by Sasha Riess | 07.07.26. | Behaviour
In its simplest sense, homeostasis is the body’s ability to maintain internal balance despite constant changes occurring in the external world. Body temperature, hormone activity, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, breathing, and thousands of other processes adjust continuously to keep the organism stable. However, homeostasis is not important only for physical physiology.
Instead, it represents the fundamental goal of the entire nervous system. Therefore, understanding how canine homeostasis drives behavior is essential for true care, because the nervous system is not merely trying to maintain the proper temperature or energy level. It is trying to preserve a deep sense of safety, predictability, and internal stability.
In other words, the nervous system constantly evaluates whether the world around it is safe enough for normal functioning. This is precisely why behavior cannot be separated from biology. Behavior is not a mechanical malfunction that needs to be fixed. Rather, behavior is the organism’s active attempt to protect its internal balance. When a dog barks, withdraws, avoids contact, becomes excessively excited, or reacts intensely, we are often not observing a behavioral problem. Consequently, we are observing an organism attempting to preserve its homeostasis under environmental pressure.
How the Senses and Homeostasis Interpret the External World
But how does the organism actually know what is happening around it? The answer lies within the senses. The senses function as the direct bridge between the external and internal worlds. Their primary biological purpose is not to show reality exactly as it is. Instead, their purpose is to help the organism survive.
Through the senses, the nervous system continuously gathers environmental information, evaluates its meaning, and makes decisions that increase the chances of survival. This is why a dog does not live in the same world as a human. We share the same physical space, but we do not share the same sensory reality. A dog does not see what we see, hear what we hear, or smell what we smell. Its reality is shaped entirely by the information arriving through its senses and by the unique way its nervous system processes that input. This specialized sensory processing is exactly how canine homeostasis drives behavior in daily life.
Energy, Minerals, and Homeostasis Under Pressure
However, there is another element that most people completely overlook: energy. Most people understand that the brain requires information, but far fewer understand that the brain requires enormous amounts of energy simply to process that data. Every second, billions of nerve cells communicate with one another.
For a dog to hear a sound, recognize a scent, evaluate movement, or distinguish safety from danger, the nervous system must constantly work. Each of these critical processes depends on the precise movement of minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium across cellular membranes. Without them, there is no electrical impulse. Without an electrical impulse, there is no transmission of information. Ultimately, without information transfer, there is no perception, and without perception, there is no behavior. In other words, the nervous system does not function because of information alone. It functions because of energy, and energy depends entirely on active minerals.
When internal energy and mineral resources are abundant, the organism can naturally adapt to world changes.
What Happens When Resources Become Limited?
This brings us back to the essential biological circle. Minerals are not important only because they contribute to bones, skin, or coat quality. Rather, they are part of the cellular processes that allow the organism to perceive the world and maintain internal balance. When energy resources are sufficient, the organism can easily determine what is important and what is not. It can distinguish a genuine threat from a harmless event and adapt smoothly to change.
However, when resources become limited, the rules change completely. The nervous system begins to conserve energy to survive. Consequently, tolerance thresholds become significantly lower, recovery takes longer, and the organism becomes highly sensitive to external stimuli. A sound that was harmless yesterday suddenly feels overwhelming today. An environmental change that the dog once accepted easily begins to trigger chronic stress. At that point, we are no longer talking only about behavioral choices. We are talking about biology—an organism trying to maintain balance with fewer mineral resources than it requires.
The Six Pathways of Perception and Homeostasis in the Modern World
Perhaps this is why we cannot fully understand canine behavior without understanding the senses. We cannot understand the senses without understanding the nervous system, and we cannot understand the nervous system without understanding energy and minerals. Everything is connected.
The soil influences the plant, the plant influences the animal, and food influences physiology. Consequently, physiology influences the nervous system, which shapes perception. Perception influences emotions, and emotions ultimately drive behavior.
Over the coming weeks, we will explore the six pathways through which dogs experience reality. We will discuss sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and emotions. We do this because behind each of these senses lies a much larger story about how the organism searches for balance in a world overflowing with information. This search for balance is the story of every living being, how homeostasis works, and the story of life itself. To explore more about how specific environmental elements and vital minerals support your companion’s internal stability, read our holistic behavior guidelines.
See you next time.
