Hi! When you see a dog, does your heart instantly soften? Then you revert to baby-talking because you just yuve dem furry wittle faces and good good bois so much?!
No?? Sorry you don’t have a soul.
I love me some dogs and I spoil mine because why else does a person get a dog duh. My girl gets the best because she gives the best. From her snuggles to her gentle ways with my kids, we simply do not deserve these creatures. Which is why dumb dog owners enrage me. Yes, bringing a dog home is exciting. Yes, puppies are cute. But dogs are also a lot of responsibility. Owners who make the monumental mistakes below get themselves a badly behaved pet that, ultimately, isn’t well-liked by their family. That’s just unfair. Don’t be unfair, avoid these things:
Lack of Research: Getting a Puppy that Grows Too Big
Do you know puppies get bigger? And do you know different breeds are different size adults? SMH. How embarrassing to even have to ask. A small puppy doesn’t mean a small dog. Even if you choose the smallest pup from the litter, it doesn’t mean you’ll end up with the smallest dog. Please make sure you research and understand the maximum size the dog can reach, and prepare yourself and your household for that possibility. Pay attention to the breed so there aren’t any surprises and you’re unhappy in the future.
Lack of Understanding: Puppy’s Personality
If a puppy runs over to you, that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a strong and confident dog. Many puppies outgrow their initial confidence and others grow into theirs. Either way, the dog you choose might not end up having the personality you suspect when you choose them. Hey, that’s just like people! Please approach dog-owning with common sense.
Lack of Consistency
Like when creating any habit or rule, consistency is key. Training a dog is no different. If you don’t want your dog on the sofa, then don’t allow them on the sofa at all. If you let them some days and not others, all this does is confuse your dog and essentially send the message he can do whatever he wants. Recipe for disaster, friends. You’re the human; you’re in charge. It’s your job to make sure your pet is on the same page as its people. If you are like my good friend who loves her dog but has absolutely no clue how to control him (bless her heart), you may need to invest in a professional dog trainer. Do us all a favor and check out alldogsunleashed.com for help.
Lack of Training
As mentioned above, training your dog is so important mostly so I don’t throat punch you. Puppies WANT to learn–they love it! And they learn very quickly because dems is so so smart! It’s the human owners who can be big dumb-dumbs when we aren’t consistent with expectations and boundaries. It’s cute when a puppy jumps up to say hello, right? Tell me how cute it is when your 70-pound dog jumps up on your elderly grandma. It’s important to teach your puppy the things you want your adult dog to do…because they’re the same animal duh. Positive rewards such as treats and praise work wonders for our fur babies. Practice makes progress, so put the time in with your puppy and you’ll reap the benefits of a well-behaved adult dog.
Lack of Love
Training a dog is stressful and time-consuming, and if you don’t have the capacity to do it with love, I beg of you: do not bring a dog into your home. Despite being so adorable I could just squish dems wittle faces, puppies are, in fact, a giant pain in the arse. Just like with small humans, we’ve got to love them through the hard stages if we hope to get to a place of calm and understanding. Patience, time, and love are requirements for raising a dog, so if you’re lacking in any of those three, get yourself a plant and call it a day.
Your two-cents here: