, expressing unconditional love to humans right in the face of uncertainty and often inconsistent and unfair treatment.

Just as it is wrong for a person to keep a dog in order to have something to dominate and control, so is it wrong to let the dog be the object of a person’s desire, for whatever reasons, to cater to every whim of another being. Indulgence (some call it spoiling) is not an acceptable alternative to dominance! Honest love does not promote indulgence. Indulgence, like dominance, does not respect the dog as a companion animal wanting to serve.

When there is no proper communication between dog and owner (or more appropriately, guardian), some guardians will simply allow the dog to do whatever the dog’s impulses dictate. A guardian must recognize how important it is for his dog always to ask what is right to do rather than act on impulse. The dog must learn to ask permission for everything. To act on impulse is not asking permission. It is acting on information from instincts, the only information dogs are born with. Of course, dogs don’t question the correctness of that information. But it’s faulty, pretty much across the board, for functioning in a human world.

While some impulsive behavior may be quite harmless and, on occasion, even entertaining to man and dog alike, other impulsive behavior is potentially very damaging, even lethal. No dog can discern which impulsive behavior is benign and which is not! Therefore, he must learn to ask permission about all his actions. To live out his lifespan in tranquility and not forever on the edge, it is essential that the dog learn that he must not make any decisions without consulting his human partner, asking questions. A dog can only exist in harmony with his guardian's human society and live the fullest and happiest life if he can get right answers to his questions about how to behave.

While giving his dog practical answers for living, an owner is also fulfilling the dog’s natural desire to companion with and communicate with a human. This is an overriding natural desire for dogs. Only when a guardian has consciously worked to develop the kind of communication with his dog which frees his dog from either dominance or indulgence should the guardian feel right about having a dog living with him.

We should not keep animals so that we may exploit them. If we keep animals, we should keep them so that we may learn more from them about sharing love. Doesn’t communication enhance the expression of love? A relationship between a dog and a human which is one of partnership as well as companionship, demands communication that really works, a language for living. All dogs deserve to be given a chance to develop their loving potential and live out their lifetimes with certainty, unhampered by emotional instability and uncontrolled inborn impulses which make their lives with humans difficult or even dangerous. Dog and human partner must learn to communicate with each other!