Your dog’s personality plays an integral role in its health. Different emotional states affect how well your dog copes with sickness and injury. Every dog is an individual with a unique personality, it’s a significant factor to consider prior to embarking upon any type of natural health care or complementary therapy.
Assessing your dog’s personality and type of impairment enables you and your holistic vet to judge the appropriateness of certain therapies and helps you decide which therapy should be avoided unless there are no suitable and effective alternatives.
The questionnaire designed below is intended to help you assess your dog’s personality while it also addresses their general health in order to evaluate the efficiency of its immune system.
About the questionnaire; various factors are displayed in the left column while on the right you’ll find lists of related statements. Consider your pet and score each statement using the scoring system given. Once you finished, add up the sums and review the total score outcome below. Your dog’s result will indicate how it’s likely to respond to complementary therapies.
SCORE
- Almost Always – 5
- Usually – 4
- Sometimes – 3
- Rarely – 2
- Almost never – 1
| FACTOR
| ASSESSMENT | SCORE (1-5) |
| SOCIABLE WITH PEOPLE
Many therapies involve active participation by people. Therapies such as acupuncture and massage should be used on dogs that have high scores on sociability with people.
| My dog:
· Likes to be with it’s human family · Greets strangers with a wagging tail · Enjoys being petted · Joins with children in play | |
| ACTIVE
Just as our own physical fitness is an important factor in overcoming ill health, active dogs are best equipped to maintain good health and to recover quickly from injury or illness.
| My dog:
· Enjoys physical activity · Plays games with its human family · Gets active daily exercise off the leash · Demands attention | |
| RISK – TAKER
A risk-taking dog increases its risk of physical injury but risk-taking individual’s curiously and enthusiasm may help them to recover most efficiently from states of poor health.
| My dog:
· Willingly investigates new surroundings · Approaches other animals without fear · Is relaxed when visiting the vet · Is not frightened by new experiences | |
| GOOD HEALTH
General good health is the best sign that a dog’s immune system functions efficiently. A high score here means that your dog’s defences have generally been working well.
| My dog:
· Is generally physically well · Recovers quickly from minor illnesses · Does not complain about minor injuries · Is not very sensitive to pain
| |
| TRAINABILITY
The placebo response is a potent component of all forms of medicine. Dogs with high scores in trainability may respond best to mind-emotion therapies or others where placebo is important.
| My dog:
· Enjoys learning new commands · Is relaxed during training · Retains its training · Is fully house trained | |
| SOCIABLE WITH OTHER DOGS
Sociability with other dogs indicates a positive attitude, which is crucial for any therapy. Because of the dog’s pack-animal heritage, enjoying the presence of other dogs can be a spur to recovery.
| My dog:
· Enjoys the company of other family dogs. · Encourages play with unfamiliar dogs · Shows no aggression to unfamiliar dogs · Is not submissive to unfamiliar dogs
|
Source: Natural Dog Care by Dr. Bruce Fogle
TOTAL SCORE
- 24 – 55 Your dog is reserved and wary of strangers. It is unlikely to accept many conventional therapies.
- 56 – 89 Taking into account where your dog scored highly, you can selectively use some complementary therapies.
- 90 – 120 Your dog has a confident outgoing nature. It will accept many forms of complementary therapy.
We hope you learned a little about your dog’s personality! until next time enjoy spending time with your loved ones and pet(s).
Keep an eye on our next blog; https://www.petnurture.com.au/natural-therapies-to-treat-maintain-your-dogs-musculoskeletal-integrity/
To learn more about Pet Nurture or to book a Free phone consultation contact Melina on 0403 939 202 or Enquiries@PetNurture.com.au
Bibliography
Fogle, B. (1999). Natural Dog Care. London, Great Britain: Dorling Kindersley Limited.
