by Sasha Riess | 03.02.26. | Behaviour
Dogs are deeply connected to humans so much that we sometimes forget they are not ordinary animals in a scientific sense. Although zoology studies species across the planet from insects to large mammals, dogs are almost never a central topic of zoological research. The reason is not simple, but it reveals much about how dogs came to be, how they function, and why their world cannot be understood without the concept of the human.
Why Dogs Are Not a Subject of Zoology
Zoology deals with animals in their natural form as they would exist without human influence. That is exactly where the issue with dogs begins. A dog is not a species shaped by nature but a species shaped by humans. Through thousands of years of selection, people created hundreds of breeds with characteristics that would never be sustainable in nature: short muzzles, extremely short legs, very large bodies, unusual proportions, and physiology that depends on constant human care.
Because of this, many biologists and zoologists view dogs and zoology as two separate worlds. Many scientists describe dogs as degenerated forms of a species, not in an emotional sense but in a biological one. They are shaped in a way that would not allow them to survive without humans.
How Selection Changes the View of Zoology
Selection turned the wolf into an animal that now has more than four hundred varieties, from the Chihuahua to the shepherd. Zoology cannot study dogs as one animal, because there is no single dog. There is a whole spectrum of shapes and behaviors created by human desires, needs, and aesthetics.
Many breeds have physical traits that would never be possible or sustainable in nature:
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Dogs with short leg syndromes would struggle to survive even a few days in the wild.
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Brachycephalic breeds have breathing difficulties that would be fatal in nature.
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Extremely small dogs would become prey for the first larger predator.
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Very large dogs require too much energy for an ecosystem without constant food availability.
All of this makes dogs and zoology an unnatural pairing for classical science. That is why they are more often studied through ethology, genetics, veterinary science, behavioral psychology, or anthropology.
A dog is not a natural animal, but a being shaped alongside humans.
What This Means for Dog Owners
For owners this insight carries an important message. A dog does not function as a natural animal, but as a being that relies on humans for stability, structure, and guidance. Its physiology, development, and need for safety cannot be interpreted through the lens of wilderness.
A dog does not seek a natural environment but a stable human. It does not develop through packs but through affective bonding with its owner. It does not choose its path alone but learns it by watching our behavior.
Understanding that dogs are not a subject of zoology only confirms what every owner feels. A dog is a being that was not created in nature but in relationship with humans. And that is why its world is understood through humans, not through science alone.
by Sasha Riess | 02.02.26. | Behaviour
Boundaries are not for dogs. They are for us.
When we talk about boundaries with dogs, most people immediately think of prohibitions, commands, and rules that must be imposed on the dog. But the truth is quite the opposite. A dog does not suffer because of boundaries. A dog suffers because of the absence of boundaries. And the absence of boundaries does not come from the dog, but from the human who does not know how to set them.
A dog does not think in categories of “allowed” and “forbidden” like humans do. A dog functions through structure, consistency, and clear behavioral patterns. When that structure is missing, the dog is left without support. Then problems appear that people mistakenly call disobedience, stubbornness, or a “difficult character.”
Why Is It Hard for Us to Say No to a Dog
The problem with boundaries with dogs is often the same problem we have in relationships with people. We do not know how to say no because we fear conflict, rejection, or guilt. We say yes to everything. To compromises that drain us. To relationships that suffocate us. To habits that harm us.
The dog simply exposes that pattern.
Just as a parent who cannot say no to a child asking for sweets later pays the price through health issues, a dog owner gives in “out of love” and later faces anxiety, aggression, or loss of control in the dog.
Boundaries Are Not Punishment
Setting boundaries does not mean harshness, force, or domination. On the contrary. Boundaries are safety. They tell the dog, “I know what I am doing. You can rely on me.”
A dog with clear boundaries with dogs does not need to constantly test limits. He does not need to take responsibility that is not his. He does not need to make decisions instead of the human. That is where the dog’s inner peace begins.
A dog does not seek boundaries — the human avoids them.
When Boundaries Are Missing, the Dog Pays the Price
Without boundaries, the dog steps into roles that do not belong to him. He becomes overprotective, insecure, anxious, or reactive. People then say the dog is “problematic,” when in reality he has been left without structure.
