Cesar begins his book, Cesar's Way, by discussing his Spanish roots and how he came to live in the United States. It was a very humbling experience for him, which he believes has led to his success. I don't want to give too much of his bibliography away, so I'll move on to why I'm bringing all of this to you.
Cesar's compelling argument through the entire book revolves around our culture's tendency to humanize our dogs. We cast our emotions and feelings into our dogs, he argues, and we are completely oblivious to their natural instincts and needs as a dog, and as a pack animal. Our biggest failure in meeting our dogs' needs lies in the lack of exercise we offer them. Cesar argues over and over that in order to have a happy dog, he/she has to have the chance to exercise. Letting the dog out into the back yard for a few minutes to do his/her business doesn't count. Dogs need, at the absolute least, a total of an hour of walking everyday. And Cesar would say more, if the owner is able.
As I began to reach the end of Cesar's book last night, I made a conscious decision to work very hard at providing my dogs with the opportunity to exist as nature intended. I have grown increasingly frustrated and irritated with our dogs' behavioral issues, which I have now learned are probably due to the lack of regular exercise. Armed with the knowledge to solve these issues, I put their leashes on and took the dogs for a thirty to forty minute walk today. It was, to say the least, an enlightening experience.
Our male chihuahua, Zorro, had the time of his life as he soaked in the sunshine and fresh air, and thoroughly enjoyed the walk. Zorro is a very active dog, and loves to chase the kids around the house or backyard. He's not one to sit for long periods of time, so while the walk was enough to tire him out, he wasn't overly spent. Our female chihuahua, Xena, was absolutely smoked by the end of the trek. We were just about seven or eight blocks from home, and she was literally allowing me to drag her on her belly because she could go no more. I thought she had stopped to sniff or do a little doggy business, but she was actually laying down. She did this act about a half-a-dozen times as we neared the end, and was even lying down on her side. As long as I gave her a minute or so to rest, she could make it another block. I was actually afraid she was going to have a heart attack. I had never seen such a thing, but it really drove home the realization of how out-of-shape she is, and how important it is to get her (and Zorro) out of the house and on good long walks.
Our vet has been telling us for quite some time that Xena was overweight, and we have been very careful not to allow her table scraps, and to give her smaller portions of food. Those efforts have helped some, but not nearly enough. Xena was a wreck when we got home, and literally plopped on her belly with her hind legs sticking straight out behind her, and her front legs cradling her water dish. As she caught her breath, she would take a few drinks of water, then go back to panting like she was going to pass out. As I said, the entire experience was a real eye-opener.
So, I urge all dog-owners to seriously consider reading Cesar's book. It's a quick, easy read, and I promise your dog will thank you for it. Doh! There I go, humanizing dogs again. Okay, so you're dog won't actually care so much because he/she probably doesn't know any better, but he/she will most definitely be a happier, much more fulfilled doggy if you apply the principles in Cesar's book.
Here's a picture of Xena hoarding the water dish after our walk this morning. Again, I had nothing to do with positioning her - this is exactly what she did when she walked, er, stumbled in the door this morning.
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