Responsible Pet Owner Ownership Page

Being a responsible pet owner means:

Providing your pet with nutritious food and fresh water

Getting your pet spayed or neutered

Being sure you can care for your pet throughout its lifetime

Putting a collar and identification tags on your pet

Taking time and patience to train your pet

Making sure your pet is taken care of when you go away for the day or on vacation

Spending time with your pet each day exercising, grooming, and giving love and attention

Making sure your pet always has shelter with a comfortable, quiet, and dry place to rest

Taking your pet to a veterinarian for regular checkups, vaccinations, and treatment for illness

Here are the basic needs of every pet:

Food
Water
Shelter
Exercise
Grooming
Veterinary Care
Toys...just like kids, pets like to have toys to play with
Training
Time...you need to spend time with your pet
Lots of Love!!!

Children and Pets

All kids want their own pet. In fact, they probably want several of them. But, before you give in to your child's wishes, you need to evaluate your child's level of responsibility and maturity and decide which pet is right for them. A bad decision can leave you with a pet that is neglected and not cared for.

For small children, a good first pet to test their responsibility level is a hermit crab. These little creatures require very little in the way of care and are a fun pet to have around. They can be fascinating and your child is able to interact with them to a certain extent. Once your child proves they can care for this simple creature, you can move to something that requires more care.

The next step up are hamsters and guinea pigs. Though they need more care than a hermit crab, they can still pretty much take care of themselves as long as they have food and water. Once your child proves that they are capable of providing food and fresh water on a daily basis as well as keeping the cage clean, you can consider a pet that requires even more responsibility.

Dogs are the pinnacle of the common house pet hierachy. Dogs are extremely social animals so besides requiring food and water, they also require frequent human interaction. Children must accept that the responsibility of caring for these animals requires more than simply feeding them. They need to ensure that they get plenty of attention and exercise. If you do not have a yard, the pet will require a walk at least a couple of times daily. Grooming is also important and the child should bathe the dog weekly. These are things that you must discuss with your child BEFORE you get the dog.

When considering a dog, make sure that the type of dog you get suits your child's personality and energy level also. There's no need to make things harder on both of them by not finding a good match.

If you have doubts that your child can handle the responsibility of caring for a dog, do everyone a favor and wait a little longer. Neglected dogs are way too common and a little planning and testing can avoid many of these situations. If your child is adamant about getting a dog, make them prove their responsibility level in other ways before giving in. Pets can be a great way to teach kids responsibility, but they should at least have the basics down before the dog ever arrives.

Obedience Training

Importance of Dog Obedience Training

(from http://www.the-dog-obedience-training.com)

Dog obedience training is the most important aspect and the very first thing a dog should learn and it is the foundation to solving many of the dog’s behavior problems. Without proper dog training, dog behavior problems will lead from one to another such as excessive barking, chewing, digging, and even biting. A misbehaved dog frustrates you and this leads to an unhealthy relationship between you and your dog. Dog obedience training is the perfect method for both of you to establish a connection and to relate to one another and to make living together more enjoyable. Dog obedience training should be fun and rewarding for both you and your furry companion.

Effective dog obedience training is not just restricted to training your dog to sit-stay. Understanding your dog’s behavior and characteristics are important for establishing positive interactions between you and your dog. Regardless of what age your dog is, puppy or adult dog, it is never too late to start training a dog. Start your dog obedience training right now before existing problems worsen or prevent new problems from developing later on. Many of the dog owners decide to give up their dogs because they think the dogs are causing too many problems either to them or the neighbors. This is truly unfair to the dogs because many of the problems that exist are solely due to the irresponsibility of the owner themselves as they fail to provide a well-structured environment and proper guidance to the dogs.

Successful Dog Obedience Training Equals to a Happy Dog. By nature, dogs live in a structured social order of their pac, so being in control doesn’t mean it is unfair to your dog. They need a well-structured environment to be happy and to understand where they belong in the family pack.

WHY TRAIN?

(by Dan Glaser, Animal Behaviorist)

http://dogsmindtraining.com

Helps correct nuisance behavior by providing mental and physical activities for your dog.

Strengthens the bond between you and your dog.

Establishes YOU as the pack leader.

Ensures your dog’s safety and happiness.

Nurtures good canine companionship for the benefit of your family, neighborhood and community.

Responsible Pet Owner Ownership Page