After
you give birth and raise one or more children, you have both good and
bad experiences. That’s what I realized some years ago
I also
raised seven dogs, 2 little ones, one mutt, one good-sized Chow Labrador
mix, and three large breed dogs. Five of the seven were pure bred. Two
and a half were Labrador Retrievers. All these wonderful dogs happened
over a few decades, not all at once.
I learned that a dog is a
living, breathing life. Not property. A dog can learn, remember and form
habits or follow a routine. Without a doubt dogs that we’ve lived with
exhibit a range of emotions. They’re loyal, friendly, protective and
eager to please.
Each pup that we’ve know is unique. He or she has their own likes and dislikes. One or two have exhibited fear: Big colorful baloons in the sky was one; another was the vacuum; and another fear was thunder and lightening. Sure, they all barked at something or other.
All our pups were happy members of our home. They were treated with respect, and were taken care of just like we’d care for a child.
The key to these wonderful stories about our dogs, is us. After a lifetime of living with our dogs, it’s true. The puppy parents are 100% responsible for the way your dog behaves. Show your dog love, kindness and care, and your dog will return the same.
When a puppy parent knows how to overcome challenges and spend time teaching your dog good conduct, it feels pretty good to know you did a good job.
Of course, a newborn child is not the same as a baby puppy dog. But after a few decades, I noticed that there are similarities.
I thought about my experiences raising my children, problems that came up—and never came up; and how I solved the typical challenges of raising children.
To my surprise, I’ve been following the same strategies for our pups. A solution for one helped solve much the same problem for the other.
That’s the reason for this 12-part series on “Raising Baby.” I hope dog lovers enjoy my findings.///