08/02/2025
๐ด๐ฎ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐จ๐๐ค๐๐ก๐
I meet a lot of people who smile and laugh and say, โMy dog is so spoiltโ.
I think when people say this, they feel good because they think that they are giving their dog a good life by giving him or her, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
Well, as we know with children, giving them everything they want never turns out a good, well-balanced adult that people like to be around. Children that are labelled โspoilt bratsโ are done so as a critical description of their behaviour.
Although I think โspoiltโ is a terrible description, dogs that are given everything they want, can react very badly when, at some time, for some reason, they are not given everything they want.
I mean, why wouldnโt they?
They have lived a life of little restriction, rules, boundaries and no consequences, so many of the ones I meet, simply do not know how to deal with not getting their way. It can turn free access to everything into an entitlement, a right.
Most people who do say that their dog is spoilt, love their dog, in fact, people reading this blog, maybe it is you I am talking to. You're probably reiterating you love your dog and you will continue toโฆ I get it, I hear you, BUTโฆ
If you love your dog, the very best thing you can do for him or her, especially as a puppy, is teach your dog how to behave in ways that are going to get your dog as many opportunities in life (not restrictions) as possible.
LOVE IS BEST EXPRESSED IN WAYS THAT MAKE THE DOG BETTER, CONFIDENT, WELL ROUNDED AND NOT OVERLY EMOTIONAL ALL THE TIME.
๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ.
If your dog becomes emotional when you leave, or relentlessly follows you around the house, even to the toilet, it may make you feel like they love you, in reality, it means they are insecure and allowing them to deal with their insecurity by following you, you are only reinforcing it (making it worse).
Or maybe your partner comes into the room where you and your dog are, and when he or she tries to sit next to you, the dog growls or barks, or worse.
Do you feel special because your dog loves you and protects you?
In reality, your dog is treating you like a possession, a belonging. ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ.
If you find yourself explaining what your dog wants a lot, there is a problem.
For example, your dog sees a dog on the street and starts pulling and dragging you towards the dog, you in tow giving the โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โ speech.
If you hold your dog back you know he or she will only carry on more with pulling, vocalising and screeching.
So, you just must allow your dog to pull up to other dogs, whether those dogs and their owners want your dog's attention or not.
How about if your dog barks when a person knocks on the front door, often this is described as bad behaviour, but in fact, it is not.
Many people get a (watch) dog to alert them if someone is up to no good. No problems with that.
The problem exists when:
Door knocks. Dog barks. You recognise the person as a friend.
You call your dog. The dog ignores you and continues to bark or become aggressive. ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ.
When your dog will not take direction or advice from you when it counts, this often leads to problems.
Dogs protecting you, or your property are a liability ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ.
It is ๐ง๐จ๐ญ their territorial instinct or protective desires that are the problem, it is the lack of respect/value they have for your advice or direction due to the lifestyle you have provided.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ โ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ โ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐
We meet people in distress when their โspoiled dogโ, the one they love more than anything else in the world, that dog may have dragged the owner up to a dog that doesnโt like rude dogs.
Something happens and there is a fight, maybe a person gets bitten.
Now, the person who loves their dog is facing council action.
Maybe it got a bit more serious, and their dog is facing the death penalty.
When they needed to control their dog, it was at that moment they realised they had zero control over their dog's choices and were left with only the ability to drag the dog away by the leash.
You can keep cheerfully saying that your dog is spoilt, but in reality, your dog is neglected. Youโre neglecting the fact that your dog needs to behave with manners in society and in your home, and this leaves your dog exposed to risk.
๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ข๐ญ, ๐โ๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐, ๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ.
I can tell you that the worst dogs we see, the ones that bite, bully, guard their owners from others, wonโt allow people into the home, wonโt allow the owner to leave the home, and worse things, started with puppies that were not given enough management, education and direction, but unrestricted love.
Sadly, some of you are reading this and saying to yourself, โMy dog would neverโ. And that is exactly why they will.
I have watched owners have their dogs seized and later euthanised, I had consulted with that very same person and gave them a program that they did not follow. The problems werenโt serious when I first met them but within a year of ignoring the relationship problems, the dog was dead, and the owner's heart broken.
The dog I am thinking about in this case was a dog that I could have very easily changed to a different path when I met him.
However allowing him to grow further into his pushy, bullying behaviour allowed him to grow into a dog that went too far.
As a dog owner, especially those raising a puppy, you have a great responsibility and honour of shaping a young life into an adult that is admired by many.
Here is my advice, as I always try to give somethingโฆ
1. Choose the right breed, call me I will help you choose the right breed for you. The one you need not the one you want.
2. Start education for yourself and the puppy right away. Forget vet run puppy schools, I won't say any more than that, but get quality training for you and your puppy.
3. Learn about effective socialisation, it is not what you think.
4. Set rules, boundaries and management in your home and life.
5. Stay the course and check the course often with a professional.
It is likely that if you follow this plan from puppy to 18 months of age, you will not have any further concerns with this dog for life.
PLEASE, if you have a dog that is displaying concerning behaviours, please seek professional help now. This is really the most cost-effective and safest path versus waiting for the problem to escalate, and it will.
I write these articles to help dog owners either, raise puppies the right way or get help before tragedy strikes. We are having a very high number of dog attacks, dogs attacking or killing babies, dogs killing other dogs in Australia right now.
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ญ.
Please donโt wait until your dog, that you love, crosses a line.
(Steve Courtney)
