Focus

Metal dogs are extremely intelligent and tend toward quiet diligence. They pay close attention to the details in their environment and make independent decisions. They must have a purpose and are happiest off the couch and out serving this purpose.

Metal dogs are reliable and they expect reliability. They expect steady emotional honesty and impeccable integrity from their person. Anything less is disturbing to their system and they will detach from a person they’ve decided they can’t trust. These are not high standards. These are merely a match to a Metal dog’s own strong integrity.

Metal dogs are exceptional working partners with a human who is a trustworthy match. This team will have a telepathic connection that enhances their precision tasks. An example of such a team is a Border Collie herding sheep. Once they have learned the details of herding, they can focus on ordering many moving sheep into one group, while also paying attention to sound or visual cues from their person—who is at a distance—while also instantly responding to those cues, while also keeping the end goal in mind. It’s a breathtaking display of meticulous teamwork.

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. Connecting with Metal dogs themselves was essential as they can be a bit inscrutable.

Despite being extraordinarily sensitive to, well, everything, they don’t reveal this sensitivity on the outside. They are stoic, internalizing pain and sending emotions deeply inside rather than displaying them. What they would like from their people is a silent acknowledgment of this fact. They want their people to pay attention to the subtleties of their body language just as they pay attention to the subtleties of their people’s body language. Notice. Learn your Metal dog as an individual and don’t let anyone take advantage of their stoicism.

They trust in predictability and flourish with that baseline. If you are predictably fair and emotionally stable, your Metal dog will go with you wherever you ask them to. Variety is part of a healthful diet, but don’t change too much too soon. Introduce new food items over time.  

Predictability fosters trust; however, an unchanging routine can kill a Metal dog’s spirit. Think of a job where you get to travel, one where you regularly encounter new challenges but have the skills to meet those challenges. Now think of a job in a grey cubicle where you are micromanaged and must reconcile the same accounts every single week. If you would prefer the first job, know that your Metal dog absolutely does, too.

If you’re paying attention, you may notice that your Metal dog is not crazy about being touched. Definitely do not touch them while they’re focused. And maybe not most other times, as well. Let them ask you for touch. They may present a body part they want you to scratch or lean their ear into your hand. They will teach you the pressure, pace, and style they like if you pay attention. Give them room to pull away when they want to. It’s not personal. They are finely tuned, exquisitely sensitive creatures.

It's also not personal when they go off to be alone for periods of time. Even Metal dogs in balance need to spend quiet time alone in their own energies to reset themselves.

They can easily become imbalanced in a chaotic household and may be quite miserable if they can’t get away from children, noise, or family conflict. They tend not to enjoy crowded or noisy outdoor events. If you are in the habit of having the TV on in the background while you dance to streamed music, run the blender, and yell to a family member in another room, try cutting down on so much stimuli at once. It may turn out to be more pleasant for you, too.

The defining characteristic of each element is the immediate response to stress. For Metal, the default stress response is grief, which can look like withdrawal in a dog. You can often tell the difference between a Metal’s natural need for a quiet recharge by themselves and a stressed withdrawal by how rigid their body is. A balanced Metal dog moves with a gliding grace. An imbalanced Metal dog will look very stiff, especially in the hindquarters.