Ayurvedic Guidance to Understand & Care For Your Dog

Have you wondered why your dog who is very loving & caring towards you, sometimes jumps upon your husband in an unfriendly manner? Or your friendly dog just became aggressive all of a sudden? It is because just like humans have Prakriti (Constitution), dogs & other pets too have different body types or personalities based on the dosha predominance. Ayurveda says all of us have all the three doshas but in various proportion. The dominant doshas are told as our Prakriti or Constitution. Some may have one dosha dominance, some have dual dosha dominance whereas few others have all the dosha predominance. Just like diet & lifestyle is suggested for us based on our constitution, we should take care of our pets with their specific needs based on their constitution. If proper care is not given according to the constitution, the doshas can get imbalanced & may lead to behavioral problems & health issues as well. 

Nature of Vata Types 

• Social
• Very quick or fast
• Highly active demanding your time & energy and are alert too. 
• Feels very cold in monsoon or cold weather, prefers hot weather. 
• They are very choosy in their food & have variable appetite, sometimes eats the meals, sometimes skips. 
• Eats small meals but eats fast and spills food while eating.
• Thin framework and unable to gain weight even after eating fatty meals regularly. 
• Does not give attention to your commands most times, prefers to do what he / she likes.
• Has less patience, so difficult to train them. 
• Fur coat will be dry, rough & lustreless.
• They love to run, when you open the gates, they are just excited & ready to run. 
• Bored with same routine. Likes new things always – new toys, new games to play. 
• Mostly have constipation or irregular bowel habits. Poop’s are dark in colour & dry.
• They tend to become hyperactive or ferocious at times. 
• They love changes. 
• More likely to get cerebral degeneration, dementia, etc. as they age. 
• Generally, have short lifespan if not taken care of well. 

Personality of Pitta Types

• Very attentive
• Quick witted
• Focused on your commands and obeys commands.
• Easy to train them. 
• They are very good at guarding and protect you well. 
• Feels hungry frequently. Does not share food in their bowl with other dogs or pets and gets angry (makes urr sound or even tries to bite you) if we try to touch their food bowl.
• Eats in moderation.
• Moderate build.
• Has more panting especially in summers & prefer to drink more water or liquids, especially cold in summer.
• Enjoys cold breeze or likes to be in a room with air conditioner. 
• They poop 2 – 3 times a day, mostly soft & yellowish colour. 
• Loves a regular routine. 
• They tend to become aggressive at times. 
• More likely to get skin rashes or skin problems and can get vision problems as they age.
• Have moderate lifespan generally.

Behaviour of Kapha types

• Are our best friends, like to spend more time with us. 
• They listen to us; they are very loving & caring.
• Does not like much physical activity and have less desire to play.
• They have abundant fur and shiny coat.
• Slow in movements. 
• Enjoys sleeping or resting more. 
• Generally over weight and have tendency to gain weight easily.
• They are less motivated and like to sit or lie down most of the time.
• Eats big meals. Eats slowly. Likes to eat only 2 – 3 meals a day. It is okay if you missed to feed a meal, it does not matter to them. 
• They are very compassionate and okay for them to share their food bowl with other dogs or pets. 
• They are great foodies & eat the food crumbs from floor. 
• They walk slowly even if you leave them free.
• Poops once or twice a day but abundant & well formed. 
• They are very strong, loyal, easy going & have good endurance. 
• They cannot accept changes easily, like change of place or climate or owner. 
• Mostly healthy, chances of diseases are less, however they may get obesity and diabetes. 
• Has long lifespan mostly.  

Specific care for them based on their Body Types

Vata types 

Diet: Give them unctuous, fatty & sweet (carbohydrates) food. Include milk & carbs like rice or potatoes in their daily diet. White meat, eggs can be given regularly. Red meat is very good for them hence good to feed them 2 – 3 times a week. Add a bit of sesame oil or ghee to their diet. Avoid feeding them with dry foods. 

Lifestyle: Take them for regular normal walks, avoid too much running or exertion. Do soft & gentle regular massage with sesame oil twice a week. Give short & soft kneading massage daily and cuddle them. 

Pitta types 

Diet: Give them cooling, bitter & juicy foods like zucchini, cucumber, milk. Include a tsp of coconut oil or ghee in their diet. White & red meat can be given 3 – 4 times a week. 

Lifestyle: Do regular massage with coconut oil once a week. Moderate activity or walking is recommended. You can wash them once in a week, just pour water and gently wash them with mild shampoos. 

Kapha types

Diet: Make sure to engage them in regular walks & good exercise or fetch game. Prefer to give them more vegetarian meals. Give them bitter, dry food items more. Reduce heavy to digest & fatty food. You should restrict feeding them with red meat. Carbs in moderation can be given. 

Lifestyle: Vigorous massages once in 15 days with sesame oil is good. Keep their body weight under check. 

Understanding is the basis for any relationship. Now that you know the Ayurvedic advises for understanding your dog’s behavior and their specific needs, I am sure that instead of thinking why they act weird sometimes, you will be able to connect to your pet more emotionally & cuddle them with love & care them with their body type specific diet & lifestyle.