Hey everyone, its our tenth blog today, hooray! Our topic in today's post is the top ten mistakes that most dog owners make, and why they are mistakes! See how you rate - and if you have some changes to make!
10) Allowing Dogs Up On Human Furniture
While this seems totally harmless, and in some rare cases it is, the general idea of allowing a dog up on to human furniture is a mistake. It can be nice to have the whole family, pets and all, in the living room or den to watch TV, or chat. It gives the entire family a moment to relax, and provides family unity - all things that are great. But, from your dog's perspective, only the top dog of the family gets the best of the best - the best place to sit, the best place to sleep, the best toys, the best food - everything. Dogs already get their own toys, and food. Allowing them to sit in the same place as the humans lends to the belief that the dog is in control. Dogs can be allowed up on the couch, but only when invited to do so - not when the dog wants it, and especially not if the dog acts up while on the furniture.
9) Co-sleeping
Just like the last paragraph says for furniture, co-sleeping is a bad idea for the same reason. The more items that are shared with the dogs that belong to humans, the higher likelihood you're going to have of a dog thinking they're in control. Most people allow dogs in the bed because they whine everywhere else and its just easier to let them in bed; well, the whining worked. The dog manipulated you in to caving in, because he knows it will work. Sometimes, you just have to put in ear plugs, and ignore the behaviour. They can and should be in the bedroom too; just on the floor, or in a crate overnight.
8) Not Carrying On Life-Long Training
While the basics are very important, and every dog should know proper leash skills, sit/down/stay, you would be surprised at the amount of dog owners that stop at "sit" and don't carry on training. A dog should be learning something almost all of the time; training should never be "done" with a dog. Keep striving for perfect behaviour, new tricks, better or faster response times; no dog is too old to learn something new. Not only does this build confidence, but it burns mental energy - something many owners do not realize they need to expend in a dog.
7) Feeding Too Much
I have found that most owners feed their dogs way too much. Most dogs' stomachs are about half the size of their heads, and need more time to digest than humans do. Most people tend to listen exclusively to veterinarians for dietary advice, and more often than not, Vets are paid off by companies to sell product as much as they can - and often sell poor quality junk type dog foods, and tell you to feed way too much. Most dogs only need to eat once or twice a day, and only enough to fill that little stomach. For instance, a chihuahua should only be getting a half cup of food twice a day, and larger dog, such as a boxer, should be eating about 2 cups total per day. Over feeding leads to weight gain and an explosive amount of energy that must be burned off.
6) Feeding Too Late At Night
Another issue I come across quite a lot is owners feeding their dogs way too late in the day. Unlike humans, dogs don't "reset" overnight like humans do. Dogs' energy piles up on them, and can mount up for days at a time, especially if they are fed and then expected to sleep. Dogs need about 4 to 6 hours to digest, and still need exercise after a meal in order for them not to be crazy the next day. Dogs should be fed early in the morning, as early as possible, and in the afternoon - dogs should never be fed close to bed time, or in the evening, unless you're a night owl. Expecting a dog to eat and then sleep is about as unfair as giving a toddler ice cream before a nap - and I'm sure some of you knows how effective THAT would be.
5) Walking Too Late At Night
Just like feeding too late, walking too late can also be an issue. While you should always walk a dog after they've eaten, walking them exclusively at night leads to detrimental problems. If dogs cannot reset at night, they have to wait all day to walk and be fed, then they have to sleep on all that energy, only to wake up and wait all day again. Try doing this yourself once, and see how not fun it is. Then imagine all that energy carries over to the next morning, instead of refreshing overnight as you sleep. I'm sure you can see why this causes all kinds of problems. Most dogs need at least 2 hours as early in the morning as humanly possible, preferably around sunrise, and also in the afternoon after a meal. Some dogs, like Shepherds or Collies, need 6 or more hours of exercise after every meal. It can be quite the undertaking!
4) Not Being Consistent
If it is a rule not to bark at the door, it should always be a rule not to bark at the door, even if the mayor comes over for tea. Many owners let behaviour slide when other people are around because they are focused on the other people - but this is very confusing for a dog. Some can even become disobedient around other people because of this, and leave the owner frustrated and confused because they "know better". Honestly, they know exactly what's going on - that they don't have to obey all the time.
3) Not Claiming Dog Behaviours As Their Own Fault, And Making Up Excuses
How many times have you heard a dog owner say "Oh he's just frustrated" when their dog nips at your kid, or blush and try and say their dog is "Very Social" as they pull their owners trying to rush over? Every owner has had these moments, but the truth is, dogs are little mirrors - they show us the parts inside of ourselves that need changing. All dog behaviour is directly caused by the humans in their lives, and whether it's fun to admit it or not, all dog problems are people problems. It is very important that humans claim these issues, and change them, instead of excusing them.
2) Not Fulfilling Breed Need
Border Collies need to herd, Heelers and Rottweilers need to, too; Akitas, Shepherds, and Malinois' need to guard, Jack Russells, Labradors, and Pointers need to hunt, and Pitbulls need to be around their family. These sentiments are nothing new, but a surprising amount of owners don't realize how important the breed need really is. If your dog loves to bite and chew on things, it needs to be given a constructive outlet - otherwise it become a destructive problem. If you purchase or adopt a dog, be aware of what a dog needs - because they are just going with instinct, and it is unfair of the human to expect their dog to fit in a perfect dog-box and not present breed behaviours. All breeds have a specific need; from prey drive to protection work, your pup needs to be encouraged to outlet that energy in a safe environment.
1) Thinking Their Dog Is Obeying When They Are Just Making You Shut Up
If you have to command your dog more than once, it isn't obeying. Some dogs end up needing to be told "sit" 6 or 7 times before they listen, and most often, they do it for a couple seconds, then go back to what they were doing before, or not complying at all. Unfortunately, this is not obedience. This is the dog just wanting to make you stop talking to them. They have learned that your command means "if you want to" and they are not taking you seriously. If you have to catch their attention before they obey more than once, you're not pack leader. Does your walk sound something like this? "Pup. Sit. Sit. Sit. Hey, come here. Pup. Hey. Sit. SIT. PUP, SIT." and the dog is totally ignoring you, or half sits then walks away? Your dog is basically making you stop talking. They are not taking you seriously, and it's time to go all the way back to puppy-level training basics.
Hopefully, you didn't score any of the top ten! Good luck out there, guys!
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