Karuna Canine: What’s in a Name?
In 2019, I made the decision to leave my neuroscience research career to pursue a path in which I could directly apply my scientific knowledge to helping others. In particular, I aimed to use my background studying animal learning to help pet dogs and their owners live harmoniously, and to do so in a manner that embodied compassion.
Along with personal and professional development, an obvious step of launching a business is choosing a name. I wanted a name that reflected the moral principles I felt were most important to animal training: sensitivity and kindness. It wouldn’t hurt if the name also sounded nice. Maybe some alliteration…
When my wife proposed the name ‘Karuna Canine,’ I knew we had landed on the perfect choice. Roughly, the word ‘karuna’ translates from Sanskrit to mean compassion, empathy, and the desire to remove suffering from others. The concept of karuna is central to Buddhism and yoga–two traditions which I align with.
Any dog owner whose pet has displayed serious behavioral issues can tell you how distressing it is. Whether it’s reactivity on walks or house soiling, canine behavior problems can strip away the joy of sharing your home with a dog. I had been through it myself with my reactive and aging German Shepherd, Jemma, and seen the impact hundreds of times in dogs relinquished to shelters.
It’s not surprising that problems arise when we bring predators like dogs into our homes. While some dogs were bred to be the perfect family pet, the genetic blueprints of most breeds weren’t designed to help them fit into the Lassie-like roles we expect. Most dogs were bred instead for a particular job like hunting, protection, or pulling. It is often behaviors remaining from these original purposes that drive issues at home. For example, dachshunds were bred to dig, corgis were bred to nip, and beagles were bred to vocalize.
It’s important for us to remember that these behaviors we take issue with are, in fact, not issues at all for the dogs. Often the dogs are just doing what they’re literally built for. It’s our job then to compassionately acknowledge this conundrum we’ve put dogs in, and to find safe, permissible outlets for these canine-typical behaviors. Karuna Canine tries to embody this mission always, working to address canine behavioral issues in a force- and fear-free manner that improves the quality of life for everyone involved, whether two-legged or four-.