That is why boundaries are not a tool to control the dog. They are a mirror of our relationship with our own life. The dog does not seek perfection. He seeks consistency.
The Dog Is Not the Problem. The Problem Appears Before the Dog.
The dog does not need to learn where boundaries are. The human needs to learn how to set them. When we know where we stand, the dog no longer needs to test, push, or take control. Then the relationship becomes stable, calm, and healthy for both sides.
by Sasha Riess | 01.02.26. | Behaviour
The relationship between a dog and a baby is one of the purest and most innocent relationships that exist. A dog does not intend to harm a child, and a baby has no awareness of causing harm. Problems arise only when adults fail to take responsibility and set clear boundaries.
A Relationship Disturbed Only by Humans
Small children, babies, and dogs share one important trait: complete innocence. Their relationship cannot be “wrong” by itself. A dog never plans to hurt a child. Difficulties appear when a parent or caretaker does not react, does not set boundaries, and does not recognize their own emotional state.
Parenthood, especially in the first months, carries enormous emotional and physical pressure. Lack of sleep, hormonal changes, stress, and inner tension become part of daily life. The dog and baby dynamic is affected by this because the dog senses everything. He does not understand words, but he understands energy.
How a Dog Experiences the Arrival of a Baby
In the dog’s perception, the baby is not “a child” but a change that has created instability in his human. The dog may then try to “protect” the parent because instinctively he feels that something has shifted. This is not aggression; it is an attempt to control a situation he does not understand.
That is why it is essential that adults:
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Do not project their own stress onto the dog.
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Do not leave the dog and baby unsupervised.
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Do not expect the dog to “understand” human life phases.
Clear boundaries create a safe and peaceful environment for both the dog and the baby.
Boundaries Are Protection for Both Baby and Dog
A dog and a baby must have clear boundaries. How close the dog may come, when he must withdraw, and where his own space is. The same applies to the child. A dog is not a toy, a pillow, or a tool to calm a baby.
Boundaries are not punishment. They are safety.
Why Responsibility Always Remains with Adults
A dog cannot be emotionally mature. A baby cannot know boundaries. Adults must. When a parent takes responsibility, the relationship between dog and baby becomes stable, calm, and safe. Not because the dog is “good,” but because he is guided.
by Sasha Riess | 01.02.26. | Behaviour
It is not crucial whether you adopted your dog or bought him, how old he is, or which breed he belongs to. When we ask why dogs bite, the problem is almost never in the dog, but in the fact that the human does not understand the language the dog speaks.
A dog does not speak Serbian, English, or any human language. His communication is entirely behavioral. If we do not understand that behavior, we easily enter a relationship filled with misunderstandings, fear, and loss of trust.
A Dog Bites Because He Is Speaking and We Are Not Listening
A dog’s behavior is his only way to communicate with us. A bite is not an “attack without reason,” but a message that appears after all milder signals have been ignored. Understanding why dogs bite starts with recognizing these signals:
When these signals go unnoticed, the dog intensifies the message. The bite then becomes the last level of communication, not the first.
The Problem Is Not Aggression, but Misguided Closeness
One of the most common mistakes is developing a sentimental emotional bond between human and dog. Out of a desire to “give everything to the dog,” a person:
The dog does not receive security from this, but confusion. This confusion is often the root cause of why dogs bite, because a dog that does not feel structure does not feel trust.
Without structure, a dog cannot develop trust.
Why a Dog Bites Even When We Are ‘Good’ to Him
Paradoxically, a dog may bite the very person who rescued, fed, and loved him. Not because he is ungrateful, but because he does not see the human as a stable figure and feels he must control things himself. In that moment, the dog does not bite out of hatred, but out of insecurity.
A Dog Does Not Seek Emotion, He Seeks Structure
Dogs do not ask for excessive empathy or emotional fusion. They seek:
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Clear rules
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Consistency
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Predictability
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Calm leadership
When these are missing, the dog tries to establish order on his own. The bite then becomes an attempt at control, not an attack.
