Joy

Fire dogs put the color into the world! They genuinely love life and emanate a bright, sparkly energy that can bring sunlight and motivation to the lowest doldrums. Their joy is infectious.

They love you. They also love the rest of the family, some strangers, their favorite toy, and whatever holds their happy attention at the moment. But you are the most special of the possibly many special people because you are their stable home base. You are the one who is privileged to see every side of them. You are where they can feel secure enough to chill out.

Fire dogs are vocal! They have a lot to say, especially if it’s from the other side of a closed door. They don’t like to be left out. They tend to be the least tolerant of being put away by themselves for long periods of time. Fire dogs want to be included, preferably as the center of attention. They’re usually so cute that this will happen naturally!

Include them in your travels if possible. Just bring their bed for security and their regular food for stable digestion. They can get “travel tummies.”

Having too many rules to follow can really get a Fire dog down. Regimented training is a drag. Turn training into a game, however, and they will want to play! Be playful, fun, add novelty, and don’t push too hard for a training agenda and you’ll be surprised how fast your Fire dog picks up trained behaviors. Praise them with a sweet yet calm voice so they don’t get too excited and can’t think.

Before I created the reports for each element, I connected with dogs of that primary element, as a group, to help me understand that element from the inside. Then I incorporated what they shared into what I know and have experienced of each element. Fire dogs, of course, had a lot to say!

An important thing to remember is that their nervous system is much more sensitive than it appears on the outside. Yes, they enjoy lots of stimulation and receiving enthusiastic attention . . . right up to the instant it becomes too much and feels like an explosion of overwhelm. If your dog is super cute and twisty-turny-licky while a human is squealing at them, know that they will hit overload in just a few seconds. Overload is a painful race down the nerve highways. If your dog is wide-eyed, panting hard, has the corners of their mouth pulled back, or is otherwise displaying body language you’ve learned to associate with panic in your dog, the interaction has already crossed the line into pain.

Ask (demand!) that people take their squealing sounds down to a lower pitch. Your dog is still cute when engaged with less mania. I can hardly contain my own self when meeting a puppy, but I remember the pain felt by a Fire dog and I catch myself at the first squeal.

The defining characteristic of each element is the immediate response to stress. For Fire, the default stress response is panic, which can look like “going wild and crazy” in a dog. It can even appear that they are zooming around for fun. But look closely at the hard tension in their face, the wide eyes, the crouching, the trembling, and the tucked tail. Fire out of balance can also just be suddenly “extra.” Extra loud. Extra demanding. Extra active in undesirable ways.

You can help your Fire dog find balance by being balanced yourself. Ground yourself in the way that works for you. Center yourself and be present behind your eyes. Touch them from this peaceful place and touch them with long, slow movements. When you breathe deeply and calmly, your fiery friend will eventually entrain to your grounding breath.

Fire dogs tend to prefer the very foods that can overheat them. Lamb, venison, and factory-farmed chicken and beef are examples of hot or warm animal proteins. Especially if you’ve already seen signs of heat intolerance or frequent high body temperatures in your dog, provide cooling proteins such as quail, turkey, rabbit, whitefish, and limited amounts of duck.

All dogs want to be allowed to be dogs. Fire dogs in particular seek acceptance for their uniquely loving, and fun-loving, way of being in the world. They appreciate consistent guidance (without six million persnickety rules) and the freedom to be their charismatic selves.