How To Spoil A Dog

Owning a dog takes a considerable amount of responsibility. Let's be honest. You can barely take care of yourself. Despite this fact the holidays are coming up and you're thinking of what to get the kid when a light bulb goes off in your head and you say "Hey! Little Johnny has been asking for a puppy so I'm going to get him a dog for Christmas. I'm a genius!" What is conceived as a brilliant idea for a present starts out innocent but the long term commitment of actually raising what some would consider a second child is more than you bargained for.

In today's world and with the current state of the global economy we are short on time and money which usually forces us to take short cuts when it comes to certain responsibilities. Pet care is no exception. Though you may not be the evil dog fight promoter that cages and beats these loyal animals, you may very well be on the other side of the spectrum by spoiling your dog without even knowing what kind of situation you are creating. Here are some examples of bad habits canine owners perform that start out innocently but are truly a recipe for disaster.

Christmas came and little Johnny is so happy he got a new puppy, a new partner in crime, and a new best friend. Yay! They are now inseparable and after a long day of running around it's bed time. Where is the dog going to sleep? Why not let the two sleep together? Worried about dirt and fleas and other junk like that? "It's a puppy! Puppies are practically made of Lysol and cotton balls." you rationalize. So you let the two sleep together and start down the path of easy fixes. The next night you try the doggy bed training but after an hour of puppy whines and attempts at corralling the dog so he can't escape his designated area the pup ends back in Little Johnny's bed. Fast forward 10 years and Little Johnny is 16 and the dog is old as dirt but the two still sleep together. Kind of weird isn't it? Gonna have a case of the 40 Year Old Virgin are we? Allowing the dog to sleep in bed with you or a loved one not only breaks down the barrier between pet and master, it also leads the dog to thinking he is entitled and sooner or later he'll start hogging the blankets, using your pillow, wearing your pajamas, basically trying to become you. Don't let that happen!

We've all give our pets table scraps. Cats are nonchalant about their desire for these morsels but dogs are straight up scandalous If you pull out a chair at the dinner table a dog will damn near jump up in it and start feasting. Yet there are moments that kicking down to the mutt seem reasonable. Like when your wife's cooking taste like road kill and you see your new puppy staring at you with those little heart melting eyes. You'd rather call him over and sneak him the food instead of admitting to your spouse dinner is inedible. Or when there are leftovers and you are going out of town and instead of throwing food away you give them to your loyal pup. The problem though is that this type of spoiling sets you up with a picky dog that will stop eating the dry food you buy in the industrial size garbage bag from COSTCO and instead will stalk you around the house when people food is present until you give up and kick down some grub to your four legged friend beast. Even worse the dog may turn into a thief and steal food off your plate when you get up to go to the bathroom during the game because he desires it so much which leads to getting furious and you start to contemplate how to get rid of your pet. For my advice on that subject check out the following Hub here: http://barcos.hubpages.com/hub/10-Ways-To-Get-Rid-Of-A-Pet

We all witnessed celebrities accessorizing themselves with a dog and a dog carrying purse a few years back that led every suburban mom on to the internet to get their very own miniature puppy and stylish carrier rhinestones and all. How bad does this spoil my dog you may be asking? Well given the dog is an animal from the wild that has to walk and hunt and poop on the ground, making it a flying creature has to really scramble its mindset. Now the dog refuses to move unless it is assisted by you thanks to your need to be a part of the in crowd. Getting it to be self independent again will requires hours and hours of training and many cigarettes to get you through it. Best advice is to let the dog be a dog and walk its own smelly behind outside to pee. If you have to carry a dog for any reason it should be to lift it over a toxic oil spill or a field full of thorn bushes. Never carry for fashion. That's just plain scary.

I don't understand why some dog owners feel the need to make out with their pets, especially the moments when man and beast are borderline french kissing. That is just wrong man. Not only is the dog like yeah, I'm basically human, he also transferred his saliva to his owner and as we all know dog saliva has the power of mind control. It's only a matter of time before the pooch is the king of the house and the humans are paying those 4 legged freaks rent in milk bones.

Finally, the absolute worst thing you can do that is guaranteed to spoil a dog is to give it free reign around the house. I know the dog is happy and innocent and is part of the family but give it rules damn it! You give a dog too much freedom and the first time you take the family to the Olive Garden your dog is having his dog buddies over and they're playing poker and smoking cigars at the dining room table. Dogs can also be emotional which is why you need to create an accessible area for them so that when you do leave they don't get upset pee on the floor, roll around on the couch, or tare up a favorite pair of shoes. Depending on your shoe fetish your shoes may worth more than your dog in which case, game over for the d-o-g.

Spoiling a dog is super easy to do because we like them so much. What other ways are you spoiling your dog? For good or bad?