Why do I want to blog about this??

Why do I want to blog about the minds of dogs? Well, there are several reasons, the main one being, of course, that dogs interest the heck out of me, and have for as long as I can remember. Now, I don't claim to be an animal communicator, but I have always felt a certain affinity for companion animals (dogs, cats, horses and even a few guinea pigs) and have been continually amazed at their ability to understand us, even though they have no spoken language mechanism in their brains (that we know of!) and at their ability to communicate their needs to us, when we are willing to listen.
In the last century, dogs have been making their way from our backyards and doghouses into our homes and onto our couches and beds. Not all of them, but, I can only hope, most of them! Well, when I think about how many are in dog pounds, shelters, rescues, kennels of various types, puppy mills and just plain strays, maybe it's not even most of them......but quite a lot, nonetheless. As this change has been occurring, we have been getting closer and closer to these animals in many ways. Sometimes, clashes occur, when the human occupants and the canine have different ideas about how things should be, and each cannot understand why the other doesn't understand why things shouldn't be that way. When the human does not take the time to try and understand what is going on within the mind of their canine housemate, this can lead to all kinds of problems, and usually ends with the canine losing. He or she either ends up in a shelter, hoping for a new home, or tied up (returned to) in the backyard or locked in a basement or a garage, or being given away and often ending up in some sort of laboratory, being experimented on ("sure, he'll have a great home!), or just being dumped somewhere. These "clashes" usually occur in circumstances in which people either assume that dogs think the same way that we do or the dogs were purchased as accessories and they really don't care, they just don't want their homes destroyed.
It's a sad situation, because it really doesn't take that much effort to understand them and make a life with them enjoyable. There is so much good information out there now, that no one can say they don't know where to turn. And the really great thing is that once you do start to learn about them, about how they communicate and about how they perceive us and about how they learn, it opens up a whole new world and its a great place to be. They can be the most amazingly brilliant animals and can also be incredibly frustrating. Their ability to learn from a species that is totally alien to them and to accept us as their "pack" is quite gratifying, but they can also be frustrating in the ways that they perceive the human world, if not brought up in it in a nurturing and supportive way.
In this blog, I am going to write about my experiences with my personal dogs, and about ideas that I have learned from professional trainers and behaviorists, and about controversial topics, as well as my own desires as to what I would like to achieve with my dogs. I will be interested to hear any comments offered, as I believe there is quite a bit of controversy concerning this topic, and I have a lot of strong feelings about what is right and what's wrong when it comes to living with and working with dogs, and I know that not everyone is going to agree with me. But I'm hoping to keep it interesting and I know that I will enjoy sharing my ideas with anyone who might wish to read them.
So, here we go.....