What does it mean to be a responsible dog owner?
Being a responsible dog owner is easy, but it involves many things.
It means making sure that your dog is not a nuisance. Basically this
means being a "good citizen." It means making sure that your dog does
not roam freely, destroy property, chase livestock, maul children or
other animals, leave excrement behind where he goes in public, or become
a nuisance barker, or in other ways decrease the quality of life of
others in your community. It boils down to proper control, good
training, cleaning up after your dog's messes, and providing your dog
with enough physical exercise and mental stimulation that he does not
create his own "vices" out of frustration.
Dogs were meant to share our homes with us and be our companions.
That is the right reason for getting a dog. People who get dogs for the
"wrong" reason, often end up regretting their decision to get the dog in
the first place, and the dog often becomes relegated to the backyard
tied to a doghouse and forgotten about. Or, the dog is "thrown
away"--surrendered to an animal shelter or dog pound to get rid of the
burden. Dog ownership should not be a "burden." If you get a dog for the
right reasons and are committed to giving that dog the love, care,
attention, socialization and training that he deserves you will be able
to honor your commitment to being his partner and caregiver his whole
life long.
Where does responsible dog ownership start?
Responsible dog ownership starts before you even get a dog. You
should put a great deal of thought into adopting a dog, because you must
make a commitment to that dog for his lifetime. You should research the
breeds which you think would be best for you based on the breed's "job
description." Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers are smart--you
see them in all of the television commercials. But if you won't be happy
with a dog that will need enormous amounts of mental stimulation to
keep that busy mind from creating games of its own (like redecorating
the house or chasing/biting/shredding the children), then you should
choose a dog that is a little "easier" to maintain. If you think you
want a Labrador, but you don't want to invest the time to properly train
him, and he grows up to be 80 pounds of trouble bouncing off the walls,
don't you DARE cart him off to the animal shelter and tell the people
"he just got too BIG!" If you research the breed, you would KNOW how big
he was going to get, and you would know that Labs are very energetic
animals that need training for basic control and an outlet for all of
that natural energy (he needs a "hobby," like flyball).
A young dog will require extensive amounts of proper socialization to
grow up to be well-adjusted. Puppies need to be taken out to meet
people of all different shapes and descriptions. They must be exposed to
all kinds of sights, sounds and environments as a youngster, so that
when they are older, these sights, sounds, people and environments will
not be scary to them. A puppy needs to have a great deal of time devoted
to proper housebreaking. You can't just turn him loose in the house and
punish him if you find accidents. You must constantly monitor his
whereabouts and activities, taking care of the "food-in, food out"
business at regular intervals. A puppy needs to be learn routines and
some human vocabulary, to get along in our world. He should be trained
to obey simple commands, so that he will do what he is told when you
need him to do it (like, "go to your bed," "be quiet," and "leave it
alone"). Some basic obedience skills are also very important, so that
your puppy will stay when told, walk on a leash and come to you when
called. If this sounds a lot like having a child, you're right! And it
should! The commitment should be the same.
Perhaps in doing your research, you find that you do not have the
time in your life for a new puppy. There are many rescue groups out
there which have older dogs available for adoption. These dogs have
often already been housebroken, and may even have received some
training. The original owner may have had to part with the dog for
health reasons, or because they were not prepared for the enormous
undertaking that was in store for them, and they let the dog learn all
kinds of bad habits which were intolerable to them. Sometimes the dog
just proved to be more energetic than the family would have liked (they
should have gotten a STUFFED dog!). Regardless of the reason, there are
any number of excellent "second-hand" dogs available through these
rescue groups.
If you're not fussy about the breed characteristics, and feel like
taking potluck, you could adopt a mixed breed. If you can determine the
parentage of the dog, you may get an idea about whether or not he'll
like water, pull a sled, retrieve, or do whatever else it is you might
like to do with your dog. Mixed breeds are wonderful dogs. They have a
"pedigree" just like everyone else does. It's just that sometimes, no
one bothered to write it down. They're just as noble, just as smart, and
just as worthy to be your lifelong friend as any of the registered
purebreds. All dogs are EQUAL in value. When you pay more for a
registered purebred, you're paying for the record-keeping and the
registration. You're paying for paper! Your dog will love you the same,
no matter what his parents looked like.