Biggest Mistake You (or others) Make With a Dog?

goldenkitty45

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What do you think the biggest mistake you've made with a dog; or what's the biggest mistakes people (in general) make with a dog? Here's my list:

In general:

1. Not researching care of or the breed of dog before buying.
2. Buying a dog from a petshop.
3. Not doing early training for the puppy.
4. Getting a puppy during the holiday or "surprising" someone.
5. Feeding the dog before you eat.

For me personally:

As much as I love Keno (our lab), I really didn't know how much labs shed! DH had a lab/setter cross (longhair) and I really didn't like all the hair...figured a shorthair dog would be less shedding.

Next dog we get is gonna have some poodle or wire-hair terrier in it so there is less shedding!
 

momofmany

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I agree with your entire list of mistakes. I'll add that a lot of people don't understand basic training and even when people take their puppies/dogs to obedience training, they don't apply discipline consistently after the class is over. Also, people overuse treats to discipline their dogs. My sister always rewarded her dogs with treats and the only time they ever listened to her was when she had a treat in her hand. Not only were they unruly, they were extremely overweight.

I love your point about eating first before feeding your dog. I actually eat first, then feed the cats, then feed my dogs. My dogs have total respect not just for DH and I, but also all of the cats.
 

tab

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i am the 5th (and final) owner of dylan, our border collie. i firmly believe that this breed, along with many other working breeds, is not a pet. unless you are prepared to put in long hours on a daily basis regarding exercise and stimulation, you will end up with a highly frustrated, hyperactive hooligan.

dylan is far calmer since i rescued him 4 years ago. he was left for long hours, up to 12 sometimes, and then when the couple were home he was banished to the (small) garden.

i know this couple and i witnessed first hand the crazed behaviour dylan was exhibiting. he would run backwards and forwards, along the same track, for ages. he had worn a path in the garden where he was doing this so frequently. i was stunned at my friends inability to see that anything was wrong.

it culminated with dylan nearly dying after a broken cistern lid was left, propped up at the end of the garden, right where he would run. i swear to this day the husband left it there on purpose. my friend rang me in hysterics (they have no car) and i raced round there to find dylan pumping blood from a severed artery. the vet said if we'd been 20 minutes later dylan would have died. i took dylan home the next day and he has remained with me ever since.

there are many 'dylans' out there and i wish that people would, as you say, research the breed. really find out their requirements and make sure they can meet them.
 

nekochan

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Personally I don't think feeding your dog before you eat makes any difference. The dog doesn't understand what you are doing. The only thing it may do is if you normally feed the dog and immediately eat your own meal, then you ever decide to eat first your dog may want to know where his food is because dogs do catch on quickly to routines.
I feed my dogs whenever, I don't usually eat anytime around the same time as they do anyway.
 

2dogmom

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I disagree with that #5 too. I've never seen where it makes any difference who eats first.

I have a couple to add to the list:

-Thinking the dog will magically understand English without training (like people who chase a dog around their yard hollering "come")

-Thinking a dog who messes in the house is getting 'revenge.' Most of the time this is directly due to a training error - someone punished the dog thinking they were so smart because they 'caught it in the act' and all they taught the dog to do was to be sneaky. Either that or they don't understand submissive urination and / or separation anxiety.

-Using a crate as a substitute for house training os as a convenient box to stuff the dog in when they don't feel like interacting with it.
 
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goldenkitty45

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Those of you who disagree with my #5 on feeding. This is the reason behind it and I've got that from a behavior dog book.

In a pack, the leaders get to eat FIRST. The lesser dogs will eat after the leaders eat. Feeding a dog before you (as the pack leader) tells the dog that he is in charge of the pack.
 

white cat lover

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I HATE it when people get a small dog because they have kids....like they don't want a big dog jumping on the kids. Small dogs....oh my they are returned to the shelter most often for biting the kids than the big dogs. That one drives me nuts....get a 5 lb poodle for the toddler!!


I didn't do my research on what Macey was (Lab/GSP) before getting her. We had 3 years of
but it's all worked out.

People who get "pit bulls" to look tough drive me insane!
 

faith's_mom

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

For me personally:

As much as I love Keno (our lab), I really didn't know how much labs shed! DH had a lab/setter cross (longhair) and I really didn't like all the hair...figured a shorthair dog would be less shedding.

Next dog we get is gonna have some poodle or wire-hair terrier in it so there is less shedding!
Don't be fooled into thinking those terriers and poodles don't shed! If you don't like long hair, or brushing, these ARE NOT for you...Improper and unthorough brushing and combing will leave these breeds solidly and painfully matted; so unless you're going to keep them in short patterns be prepared for just as much (or more, really) upkeep than your lab.

