How to Make Your Dog Feel Special Without Spoiling!!

The connection and bond you share with your dog is one that can’t be broken, and you want her to feel like she is special, so how do you do that without creating a spoiled dog? Let’s take a look:

The problem many dog (and pet) owners face is that they look at their animal and treat her exactly like a human being. This does not work because dogs have a different psychology and thought process than humans. Some owners just don’t know when to draw the line. If you’re one of those people, I am here to help!

To start with, I’m going to lay out the basics for you. The most important thing to always remember is that dogs DO NOT think like humans do. Our backgrounds are completely different and our wants and needs vary as well. Dogs come from a background of the pack, and having a leader to keep them in line. Your job as the owner is to be the leader.

The basic thought of a dog is this: if you give her something good (a treat or extra affection) after she has just done something bad (jumped up on you, or bitten someone) she will associated the bad behavior with getting rewards.

If you don’t want to spoil her, ONLY GIVE HER REWARDS OR PRAISE DIRECTLY AFTER SHE HAS PERFORMED THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR!! This ensures that she knows what behavior is expected of her.

If she is in a new, scary situation (going to the vet for the first time, meeting new people, etc.), do not show her affection when she is scared. Simply be firm and gentle with her, your job is to reassure her that she can do it, give her confidence, and supervise her behavior. If you are overly affectionate, she will think being scared and unsure of herself are the right ways to behave.

I am not saying don’t ever show your dog affection, I am simply saying you should pay attention to when you show it. Do it when she has done something to impress you and when she is calm, if you don’t you will only reinforce her bad, spoiled behavior.

Some people say all Toy breeds (Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Miniature Pinscher, etc) are spoiled, I think it depends on the owner and how they relate to their dog. Small dogs get spoiled because their owners carry them in purses and pamper them constantly. A lot of the time these dogs are referred to as “yappy” because they are so used to getting their way all the time.

Any size, any breed of dog can be spoiled and the only one to blame is the owner. You have the power to control your dog’s behavior and temperament…think wisely about what behavior you reward and when. By allowing your dog to be calm and relaxed, you can show her affection when she is deserving of it.

I want you to have a strong relationship with your animals, and in order for this to happen, all aspects must be healthy – physical as well as emotional. Don’t create an unbalanced dog by spoiling, trust me your years with her will be much more enjoyable if you don’t!!

Thanks for reading! As always your participation in comments and discussions is encouraged and greatly appreciated!!

This entry was posted on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 01:23 pm and is filed under Dogs, PetStrong. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.