A Happy Dog’s Eye View
By Elizabeth Anne Johnson, 4Legged Wisdom & Wellness.
Do you ever wonder why your dog does what he does?
For centuries, we humans have tried to understand and deepen our relationships with our original best friends, Dogs. These creatures that eat, travel, protect, work, snuggle, wiggle, wag, and share life, home, and pure love with us still hold a sense of mystery. Today more than ever, with over 470 million dogs as pets in the world, there is still a heartfelt quest to simply understand our furry family members. We humans want to know: why our dogs do what they do?
Do you sometimes wish you had superhero “x-ray vision” to see into the deep recesses of your dog’s behavior and personality and find the missing links?
Learning the ancient art of the Five Element dog’s archetypal personalities IS like having “x-ray vision”.The five elements explain the five distinct elemental patterns of behaviors we may see in our dogs, other animals, even other humans and ourselves. This interspecies “x-ray vision” gifts us a clear understanding of these five personality types which can help us develop patience, empathy, and compassion within our dog/human relationships. It’s a fun and easy way to create harmony in our hearts and happy dogs in our home.
Do you truly know what your dog’s wants and needs are? Do you understand those quirky behaviors that pop up occasionally and never really change?
Maybe you see consistent wonderful traits like strength and leadership, a need to be social and adored, innate nurturing and kindness, a purposeful life, or deep, quiet wisdom. But you don’t know what these shiny gems mean in the big picture of your dog’s life.
And when they suddenly change behavior at any given moment and you see irritation, nervousness, obsessiveness, aloofness, or visceral fear… are you surprised, worried, or confused?
All these traits are part of the ever-shifting balance of the ancient Healing Art of the Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Five Elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, are part of a nature-centered, ever-flowing, five-thousand-year-old modality of assessment and healing that ultimately strives for balance. My book – Know Your Dog’s True Nature – extracts the funpart of the Five Element Theory – the personality. This will help you understand the “why’s?” of your dog’s behavior and help you discover your Dog’s Element while also learning how to navigate challenges and support each element in the best way possible.
Let’s take a quick sneak peek at some of the archetypes…
The Five Element Dog Archetypes:
The Wood Element Dog is athletic and powerful. We often relate the Wood element archetype as being an army sergeant or a world class competitor. They are courageous, alert, and very aware of their surroundings. Their senses, especially sight, are always turned on and highly tuned to react if needed. Many police dogs or military dogs are Wood elements. They are unflinching under pressure, push beyond limits and fear, and will take charge if they see a weakness or an opening. Think Hero – think Rin Tin Tin!
The Fire Element Dog archetype is very social and loves to be adored. They thrive on social interactions and attention. Fire Dogs carry a warm charisma and magnetism that is hard to ignore. We humans are drawn to Fire Dogs like we are drawn to a warm, cozy fire. They love fun activities, are quick learners, and are fun to train. They love praise and cuddles and will create lifelong partnerships and friendships with other animals and humans. Many Fire Dogs actually have fan clubs!
Earth Element Dogs are the quintessential caregivers. Kind, gentle, brave, abundantly patient, and a bit chubby. The perfect kid-loving family dog. Earth Dogs are routine based by nature and have amazingly accurate internal clocks, especially at mealtimes. They are easy-going, love everyone, love touch, comfort, genuine praise, and especially, food!
The Metal Dog archetype is focused on a purposeful life. We often describe the Metal element as a librarian. Extremely intelligent, methodical, calm with a clear mind, dependable with a solid working sense and devoted to a purpose. Yet they can be deeply sensitive and easily rattled by noise and lack of order. Generally, they don’t desire or tolerate emotional or physical closeness. They are usually all business!
Water Element Dogs are often considered “a spiritual teacher with four legs.” They are intelligent, emotional beings that will carry a lifelong deep connection and relationship with their human, even into the afterlife. They are pools of reflection for us, often knowing what we are feeling before we do. They are our partners for life and learning. Water in nature can shapeshift from mist to rain, to snow, to ice, to calm pools, to a raging tsunami. Water dogs will also shapeshift their elements regularly – that is how you know you have a Water element dog!
Stay tuned for our next two articles where we take a deeper dive into each Dog Element Archetype’s needs, wants, stressors and support.
Want to make a dog happy today?
Be sure to check out Know Your Dog’s True Nature for element quizzes, acupoints and great stories! Available at booksellers around the world.
AND…You will definitely want to read the human section to find out who YOU are too!
This article is based on: Know Your Dog’s True Nature – Understanding Canine Personality through the Five Elements by Elizabeth Anne Johnson (Findhorn/Inner Traditions). Elizabeth Anne Johnson has been working with the health and wellness of small, large, exotic animals, and wildlife for 35 years as a holistic animal healer, veterinary technician, and wildlife biologist/rehabilitator. She is the author of Know Your Dog’s True Nature, a TEDx Speaker, vice-president of Global Wildlife Resources, a mentor, adventurer, and loving partner of Wilbur and Pretzel, rescues extraordinaire. Learn more here: ElizabethAnneJohnson.com