At Sasha Riess, we teach that a dog’s behavior is the direct reflection of your inner world. True wellness means living in absolute authenticity to bring ultimate pureloveandharmony to your companion. Connect with your dog’s true nature today: Linktree Sasha Riess
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by Sasha Riess | 06.07.26. | Nutrition
Many owners, especially those with smaller breeds such as Yorkies, panic when they notice that their dog has not approached the water bowl all day. The first question they ask is: “How can I make my dog drink?” However, the answer is simple. Do not force it. A dog is not a number in a nutrition table. Instead, it is a living being of nature that drinks water only when it is truly thirsty. Proper dog care requires understanding the dog’s unique ecosystem rather than blindly following general recommendations. Therefore, learning why dogs stop drinking water requires examining their specific lifestyle and diet rather than forcing a universal standard.
The Trap of Kibble and Dehydrated Food
The main reason we remember dogs that constantly drink water is kibble. Dry, dehydrated food requires a large amount of water simply to soak in the stomach before digestion can even begin. Consequently, when a dog eats kibble, the body often uses its own internal water reserves to process it. This unnatural strain can lead to constant thirst and the disturbance of stomach acid balance.
On the other hand, if your dog eats freshly prepared, moist food, most of the required hydration already comes through the meal itself. In that situation, the dog simply does not need to drink additional water.
This is because the body is not dehydrated by the digestive process. This stark dietary difference explains why dogs stop drinking water from their bowls when they switch to species-appropriate nutrition.
Cooling Biology and Environment
Dogs do not have sweat glands across their entire body as humans do. Instead, they cool themselves mainly through rapid breathing and through their paw pads. If your dog lives indoors in a temperature-controlled environment and is not exposed to extreme heat, it will not lose significant fluid through evaporation.
For instance, a dog walking on hot asphalt and a dog breathing cool mountain air do not have the same hydration needs. If there is no environmental dehydration, there is simply no need for active rehydration.
If your dog eats freshly prepared, moist food, most of the required hydration comes through the meal itself.
Observe Your Dog, Not Numbers
Just as two different humans cannot have the exact same water requirement, dogs cannot fit into a single, generic hydration formula. Therefore, you must carefully observe your dog’s specific ecosystem. You should consider what the dog eats, where the dog spends time, and how active the dog is throughout the day.
A dog will not allow itself to reach dangerous dehydration if fresh water is always available. Your responsibility is only to provide continuous access to clean water. Ultimately, the dog’s body will know exactly when it needs the first sip. To explore more about how freshly prepared, moist meals and vital nutrients support your dog’s hydration from within, read our holistic nutrition guidelines.
See you next time.
At Sasha Riess, we look past commercial labels to honor the unique biological blueprint of your companion. True health requires addressing the subtle internal patterns that create lasting vitality and pureloveandharmony. Discover the customized path to your dog’s longevity: Linktree Sasha Riess
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by Sasha Riess | 05.07.26. | Nutrition
When a Bichon owner says their dog is “itching all the time,” the first thought usually points to fleas or an improper shampoo. However, if the dog eats a diet consisting strictly of kibble, the problem is almost always internal. Constant scratching and chewing on the paws are not just surface-level skin irritations. Instead, they represent the body’s ultimate cry for help when it cannot process the substances entering it. Therefore, understanding what causes constant bichon itching requires looking beneath the fur, because the issue stems from the digestive system rather than a topical condition.
Microbiome: The Invisible Army Losing the Battle
The absolute core of the problem lies within the microbiome, which is the delicate community of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract. Unfortunately, poor-quality industrial food and chronic stress rapidly destroy these protective bacteria. Consequently, when the microbiome weakens, the dog’s immunity drops significantly. The body then begins to produce histamines in response to everyday substances that would not normally act as allergens. Commercial kibble is frequently filled with ingredients and artificial elements that the dog’s body simply does not know how to process. This internal failure explains exactly what causes constant bichon itching from the inside out.
The Brain Commands: “Push It Out Through the Skin”
An allergy is, in its essence, a highly active defense mechanism. When a dog consumes something its body does not recognize or cannot safely process, the brain makes an urgent survival decision. Since the liver, kidneys, and bladder cannot fully handle or filter out these unfamiliar elements, the organism utilizes its largest detoxification organ: the skin.
“Push it out!” the brain signals. Consequently, histamines appear directly on the surface, causing intense itching, redness, and persistent wounds from compulsive scratching.
Ultimately, scratching is only the final, visible stage of a complex metabolic process that began directly in the food bowl. Therefore, if you want your Bichon to stop itching permanently, do not look for another medical cream or a temporary chemical spray. Instead, look for real, living food that will naturally rebuild the microbiome and restore internal peace. To explore more about how a clean, species-appropriate diet transforms your dog’s health from the inside out, read our holistic nutrition guidelines.
