Energy work to heal my dog's neediness?

[NickTunes]

I know this is a strange question.

My dog has an addiction to "more." I feel like she picked up the energy from living with the people in the household. She seems to be very skittish and always begging for bones.

I went away for 4 days and when I came back she was jumping around begging for a bone. I feel like she is continuously trying to find peace through acquiring treats/food/etc.

I just came back from the kripalu yoga center and was introduced to the healing power of energy work, and thought this would be the perfect forum for me to ask this question.

If anything, I am looking for a way to send loving, peaceful energy to my dog so she can relax.

***and perhaps a method of cultivating that kind of energy in myself, as i tend to overeat and am trying to find space around my ego's want for more.

my journey has definitely revolved around finding peace and surrender in the present moment, but if you have any suggestion I may not be aware of, please feel free to suggest! thanks thanks!

[frazbot]

I think you're definitely right- your dog is trying to compensate bones for something else. You say though that this happened after a 4-day trip you took? Definitely send positive energy to her, but I think what she is trying to compensate for is missing you. It's hard to avoid trips, if you need to take them, but animals can be like children- you must remind them that you love them, and be sure to make time for affection.

This is how my cat can be. He carries around his stuffed rat in his mouth while he cries, after I leave or am gone for long. It can be seen as just behavioral, but I think it is definitely spiritual as well. Pets serve a great purpose in our lives: not only for companionship, but in a way our animal totem. You can have special connections with them (like with humans), and unlike with humans.

Keep the love flowing! And when you are away, be sure to send thoughts your dog's way. So that she knows, even though there is distance, you are with her. Being rewarded with love will ween her off those bones.

[JanT]

Hi NickTunes -
I highly recommend Reiki for you both - and, if you can, I recommend you learning Reiki.

It does wonders for both physical and emotional and animals adore it.

Jan

[VinceG]

LOL! Dogs aren't people. Dogs have a "job" that its owners unwittingly train the dog to have through neglect and ignorance. I've been taking care of my sister's Maltese, and we met this other dog once. The dog got defensive to my sister's dog. Her leash was being held by a seven year old. We handed the leash to her mother, and the dog instantly quieted down. She was protecting the child.

Nobody taught the dog that he was supposed to be protecting the child, that's just what the dog picked up from your energy. Dogs are far more observant of energy than we are, but they know nothing of the human world, only the dog world.

It's not the dog that needs to relax, it's the humans. They need to stop tip-toeing around and rewarding the dog's neediness. You should read a few books by Cesar Millan, they'll open your eyes to the dog world and help you to understand their special psychology.

[aelle]

Dogs are "needy" by nature because they are actually, physically, dependent on you - for food, shelter, exercise and guidance. Who was taking care of your dog while you were gone for 4 days? Someone else that she can relate to as being part of her pack? Someone else who could meet all her needs? If that wasn't the case, then it's your number one responsibility, as a dog owner, to make sure that your dog's needs are met, always.

If you need to leave on your on a semi-regular basis, having a standard caretaker/dogsitter, who's always the same person, whose home your dog knows and is comfortable with, and taking the time preventively to allow your dog to develop a trusting bond with that caretaker will most likely take care of the problem.