How to Prevent a Dog from Biting
The solution is not punishment, but changing the relationship. To address why dogs bite, we must:
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Learn the dog’s language instead of imposing yours
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Set clear boundaries
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Take responsibility for leadership
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Reduce emotional confusion
A dog who trusts his human has no need to bite.
by Sasha Riess | 30.01.26. | Behaviour
There is one thing I often have to repeat: I never said that dogs have no soul.
The problem appears when long reflections, conversations, and explanations are reduced to a few seconds of video. In that process, the message is easily pulled out of context and receives a completely different meaning from what was actually said.
How Short Video Formats Change the Meaning of What Is Said
Reels and short formats follow the rules of attention, not the rules of understanding. People who edit content often try to preserve the essence, but the message can become:
Honestly, with some clips, even I do not recognize how they ended up in the final version.
Algorithms Choose Provocation, Not Explanation
Social media rewards what provokes a reaction. That is why the part mentioning a dog’s soul is what gets highlighted—it triggers strong and divided opinions.
An algorithm creates a false conclusion, making it seem like a provocative statement rather than an in-depth explanation. It makes it sound as if I said something I never actually said.
The Dog as a Conscious Being, Not an Object of a Method
My entire work, my life, and my relationship with dogs rest on one fundamental principle: the dog is a conscious being.
From this consciousness comes the dog’s ability to:
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Understand the world it lives in
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Find its place within it
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Experience fear and insecurity
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Experience joy, calm, and contentment
When I speak about this, I am not entering philosophical debates to provoke. I am explaining why working with a dog can never be mechanical.
When a message is pulled out of context, its meaning changes.
What Changes When We Stop Seeing the Dog as a “Problem”
When we see a dog as a being, not a „malfunction“ to be fixed, all key questions change: how we feed them, how we guide them, and how we react when something “does not work.”
The dog stops being a symptom treated by a method. The dog becomes a relationship built through understanding.
What Was Actually Said
A sentence pulled out of context does not represent a standpoint. If we speak about dogs, their behavior, emotions, and needs, then we must speak holistically.
Understanding a dog does not begin with technique. It begins with listening to the whole, not just a fragment.
by Sasha Riess | 30.01.26. | Behaviour
The moment you adopt a dog, he does not enter your home as a finished being. For him, that moment is a new birth. New scents, new people, new space, and a new rhythm. Everything he knew until then stops applying.
The dog becomes infant-like. He does not know:
- Where he belongs
- Who to turn to
- Where safety comes from
- Where boundaries and protection lie
And this is when what we call system scanning begins.
How a Dog Searches for Safety in an Unknown World
Attachment in dogs first forms with the mother. This survival and bonding pattern is later carried into every relationship throughout life. Every time the environment changes, this inner mechanism activates again.
This happens when:
- A puppy leaves the breeder for the owner
- A dog changes owners
- A dog goes from home to the street or from the street to a shelter
- A dog goes from a shelter into a home
- And also when you change your own behavior
A dog does not respond only to space. He responds to you.
Why a Dog in a New Home Does Not Know What to Do
When a dog enters a new environment, he is not searching for love. He is searching for structure. Without structure, he:
- Does not know where to settle.
- Does not know whom to trust.
- Does not know how to behave.
That is why in the first days he may seem confused, withdrawn, overly attached, or completely lost. This is not a problem in the dog; it is a natural response to losing a familiar world.
A dog’s trust is built through stability and consistency.
The Most Common Mistake People Make
In this phase, people often try to compensate for insecurity with:
- Too much attention and touching
- Relaxing rules out of pity
- Constantly reacting to the dog
But the dog is not looking for comfort. He is looking for orientation. If you do not provide clear structure, the dog will try to create it himself. This leads to behavioral issues that are often wrongly interpreted as stubbornness or anxiety.
What Truly Helps a Dog in a New Home
A dog in a new environment does not need to be constantly petted or told repeatedly that everything is fine.
A dog needs:
- Clear rules and consistency
- Calm and stable behavior from the owner
- Predictability
Only then does his system stop scanning for danger and begin to settle.
When the Dog Stops Searching, Trust Begins
The moment a dog feels that you know where you are going, that you hold the structure, and that you carry the responsibility—he stops searching for safety everywhere and begins to lean on you.
And then, for the first time since arriving in the new home, he can simply be a dog.
