As a reminder for those that read my introduction or info for those that
did not, before I start my post. I have 2 Shih Tzu boys anda Chow Chow girl. The boys are
almost 6 years and Mika is almost a year.
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| Houdini |
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| Mika Moo |
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| EJ (Ewolk Jr.) |
So I have seen many many times on Facebook people asking for
help regarding training, food “aggression”, rough play and things of that
nature. I will sometime comment and sometimes simply pass over the post.
Recently I chose to comment on a post about rough play, it was then also
mentioned in the post that her chow chewed on her beagle’s head a bit over a
bone. I saw several comments saying oh that is just how chows are and NEVER
give a chow a bone around other dogs or try to take a bone. When I replied to
these comments one person in particular insisted on a few things- 1) that I
have too much time on my hands, 2) that I sound retarded- yes quite rude but
whatever & 3) that he was positive if I tried to take a T-bone from my Chow
I would get bit by her.
So here’s my opinion/rant on the subject of training: Of
course it is much easier to train a dog if you get them as a puppy versus
adopting an adult. I view training a dog much like raising a child. For those
who say it is just a dog, ok fine your dog isn’t going to get a job or write a
novel but as a result of you bringing the dog into your home and community you
have made him a member of that community. A living being that others also must
see and be around. So if your child were to growl at you or argue when you ask them
to give you something would your response be “oh ok then you can keep it” or “excuse
you! I am the parent and you will listen to me”. Great parents will choose the
later, same with pet parents. When you adopt that animal you are agreeing to
care for, feed, nurture and love that pet but you are also agreeing to be
responsible for the pet’s behavior and actions in life.
To me this means you train your pet to listen to YOU and to
be a respectful member of the community you live in. So allow me to define what
proper training is to me (I respect the fact that others have their own
definitions and opinions on this). Here is my definition/opinions on training:
- · As pet parent your job is to ensure your dog is well behaved at ALL times.
- · Training is constant and truly never ending
- · YOU should be the boss- this can include other humans in the household.
- · There is absolutely no instance in which you should fear getting bit or attacked by your pet.
- · You pet should get along with other pets, people and children
- · Your pet should have manners, especially when outside of the home- this means not jumping on people, sitting when told, not growling/barking at people simply passing by.
There may be more that I will update with later but that’s
what I have off hand. I have created an abbreviated version of this for Facebook
as well. Please keep in mind that when you adopt a dog you are making a
lifetime commitment, you are responsible for what that dog does and unlike
children that will never change. If your dog were to bite someone, you could
have to pay a fine, for medical bills or even in some states serve jail time.
It is not something to be done on a whim.
This weekend I will post a follow-up video/post addressing
the “challenge” proposed by an individual on Facebook that: A) my chow will
bite me if I try to take a t-bone steak from her- I will be using a raw meaty
bone instead of a t-bone & B) that a chow will always attack another dog if
a bone is involved.
