Are you a bad pet owner?

Many call them a furry friend, and others might call them their furry babies, but whatever you choose to call them having a dog is one of the great joys in life.

While everyone loves their own dog, it seems to be becoming more common for people not to remember that there is an etiquette to having them.  While they have their own personalities, and might not be aggressive to you and your family you do need to think about others when taking your furry friend out and about.

Basics

While this basic advice might seem silly and obvious, go to a dog park, dog beach, or even just around your neighbourhood and see how many people actually do it.  Things like cleaning up after the dog.  If you are walking your dog and they do a number one job on a number two, it’s not the homeowner whose lawn was used as a toilet’s responsibility to clean it up.

If you do take your dog to the dog park, keep an eye on it. The number of times a sad little fluff ball of a dog is hounded, pun intended, but dog bigger than it while the owners are glued to their phones it’s a surprise that little fluff ball has any hair left.  The dog park is meant to be a social place, socialise and talk to the other owners while keeping an eye on the dog.

Intermediate

Have you ever seen someone jerk on their dog’s leash every time the dog lets out a bark?  It can be destressing.  Barking is how dogs communicate, and it should be allowed.  The only time that training needs to come into play is if the dog barks every time someone comes to the door, or the neighbour’s door or you open a door, or a breeze blows.  Then it might be time to get some advice as for why your dog is so excitable.

The sad

Not everyone loves your dog as hard as it might be to believe. Modern Manners guru, Richie Frieman wrote “I know very well that not everyone is as fond of my pet as I am. He’s a beagle with a howl that can wake up everyone in the neighbourhood. If you have food around you, chances are he’s going to think it’s his. Anything that is paper will surely suffer his wrath, and be ripped into little shreds. And when I take him for a walk, I know that he can pull me like an Alaskan dog sled team, so I have to keep him on a tight leash.”

He concluded, “Just because you love your dog, doesn’t mean that everyone else would also enjoy a sloppy kiss or paws on their shoulders. Remember: Your dog is your best friend, no one else’s.”

What are some of the things that you see pet owners do that drive you crazy?  How are some of the ways you’ve trained your pet to behave?