by Sasha Riess | 06.02.26. | Nutrition
The question “What should my dog eat?” is one of the most common, but also one of the most wrongly framed questions. Not because it is unimportant, but because it cannot be answered without context. In a holistic approach, there is no universal list of foods that applies to all dogs, in all homes, and in all circumstances.
Holistics does not function on the principle of “this is allowed, this is forbidden.” It does not separate the dog from the environment in which it lives, nor nutrition from lifestyle.
Why There Is No Single Answer to „What Should My Dog Eat?
When someone asks me what their dog should eat, the real question behind it is: What kind of world does this dog live in?
A dog does not live in isolation. It lives in your home, in your rhythm, and in your habits. That is why a dog’s diet cannot be separated from:
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The way you eat and your relationship with your own body.
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The pace of life in your home.
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The level of stress, noise, chaos, or calm.
A holistic approach does not connect the dog to symptom-based therapy, but to the totality of the life it shares with its human.
Canine Nutrition and the Diet as a Mirror of the Home
Food is not just fuel; it is part of the communication between the dog and the space it lives in. If meals in the home are rushed and stressful, the dog feels it. If feeding is chaotic or emotionally charged, the dog registers it.
The question “What should my dog eat?” carries a deeper one: What does healthy living truly mean in this home?
The Holistic Approach: Asking the Right Questions
Holistics teaches the owner to ask:
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How does my dog react to the food it eats?
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Is it calm after meals or restless?
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What are its sleep, digestion, and energy like?
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Does my lifestyle reflect through my dog’s behavior?
A dog does not eat only food, but also the rhythm, energy, and habits of the home.
A Dog Does Not Eat Only Food – A Dog ‘Eats’ Context
A dog does not live on proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in isolation. A dog lives on meaning, rhythm, and security. Food is only one part of that system.
When the question “What should my dog eat?” is asked, it soon leads to another dilemma: kibble or homemade food? But even that question has no meaning until the bigger picture is seen—the rhythm of the home, the level of stress, and the human relationship with food.
Only then does the conversation about nutrition gain its true meaning.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 05.02.26. | Wellbeing
A dog’s first heat cycle often causes concern among owners, especially for those experiencing it for the first time. One of the most common questions is whether a dog feels pain during heat and whether pain medication is needed.
The answer is simple: No.
Is a Dog’s Heat the Same as Menstruation in Women?
Although both processes involve the release of unfertilized eggs prepared in the uterus, a dog’s heat cycle is not the same as human menstruation.
In dogs, this process is entirely instinctive and biologically guided. The dog’s body knows exactly what to do and moves through hormonal changes without inner resistance.
Why Dogs Do Not Experience Pain the Same Way Humans Do
In women, menstrual pain is often influenced not only by physiology but also by psychosomatic factors such as the relationship with femininity, emotions, life experiences, and the bond with the mother.
A dog does not carry such inner conflicts. A dog does not analyze, suppress emotions, or create mental stress around bodily processes. Because of this, a dog’s first heat is not a painful experience.
Behavioral Changes Are Normal
During heat, a dog may:
These changes are caused by hormonal fluctuations, not by pain or suffering.
Peace and routine are the best support for a dog
Are Pain Medications Necessary?
In most cases, no. Medication is not given preventively or “just in case.” If a dog shows strong pain, apathy, fever, or unusual symptoms, a veterinarian should be consulted, as this may indicate a health issue unrelated to the heat cycle itself.
What Owners Need to Understand Most
Heat is not an illness. It is a natural biological cycle that a dog experiences without emotional burden. The best thing an owner can do is provide calmness, routine, and a sense of safety, without unnecessary interventions.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 05.02.26. | Behaviour
Many dog owners believe their dog can pull them out of emotional pain, fix their inner struggles, or carry their stress and anxiety. But dogs are not therapists, psychologists, or rescuers. They do not have the tools or understanding to emotionally repair us or solve our problems.
Imagine this situation: You feel anxious, worried, or overwhelmed by life challenges and you often seek comfort in your dog. Although your dog offers love and closeness, it cannot resolve your worries. Instead, the dog absorbs your stress, senses your inner unrest, and may begin to suffer emotionally and physically.
