by Sasha Riess | 01.05.26. | Behaviour
During the show “1000 Whys and 4 Hows,” a viewer asked why her dog seems dehydrated even though he always has fresh water available. This is a common concern. Here is the truth about why dogs that eat dry food are often dehydrated—and why water alone isn’t enough.
Water Alone Isn’t Enough
Many dogs that eat exclusively dry food are chronically dehydrated because they cannot drink enough water to properly digest that type of food. When a dog drinks only after feeling thirsty, it is already too late—thirst is a sign that dehydration has begun.
For the body to stay truly hydrated, electrolytes are essential. These are minerals that help water actually reach and enter the cells. Without them, water simply “passes through” the body without being absorbed.
How Dry Food Causes Dehydration
When a dog eats a dry meal, the body must pull water from its own cells and tissues to help with digestion. This leaves the internal environment „dry.“ Over time, this chronic state leads to serious consequences, such as:
These are typical signs of chronic dehydration in dogs that are fed a strictly dry diet.
Bone broth for your pet’s health: a natural source of minerals and electrolytes.
How to Prevent Dehydration Naturally
The best way to keep your dog hydrated is to move away from a „dry-only“ approach:
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Home-Cooked Meals: These naturally contain the moisture and nutrients the body needs.
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Add Bone Broth: This is a miracle addition. Bone broth provides natural electrolytes and minerals that help the cells retain fluid.
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Hydrated Digestion: A well-hydrated dog has better kidney function and overall health.
At Sasha Riess, we believe that hydration is the flow of life. When you understand why dogs that eat dry food are often dehydrated, you can take the necessary steps to restore their internal balance. By adding moisture and minerals, you move your pet from survival mode to a state of pureloveandharmony. Discover more: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 01.05.26. | Behaviour
Many owners wonder why dogs lick everything and attack, jump on people, or show aggression toward other dogs. The answer often lies in the absence of a stable, trusting bond. When a dog lacks emotional security, it feels responsible for defending both itself and its human. That burden leads to overreactions, stress, and behavioral issues.
Licking and Aggression as Communication
When a dog constantly licks, jumps, or clings, it’s not just a habit—it’s communication. It can be a way of seeking reassurance or relief from anxiety. If this is paired with aggression, the root is usually insecurity. The dog believes it must take control because it doesn’t trust that the human is calm and in charge.
The Three Fear Responses: Flight, Freeze, Fight
Just like humans, dogs respond to fear in three main ways:
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Flight: Trying to escape.
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Freeze: Becoming stiff and motionless.
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Fight: Aggression as a last resort. Growling or barking are not signs of dominance—they are expressions of fear and confusion.
How to Correct Behavioral Problems
A dog’s reactions depend on the quality of the bond. To address why dogs lick everything and attack, you must build a secure emotional attachment based on trust:
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Consistency: The owner must be calm and predictable.
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Rituals: Regular hours for feeding and walking create security.
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Gradual Socialization: Introduce new environments in a controlled, low-stress way.
Paw licking is often a sign of insecurity and anxiety in dogs.
Trust: The Foundation of Balance
Excessive licking or barking are signals that the dog is seeking safety. When you become the calm center your dog can rely on, they no longer need aggression to feel safe. They become peaceful, not because they are trained to obey, but because they finally feel safe to simply be.
At Sasha Riess, we know that behavior is a mirror of the soul. When you understand why dogs lick everything and attack, you can stop managing symptoms and start building the trust that leads to pureloveandharmony. Discover more: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 30.04.26. | Behaviour
Many dog owners become confused and worried when they notice their dog eating feces from other animals or even other dogs. This behavior, known as coprophagia, may seem strange, but it actually has deeper roots. To understand why do dogs eat feces, we must look at their evolutionary history, their gut health, and their relationship with us.
Instinctive Habits and Maternal Care
In nature, mother dogs have a biological instinct to keep the nest clean. They may consume the feces of their puppies to maintain hygiene and hide their scent from predators. While this behavior naturally fades as puppies grow, the instinctual blueprint remains.
Nutritional Deficiencies and the Role of Probiotics
One of the primary reasons why do dogs eat feces is a search for missing nutrients.
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Dietary Gaps: A diet too high in carbohydrates or low-quality proteins can leave a dog seeking digestive enzymes or bacteria elsewhere.
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The Probiotic Solution: Adding probiotics, fermented vegetables, or natural supplements can balance the gut flora and significantly reduce the urge to seek out waste.
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Natural Minerals: Offering a raw or dried bone once a week provides essential minerals and supports dental health, fulfilling a natural craving for raw nutrients.
Boredom and the Attention Trap
Sometimes, the answer to why do dogs eat feces is simply a cry for attention. If a dog is bored and notices that eating feces triggers a loud, high-energy reaction from the owner, they may repeat it just to get your focus.
Nutrition plays a key role in dog behavior and habits.
How to Address the Behavior
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Improve Food Quality: Reduce fillers and increase bioavailable nutrients.
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Calm Communication: If you catch them in the act, respond calmly. Do not shout; simply redirect and lead them away.
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Mental Stimulation: Ensure your dog has enough play and training to prevent boredom-based habits.
