It won’t be her fault if you bring home a live bunny and it isn’t in its cage when you get home. Not only is she good at opening latches; she has a natural interest in catching prey. You can’t blame her for taking herself for a long hike when it has been six weeks since you’ve had the time to go. Don’t expect her to stay in a yard with a fence that clearly has a built-in escape route for dogs in the far left corner by the willow tree. She absolutely needs time to follow her senses and instincts outdoors and can’t be held responsible if you have forgotten to provide it.

She will make every effort to meet you halfway when it comes to sharing a home, and will be amenable and largely uncomplaining about her circumstances. But she will do what she needs to do for her own sanity—an admirable quality that many of us sharing a home might learn from.

PUBLIC LIFE—Being out in public with your natural dog gives rise to special issues, which are best met with an honest, head-on position about the reality of the situation. You will find that she is agreeable to most kinds of activities, provided that everyone else around her is being fair and reasonable, according to her standards.

Your neighbors and friends may not understand her nature and your accommodations to her preferences. They may judge you as antisocial for not joining them at the dog park or chastise you for not training her to tolerate overzealous puppies or the hugs and kisses of friendly humans. Well-meaning people may say things that will cause you to question your own judgment. Ignore all of these voices when you go out into the world. Listen to your own intuition and common sense. And listen to your dog.

Keep other dogs out of her personal space on walks, and she will be willing to stay out of theirs. Protect her from having to contend with socially awkward or abnormally friendly retrievers, and she won’t be forced to instruct them herself. Tell other people that she might be uncomfortable being smooched and stroked by strangers, and she will gladly go about minding her own business on the walk.

PERSONAL LIFE—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said that “love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” We enjoy being adored, but what is truly transformative and powerful is the ability to get on the same page. With a natural dog, you will quickly find yourself learning this lesson firsthand. It is a partnership, or it is nothing at all.