See you next time.
At Sasha Riess, we look past commercial labels to honor the unique biological blueprint of your companion. True health requires addressing the subtle internal patterns that create lasting vitality and pureloveandharmony. Discover the customized path to your dog’s longevity: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 05.07.26. | Behaviour
“Everyone is against me. Now I only have this dog, I give him everything in life. My home is full of love.”
These sentences often sound noble, but behind them there is frequently a darker truth: the dog becomes a victim of someone’s need to feel important. In such a constellation, the relationship between human and dog stops being a partnership. Instead, it becomes a form of emotional captivity.
Therefore, recognizing how emotional codependency harms dogs is critical, as this psychological dynamic shifts the relationship from mutual care to an invisible cage.
Savior or Jailer?
Some people have a pathological need to be saviors. They want to feel big, significant, and completely irreplaceable. Consequently, the dog serves as physical proof of that importance.
“Do you see how much I love you? I do all of this for you, I go nowhere because of you, I have done everything just for you.”
That is not love. Instead, it is the imposition of emotional debt onto a being that cannot respond. When the owner’s entire world narrows down to “only you, you, and you,” the dog stops being a dog. Furthermore, it becomes an instrument for filling deep human emotional voids. This obsessive focus creates an unbearable psychological pressure under which the dog deteriorates both physically and behaviorally. This suffocating dynamic illustrates exactly how emotional codependency harms dogs by erasing their natural boundaries.
True love liberates the organism, allowing the dog to thrive without carrying the weight of human emotional debt.
The Moment of Panic and a Wake-Up Call
At what point does the panic become so great that we must “trick” a person in order to save their life and the life of their dog? The relationship between human and dog is deeply damaged here because the owner, blinded by their own role as both victim and savior, no longer sees reality.
A dog living in such an intense environment is a hostage. It pays a heavy price for the owner’s inability to face the world outside that “beautiful house full of love” which is, in truth, an emotional cage. To save the dog in such a situation often means first making the owner aware of the destructiveness of their “love.”
True love liberates, while the kind we are speaking about ultimately suffocates. To explore more about how a stable human presence, proper environmental communication, and authentic connection protect your companion from internal stress, read our holistic behavior guidelines.
See you next time.
At Sasha Riess, we teach that a dog’s behavior is the direct reflection of your inner world. True wellness means living in absolute authenticity to bring ultimate pureloveandharmony to your companion. Connect with your dog’s true nature today: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 03.07.26. | Behaviour
Stress cannot be separated from the context of health. Dogs that become ill are often the ones that have been warning us for a long time through their behavior. These warnings include pulling on the leash, excessive barking, or other similar issues.
Consequently, these behaviors are not just “bad manners.” They are clear results of a physiological collapse that has not yet escalated into a visible symptom. Therefore, understanding how stress triggers dog illness is essential because this silent killer changes the internal state long before a diagnosis.
The Trap of Symptom Masking
People often try to “smooth over” the problem or mask the symptom. However, this approach leads to losing the opportunity to resolve the issue at its core. A common example is self-deception around food allergies.
Many owners say that their dog is allergic to chicken, so they stop giving it. They believe the dog is now perfectly healthy. No, your dog is not healthy. He simply does not eat chicken. Give it to him, and you will see how ill he actually is. Ultimately, avoiding a trigger is not the same as healing the organism. This misunderstanding shows exactly how stress triggers dog illness by hiding systemic weakness.
Microbiome, Stress, and the Relationship With the Human
We return again to the processes within the microbiome. This internal system is inseparably connected to the level of stress. Furthermore, stress connects directly to the relationship between the human and the dog.
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True healing begins with a deep change in communication and environment.
If you truly want to work on your dog’s health or behavior, you cannot skip the most important step. Whatever you plan to do, you must first remove stress.
Without eliminating stress, any therapy becomes only temporary masking. True healing begins with a deep change in communication and environment. This shift allows the microbiome and the nervous system to return to balance. To explore more about building a balanced connection with your companion, read our holistic behavior guidelines.
At Sasha Riess, we look past superficial symptoms to heal the deeper energetic and physiological imbalances. Eliminating stress from your dog’s environment is the first step toward true vitality and pureloveandharmony. Start your healing journey today:Linktree Sasha Riess
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