 Barked: Tue Feb 19, '13 11:07pm PST |
 | |  | | That's a lot of "You can't get a puppy". I don't think anyone can define the perfect dog owner. I think the concern is "We've seen too many bad dog owners". So there's a lot of caution. Unfortunately dogs are being put down every day; millions and I think the message that should really be getting a cross is. "Make sure you want one before you get one". There are also those who want to humanize the dog as much as possible thus socializing and training is highly important. If you don’t want to humanize the dog, certainly a good home, a well fed healthy dog, a little socialization and some training will do fine. I am one that try to humanize the dog as much as possible, my reason is so that I can get more doors open to them. It was very discouraging for me trying to find my Shih Tzu. A lot of the so called breeders wanted someone that didn’t work. I work, so how is the puppy going to eat if I don't work. Eventually I found someone who felt working was necessary and I went and picked up my pup. My mother fell in love with my pup and picked him up every day, so the puppy was never home alone and now my mother lives with me and he's never alone. He shares his days with her Yorkie. Training and socialization is valid, anything that keeps the dog out of the shelter has merit. Some dogs need a lot of training, some dogs need specialized training and some dogs need a little training, that depends on the owner, the breed and the temperament of the pup. Training also depends on the pup’s environment and what the owner expects of the pup. One paw doesn’t fit all. One type of owner doesn’t fit all the dogs. There is no lucky owner, only lucky dogs. The single most important thing and the only thing that makes a good owner, is “Responsibility” and “Commitment”. The pup should fit in well with one’s life style. Too many pups are still being abused, not trained properly, a mismatch with their owners so they end up at the shelters. My first dog I trained on my own, he had very little training; he seemed to me to be just naturally welled behaved. I could take him anywhere and he seemed to be just fine with people and other dogs. He trained very easily and was the greatest pup and companion throughout his life time. My current pup, had aggressive issues and his puppy responses weren’t normal, he is also in a different err so for him I went through a lot of professional behavior training and heavy socialization, including traveling because I wanted a dog I could take anywhere with me. After all is said and done, he’s now a very well adjusted happy dog, you can’t even tell he was an overly aggressive as a pup. My mom has a Yorkie, she claimed he couldn’t be trained he was too excited; he would never get his CGC. Well I didn’t believe mom, I saw a cute little spunky dog with a lot of potential, and he just needed a fair chance. The Yorkie obtained his CGC and all those commands she said he wouldn’t listen to, he learned and performs. In the Yorkie’s case it’s a mismatch. I try to humanize both dogs their training never stops, its continuum. If you’re not interested in humanizing your dog then there’s no reason to do as much training as I do. Too many dogs are ending up in the shelters and still too many being abused. There are no lucky owners, only “responsible owners” who are “committed to caring” for their pets and that includes preventing them from ending up in a shelter. What we have is a lack of responsible owners and the unlucky dogs are ending up in the shelter and that’s why you see all the “must” some of it is a little extreme~d. |  |  | |  |
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I can only imagine what would have happened to her if someone else had gotten her who was not as patient as me, or sent her to the pound or passed her around from home to home. She took a lot of work, and I mean a lot. But she was worth it. She was not a dog for someone who didn't want to put in the time an effort. But, she was one of those great dogs despite her bad start in life. I think some people look for the easy way to do things. 
