Forecasting Your Dog’s Personal Weather Zone

By Elizabeth Anne Johnson.

Yes, your dog has their own personal weather zone deep inside that precious, furry body.

Body temperature is not something we consider very often in our dogs unless they are hot, panting like crazy, or droopy. But in Traditional and Classical Chinese Medicine (TCM and CCM), an animal’s temperature varies among the element archetypes and is part of its well-being. We can help to balance our dog’s elemental temperature in numerous ways. These elemental temperature zones are part of the elemental makeup of each animal – or what I call – Your Dog’s Personal Weather Zone.

Their personal weather zone is an ever-present and active part of their body that requires balance for health. This comes from a seasonal approach based on nature’s heat or lack thereof and connects with the element associated with that season.

The dominant temperature in their personal weather zone depends on the animal’s primary element archetype and cannot be measured by a thermometer.

The easiest and quickest way to balance the animal’s elementaltemperature is with feeding.

Each element needs to maintain a somewhat stable temperature zone to have good health. There are many external factors that affect their existing internal temp. These include weather, lifestyle, adaptability, age, but most importantly – the food they eat.

Some of these factors can be easily managed such as feeding and some cannot.

The quizzes in Know Your Dog’s True Nature will help you discover this very important archetypal piece of management for your pup. It can ease allergies, behaviors, illness, longevity and so much more.

Find your dog’s primary element and you’ll find your dog’s personal weather zone.

Your Dog’s Personal Weather Zone:

Wood – Warm – Springtime

Fire – Hot – Summer

Earth – Warm – Late Summer

Metal – Cool – Autumn

Water – Cold – Winter

Start balancing the easiest way – with their food.

Food can cool down or warm up their constitutional internal temps and BALANCE out their Personal Weather Zone. Let’s start with one of the two extreme temperature elements as examples – the Fire Dog.

The Fire dog’s constitution is HOT! When you add something hot to fire it only gets hotter. If your Fire dog is eating a HOT food such as chicken, or even a warm food such as turkey, it will only make their inner fire burn hotter. Too much heat for a Fire dog can create panic attacks that in TCM/CCM are called a “disturbance of the Shen”. This can show itself in many ways, including an increase in allergies, digestive upsets, separation anxiety, excess licking, neediness and other rather extreme and unpredictable behaviors…just like fire!

The cooling foods described below are needed to balance these hot, fiery animals, particularly during the elemental season of summer.

Fire Element Traits and Feeding:

Essence – Warmth, passion, connection

Personality – Playful, affectionate, social

Signs of Imbalance

• Anxiety, restlessness, panting, red tongue

• Heart sensitivity, digestive upset, overheating, disturbance of Shen

Dietary Focus

Provide cooling, hydrating foods to calm internal heat. Food with bitter flavors to support the Heart and Pericardium – 2 of the Fire element’s associated organs

Best Foods to Balance a Fire Dog’s Personal Weather Zone

• Duck, rabbit, whitefish or cod, or tofu
• Bitter greens (romaine, kale, endive)
• Cooling fruits (watermelon, cucumber, pear)
• Chamomile or hawthorn tea (very mild infusions)

Feed your big-hearted fire dog with cooling foods so their joy burns steady, calms the wild in their fire, and gently lights up your days together.

There are many other complex ways of feeding for balance and health in TCM/CCM but this simple example on how to create temperature balance is a great start for balancing your Dog’s Personal Weather Zone. By feeding in tune with these natural rhythms, we bring balance, vitality, and joy to every meal.

Stay tuned…more feeding details coming for the Earth dog next month!

We are still in the Fire Element season of the Fire Element Dog – Do you think you have one? To find out your dog’s element and why they do what they do – check out the dog (and human!) quizzes in my book – Know Your Dog’s True Nature and find out how you and your dog can finish an awesome summer season!!
Know Your Dog’s True Nature – Understanding Canine Personality through the Five Elements – Available in paperback, audiobook and eBook at booksellers around the world
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