A dog cannot say „give me a break“ or „this is too much for me.“ The dog simply reacts to your behavior and your energy. When people expect dogs to be saviors of their emotions, they unknowingly place their burden onto a being that has no capacity to carry it.
How Projected Stress Affects Dogs
When we place our problems onto a dog, we risk its health and happiness through:
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Physical health: Long-term stress in a dog can cause digestive issues, sleep disturbances, and lowered immunity.
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Emotional state: The dog becomes nervous or anxious and may develop destructive behavior or withdrawal.
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Bond with the owner: Constant exposure to negative emotions can weaken the sense of trust and safety in the home.
Separating human problems from the pet protects their happiness and health.
Owner and Dog: Establishing a Healthy Boundary
Separating human problems from the dog protects the dog’s happiness and health. Responsible ownership means protecting the dog’s peace, stability, and well-being, not loading it with a weight it was never meant to carry.
How to Properly Support Your Dog
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Separate your problems: Recognize when you use your dog as an emotional outlet and seek human support from friends, family, or professionals.
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Structured play and routine: Dogs function best in a stable environment. Consistent routine helps them remain calm.
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Mental and physical activity: Walks and play help the dog release its own stress, not yours.
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Emotional connection: Dogs offer comfort and love, but they cannot solve human problems. When this is understood, love becomes healthy for both sides.
A dog is not your savior. The dog loves and offers support, but cannot carry human emotional burdens.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 05.02.26. | Behaviour
Dogs Are Not Trained but Understood Through Relationship
Dogs are not trained because a dog is not a machine, nor a program that needs to be “fixed”. A dog is a living being who enters into a relationship with a human, responds to the context in which it lives, and mirrors the state in which we exist. When we understand this, the need for training disappears and real work with the dog begins.
Why Classical Training Does Not Work
Dogs do not function through training because training implies control, commands, and correction. Understanding implies relationship, presence, and human responsibility. And this is where the difference arises that changes everything.
A dog living in an apartment is not the same dog as one living on the street. A dog living in a yard is not the same dog as one living inside a family. That is why there is no universal technique, no universal command, and no universal method for working with dogs.
Dogs Are Not Shaped by Commands but by Context
A dog is not “disobedient”. A dog responds to the circumstances in which it lives. When a dog pulls on the leash, barks constantly, refuses food, or shows anxiety, this is not disobedience. It is a message.
The dog is showing how it feels within the relationship, the space, and the structure provided by the human. Dogs are not trained to fit into our life; they are understood so they can be stable within it.
A dog always responds to the context in which it lives.
Learning Through State of Being, Not Words
A dog does not learn from words. A dog learns from a state of being. That is why a dog may “listen” to one person and completely ignore another. Not because it is stubborn, but because with each person it experiences a different relationship, a different sense of safety, and a different level of trust.
The boundaries a dog respects are not the ones we say, but the ones we live.
Dogs Are Not Projects nor Household Appliances
A dog is not here to fulfill our need for control, success, or perfect behavior. A dog is not a project. A dog is a companion. The more we try to “train” a dog, the more we distance it from ourselves. The more we learn to understand the dog, the more behavior changes naturally—without force, without punishment, and without trauma.
Dogs are not trained to be good. Dogs are understood so they can be stable.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 04.02.26. | Behaviour
There are people who download the guide, read it right away, and start applying it. They reach out after two or three days:
There are also those who read more slowly, reflect, and return to certain parts of the text. Their messages arrive after a month. And then there are those who read it and do not believe it. They say: “Why would I even try this?”
How to Use the Dog Training Guide in Everyday Practice
Do not reject something just because it is unfamiliar to you. If you criticize something before trying it, how can you know that it does not work?
This approach has saved many dogs. Literally saved their lives. Thanks to this method, many dogs were not euthanized. Many dogs who could not be adopted from shelters learned how to adapt, accept humans, and rebuild trust.
Mistakes to Avoid When Applying a Dog Training Guide
Hundreds of thousands of people have gone through this program. Everyone who applied it consistently, without compromise, achieved results.
A dog reacts to what you do – not to what you have read.
The only reason results fail to appear is because:
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The program is not applied.
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The entire family is not aligned, so the dog receives mixed signals.
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Doubt exists and the application never truly begins.
What you never try can never help you.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
