Why You Should Never Spoil Your Dog

If you ever saw me with my dog, you might think this is a “pot calling the kettle black” kind of post, but bear with me – I’ll explain. I do spoil my dog a little bit, but she’s extremely well behaved to begin with. She’s the kind of dog that gets so upset whenever she does something wrong that I barely need to discipline her. Just knowing she’s done something wrong is enough for her to want to correct her behavior. Yep, she’s my little angel. But, not all of my dogs have been this way. Believe me; I know how hard it is to train an adorable, yet strong-willed little puppy. They look up at you with those puppy-dog eyes (that term was coined for a reason, folks) and you just want to laugh instead of what you know you should do, which is give them some discipline.

But, dogs aren’t like humans. We can’t reason with them. We can’t let things slide one time and choose to make an issue of it the next. This is how dogs get confused and end up misbehaving. It’s not because they’re bad dogs; it’s because they’re confused about how to behave. Well, in some cases it’s also because they know they can get away with the bad thing every other time they do it, so they’re willing to take the risk. You can think of things this way: Just like you, your dog needs a job. It needs to fulfill a purpose, and it looks to you to define that purpose. Just as you would look to your captain for direction if you were a police officer, your dog looks to you for responsibility. You are your dog's captain.

When a dog is young, it’s really important that you step into that leadership role. You can have your cute and cuddly time, but when it’s time for discipline, you have to be strong. Think of yourself as your dog’s leader at all times. He or she is desperately either looking for a leader or looking to lead. That’s how they're programmed. It doesn’t matter how cute they are; it’s all the same. If you don’t step into that role, your dog will walk all over you. It’s that simple.

Tips for Teaching Your Dog to Walk on a Leash

One of the things I remember vividly about training Wanda was our first walks together. She was only about 2.5 pounds when we got her, so she was a bitty thing; but, boy could she tug! To this day, she is a stubborn little pup, and training was no exception. She’s the sweetest little girl, and she really does aim to please, but when she doesn’t want to do something, that’s it.

She’s really good at walking on the leash now, but it took some growing pains for us to get to that point. I’m glad we’re here though, because it’s no fun going for walks with an unruly dog. It’s even worse when you have a big dog that drags you around the block. In that case, it’s more like the dog is walking you than the other way around.

Here are a few tips that I found helpful when teaching Wanda to walk nicely on the leash:

1. Use a short leash. The more freedom you give them, the less they’re going to understand the concepts you’re trying to teach. Use a short leash at first, and as your dog gets better, you can lengthen it a bit more.

2. Be the leader. This is a rule that most owners don’t know about. In order to show that you’re the leader of the pack, you must walk in front of or beside the dog at all times. Allowing him or her to lead, puts you in the submissive position.

3. Get into a routine. Dogs respond very well to routine. If you walk your dog at a certain time every day, it will better understand and follow the walking routine you’re trying to instill. Also, in the beginning, follow the same exact path every day. After the dog gets used to it, you can venture off to other places.

4. Try to avoid other animals. Don’t take your dog to a popular dog park when you’re first teaching it to walk on the leash. You can’t control whether other animals are around, but you should take the dog somewhere that distraction is inevitable. After you both get the basics down, then you can see how your dog acts around distractions.

Should You Gift a Dog for Christmas?

It’s not uncommon for people to buy pets as holiday gifts, but this holiday season, I found myself wondering if that’s a good idea. You see, I know my friend has been asking everyone she knows to get her a dog for Christmas. She’s really an animal lover and I know she would be good to the dog, but is she responsible enough to care for the dog on her own?

She’s in her twenties, so she is certainly old enough to own a pet, but she’s been unemployed for about a year now. She lives with her mom, so rent isn’t an issue, but then there’s food, water and vet bills to worry about. Having fallen on hard times myself and having to care for three animals, I know how rough that can be. It’s certainly not my business, so I’m not going to get involved. I’m just left hoping that anyone who would gift an animal would be responsible enough to think through the person’s situation first. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just love an animal; you really have to be able to provide for it for the entire length of its life.

Another reason this friend’s situation got me thinking about gifting animals is that she’s likely to get a large breed. I don’t have anything against large breeds, but landlords often do. Within that dog’s lifetime, she’s going to be moving out of her mother’s house (I assume). Given her situation, I know she’s not likely to be buying a house right away, so she’ll end up renting. For her, that just means she’ll have trouble finding a place, but for some others it might mean giving up the dog. It’s not easy to find a home for a large breed adult dog.

I know it might sound like I’m being hard on my friend, but that’s actually not the case. If she does get the dog for Christmas, I know she’ll be committed to taking care of it for its entire life. Plus, she's a paralegal, and we're expecting the job market to turn around soon. At least then she'll have a steady income. The reason her situation got me thinking about this is because it’s not an ideal environment for a pet. She would do what it takes to make it work, but not everyone could or would. It might seem like a nice idea to get a puppy or kitten for someone for the holidays, but you really have to evaluate their situation first. A puppy should never be an impulse buy.

Bonding with Your New Puppy

My Wanda when she was an adorable pup :)

Once you have made the decision to get a new pup, there’s a ton of work to do. First and foremost, hide your shoes. Puppies like to chew and shoes seem to make good chew toys. Expect to put in a lot of time training your new four-legged friend. But, what I wanted to talk about today isn’t training. It’s that bond that forms between you and your pup. If you’ve had a dog before, you know there’s nothing like it. Sure, cats are ok. I have two of them, myself. But I’ve never seen the level of devotion from a cat that I have from my dogs. Maybe that’s because cats are more independent, but what results is them mostly being affectionate when they need something.

You may agree or disagree about the bond between a man and his cat, but that doesn’t change the fact that dogs are man’s best friend. I’m so used to having a dog in my life that I’ve taken that bond for granted. I realized this when I got a new puppy. She was just so darn cute; I wanted her to be my instant BFF. But, we have to remember that when a puppy comes into your home, it’s a completely new environment, you’re a stranger and they are scared. Every pup warms up at their own rate. It took Wanda quite some time compared to other dogs I’ve had in my life, but now she doesn’t leave my side. She’s sleeping by my feet as I write this.

Here are some tips to avoid overwhelming your puppy in its new surroundings:

1. If you have another dog, introduce them outside the home to avoid any potential aggression. This day is scary enough for your new friend; she doesn’t need a bully making it worse.

2. Give him some space. I know, it’s tempting to want to hold the new pup constantly, but it’s important that you let him explore his new digs on his own terms. He might even hide at first. If that happens, just let him be. He’ll come out when he’s ready.

3. Designate a spot that is all her own. It might be a crate or just some simple dog bedding, but she needs a place she can go to feel safe while she’s getting used to the new place.

4. Give him a day or two to get used to the new place before you start any intense training. In the meantime, keep an eye out when he roams around the house and send him to the wee-wee pads when he has to do his business. This getting-to-know-you phase is also a great time to research the top online schools for dog training techniques. It’s almost time to get into the more serious training, so you want to be prepared.