Dear New Dog Owner...
(If time travel existed, this is the letter I'd send to myself when I first became a new dog owner.)
Congratulations! Right now you are fascinated, anxious, and excited that there is a living, breathing dog in your condo. There's a whole world of fun ahead of you and tons of emotional growth you'll experience over time. You have no idea how good it'll be and how your life will change.
I have to warn you though - there are many things about dogs that aren't common sense and you really should know now on day one.
1. Dog socializing is not forcing your dog to meet every dog on the sidewalk, every dog at the park, or any dog tied up outside the supermarket. You wouldn't allow a 10 year old child to "go play" with all the kids standing around the corner store, so why would you do that to your dog? Socializing your dog is about making him feel comfortable just being in the company of other dogs, which may or may not mean a meet and greet. In fact, two dogs meeting on leash on a narrow sidewalk is a very tense situation - kind of like when the mafia and the yakuza meet in a warehouse for a drug deal. There's a good chance somebody will get nervous and accidentally pull the trigger, setting off a big kerfuffle.
2. The books about dog behavior stocked at your local bookstore are generally garbage - save your money. Start by reading Patricia McConnell's "The Other End of the Leash". If you pick up a book that talks about Wolf packs or Dominance, put it down.
3. Ditto with the programs on TV. I admit, I do watch Dog Whisperer and End of my Leash, but mainly because I think the dogs are cute. The training is abusive - you won't be able to tell at this point, but the dogs being "trained" there are under intense psychological stress and trauma. If you are lucky enough to get Animal Planet, do watch Victoria Stillwell's "It's Me or the Dog" though.
4. Don't be in such a rush to let your new dog off leash. Off leash is a privilege for both YOU and your dog - one that must be earned with work.
5. You'd think a dog park is exactly where your dog would want to play. You'd be surprised though, I think he'd rather be playing with YOU somewhere quiet. But you need to learn how to play with your dog and be interesting to him. Start with Tug of War and Fetch.
6. This may be a lot to ask early on, but kibble is terrible for him. For now, can you just add some table scraps on top of his food bowl each night? Just no onions or grapes.
7. Get pet insurance. You will spend more each year than the premium.
8. Work with a private dog trainer that uses positive reinforcement NOW - don't wait. An ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.
Sincerely,
Me in the Future
PS. You know when he's doing that - he's rolling around in poop or rotten food.
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Dog lovers in South Florida! I found a few Web sites that you might like; I have a German shepherd with severe
behavior problems and a few people in the South Florida area recommended a
dog trainer Edel from
www.k9advisors.com. I met with Edel and I cannot believe how fast he trained my dog. I liked this site because they are always giving back to the community and
they volunteers for many pet rescue and animal advocacy groups. Check out the
FREE Dog Training tips on his website
www.k9advisors.com.
If you are looking for Florida dog events go to
www.floridadogevents.com they
provide useful information to pet owners about pet events, dog parks, and local
pet friendly places. They also wish to help pet rescue efforts and help educate
on the importance of responsible pet ownership. If you are looking for a dog walker,
Pet Sitters or
cageless boarding you can
go to www.dogsgowalking.com, I work
late hours and they take care of my dog when I am home late or out of town. I recommend them to all of my friends with dogs and everyone likes them.
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