On a side note, most long hair double coated dogs blow coat twice a year (with tiny spurts inbetween, mostly due to stress), which is why when they shed it seems like there is tons; Labs, and other short haired double coated dogs on the other hand, shed year round, because the hair 'dies' quicker, because it is shorter. (the shorter the hair, the shorter the 'lifespan', thus, more shedding)


As far as the pack leader opinion, I will leave that to each owner; I personally let the dog's attitude and behavior decide for me whether I am more assertive; some dogs you don't have to be extremely assertive, but there are dogs that you can and should be more assertive, unless you want the dog chasing others away from everything that is "theirs". I have two completely opposites in my home; one who needs little assertion, and one that needs an assertive leader. When Sophie does something bad, it doesn't take anything more than a 'look' from me to tell her to stop...and she comes to me wagging her tail and sits, or lays down infront of me, leaving what she was doing behind.
Lizzy on the other hand, needs you to ask her to stop, and sometimes you have to take her away from the offending object, and you DO have to be careful if you have to take something away...she doesn't give things up easily, even if you offer her something else, and she will try to reclaim it if you don't put her in a different spot; she's the one who will snarl at the cats, snap at Sophie, and growl at people (including us) if she isn't getting her way. She isn't nearly as bad as she was when we got her, when she had NO assertiveness in her life, but she still has the tendencies, especially when hubby slacks in his training.


Okay, now for my actual response to your topic;

Sometimes I am tempted to discipline an offence that is already past; I think that is my 'biggest' offence...i don't usually carry through, but the dogs still can sense the attitude...oops!!!
 
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goldenkitty45

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I didn't say NO shedding - just less. I owned a cairn terrier - would love to own another but at the time we only had the dog and no cats in the house. I learned how to groom Boo and it was not time consuming to me.

I also know that part poodles may or may not shed - deal enough with the "labradoodle" bandwagon
 

sharky

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not believeing the the HS on Bens breed ... they had it right ...
 

lauracatlover

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Well I have yet to have a dog
But when I'm older I'm planning on getting me a little Andrex puppy
G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!


When that day finally comes I will remember this list!
 
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goldenkitty45

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Yeah its a yellow lab puppy. We have a yellow lab. They say the yellows shed the most out of all the colors (black, chocolate, yellow). I think they are right!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Yeah its a yellow lab puppy. We have a yellow lab. They say the yellows shed the most out of all the colors (black, chocolate, yellow). I think they are right!
they all shed the same it is just that the typical yellows hair is just dark enough and light enough to be seen on nearly all colors
 

tuxedokitties

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General mistakes:
The #1 biggest mistake I see is people overfeeding their dogs. A slim dog lives longer, is healthier, and is less prone to arthritis and hip problems. Excess food & treats = arthritis, diabetes, pancreatitis, etc., NOT love.

The second is people thinking dogs are motivated by human emotions. Dogs don't behave badly to be spiteful. A dog behaves submissively in response to its owner's behavior, not because it's feeling guilty. Understanding what motivates a dog is 90% of what it takes to train one - if you can figure out what your dog is thinking, you can usually head off bad behavior and steer it toward good behavior instead.

Personal mistakes:
#1) Assuming that most children are raised to know how to approach and handle a dog properly. Now I have a dog who's scared of children because she was attacked by kids who thought it was OK to scream at, hit, and kick strange dogs. I will never again allow children near a dog in my care unless I know that they know how to behave properly around dogs.

#2) Attending an obedience class without first observing the class in session. Though the class was advertised as 'positive', it turned out to be very much punishment based with lots of yelling and choke-chain yanking, and very badly run in general. Very stressfull for both of us, and a waste of time and money (never went back after the first class).

#3) Listening to a trainer who misread my dog's fear of children as 'dominance' and recommended Alpha-rolling her, which made her fear worse. Alpha rolling in general is a bad idea (I learned this later, unfortunately).

The last 3 can be condensed into one lesson - To be a true leader, I must protect my dog and be willing to stand up for its best interests, even at the risk of defying conventional authority (a trainer) or being embarrassed (getting scowls from parents who are offended I won't let their little darling torture my dog).

I know I've made and will continue to make many other mistakes. Having a dog, especially a very sensitive and intelligent shelter dog, is an experience of constant learning.

On the positive side, I've been inspired by those mistakes and my love for my dog to learn about dog behavior and positive training methods, and to encourage people I know to use positive training methods. I've also learned to grow a backbone.
 

momofmany

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I have 1 additional point on the eating before you feed your dog theory. It is one small aspect of a longer list of things that an alpha dog does to lead his/her pack. Doing it by itself doesn't produce the expected results.

That being said, using this tactic may not be obvious when you only have 1 or 2 dogs, but get beyond 3 or 4 and gaining alpha over the entire "pack" is essential for control. I lived with 5 dogs once and they became amazingly behaved once I started to use these techniques on them. The more dogs you have, the more likely they will form their own leadership system without you unless you exert yourself.
 
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