At Sasha Riess, we view every „bad“ habit as a message. When you understand why do dogs eat feces, you stop reacting with disgust and start responding with care, providing the enzymes and leadership your dog needs for pureloveandharmony. Discover more:Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 29.04.26. | Behaviour
Anxiety in dogs is not random and it does not appear by accident. It is built through daily dynamics, tone of voice, and the emotions we express—or even more, the emotions we suppress. Many owners believe they have done everything “by the book,” yet they wonder why dogs become anxious. The answer almost never lies in the dog itself, but in what the dog feels from us.
The Dog Listens to the Heart, Not the Words
Imagine a young wolf in nature. If his mother panics, he concludes the world is dangerous. Your dog does the same. When an owner is emotionally unstable or insecure, the dog doesn’t listen to words—the dog listens to the heart, the breathing, and the body language. If the human feels unsafe, the dog forms an anxious pattern.
Common Mistakes That Lead to Anxiety
To understand why dogs become anxious, we must look at how we treat them:
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Treating the Dog Like a Child: Phrases like „You are my everything“ place an emotional burden on the dog. They feel responsible for your state, a weight no dog can carry.
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Suppressed Anxiety: You might say you aren’t anxious, but the dog feels what you hide. Suppressed fear transfers directly to them.
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Overprotection: Constant „careful“ warnings signal that the world is a dangerous place where even you cannot protect them.
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Inconsistent Boundaries: When rules change daily, the dog loses the structure they need for peace.
When we impose our emotions on a dog, we create a burden they don’t know how to carry.
How to Help a Dog Live a Stable Life
A dog does not need emotional worship; they need a stable owner. To resolve why dogs become anxious, provide:
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Calm energy and routine
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Clear rules and boundaries
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Space for the dog to simply be a dog
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The feeling that someone else is responsible for safety
When the owner is centered, the dog no longer feels the need to take over that role, and anxiety disappears as a natural consequence.
At Sasha Riess, we believe that a stable dog starts with a centered owner. By understanding why dogs become anxious, you can stop being an emotional burden and start being a calm guide, leading your pet back to pureloveandharmony. Discover more:Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 29.04.26. | Behaviour
If your dog constantly sticks to you, asks for cuddles, and never leaves your side, the reason is not only love. There is a deeper emotional mechanism that many owners do not see. Understanding why does my dog stick to me is the first step toward building a balanced relationship.
When Affection Becomes Control
It may seem sweet when a dog climbs into your lap and repeatedly asks to be petted. And it is sweet, but only as long as you are the one deciding when the cuddling happens. The moment the dog begins to set the pace, it becomes a small game of power. Dogs are masters at gently pulling us into their rituals, and we often unintentionally hand over authority.
How to Restore Balance and Leadership
The problem is not the need for closeness, but who initiates it. If you are wondering why does my dog stick to me in a way that feels demanding, try this:
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Briefly ignore the request: When the dog comes for cuddles, remain calm and do not respond.
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Wait for them to settle: Once the dog walks away and relaxes, wait a minute or two.
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Initiate the contact: Call the dog to you. Now, the same cuddling happens, but on your initiative.
Affection is vital, but it should happen when you initiate it.
The Leader as a Provider of Safety
A dog does not need a boss; he needs a guide. Think of a wolf mother—she protects, gives boundaries, and offers love, but she also clearly shows what is allowed. This authority gives the pup a sense of safety. Without it, a dog feels lost, insecure, and constantly tense.
Our task is to give them a framework and the feeling that someone is steering the ship. That is what brings dogs peace.
At Sasha Riess, we know that true affection requires a foundation of structure. When you understand why does my dog stick to me, you can transition from being controlled to being a calm guide, restoring pureloveandharmony. Discover more: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 28.04.26. | Behaviour
Nothing in nature happens by accident, including maternal instinct in dogs. A mother dog has a very specific and time-limited internal biological mechanism that allows her to hear the high-frequency cry of her puppies, but only during a precisely defined period. Understanding why a mother dog stops hearing her puppies after approximately thirteen days is key to understanding canine physiology.
A Special Frequency Activated by Birth
Immediately after giving birth, a specific auditory mechanism is activated in the mother dog. It can be described as a biological filter that allows her to register only one very specific frequency: the distress call of her puppies.
This sound triggers an immediate response, activating carrying, licking, warming, and protective behaviors. If a puppy falls out of the nest, the mother reacts exclusively to this sound. If she sees the puppy but does not hear that specific cry, she is physiologically unable to respond.
The 13-Day Shift: Why the Ability Disappears
Between approximately the tenth and thirteenth day of life, puppies begin to open their eyes and start to hear. At this point, their survival no longer depends solely on the mother’s immediate reaction to sound. Consequently:
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The specific frequency of the cry disappears.
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The mother’s auditory filter shuts down.
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Protective instinct transitions into other forms of behavior.
This is a biological limitation, not neglect. Nature transitions the mother’s role because the puppies are no longer perceived as helpless infants.
Opening their eyes and hearing changes the biological bond between mother and pups.
Nature Changes Roles, Not Hearts
From that moment onward, the mother is no longer an extension of the puppies’ nervous system. She becomes a guide who gradually prepares them for independence. This shift is not rejection; it is precisely timed evolution. Understanding why a mother dog stops hearing her puppies helps us respect the natural boundaries of canine development.
At Sasha Riess, we honor the biological laws of nature. When you understand why a mother dog stops hearing her puppies, you gain a deeper appreciation for the transition from infancy to independence and pureloveandharmony. Discover more: Linktree Sasha Riess
