I believe everyone loves their dog. Especially in the beginning. The kind of love you give your dog is important. The love you give your dog should benefit your dog more than it does you. Most of the love I see folks giving their dog is not the kind of love that benefits dogs rather, it benefits the human. It makes the human feel good and they believe it makes them look like a good dog owner. But, how does the dog end up?
There’s a reason that humane societies (dog pounds in my day) and rescues are always full and over run. For most folks all they want to do is love their dog. Well, that’s great but the kind of love you are giving your dog may not be good. Is your dog excited, full of arousal, jumping on guest, being destructive, dog or human reactive or the many other issues that dogs come up with? It may not be that you have a bad dog. It may be that you are loving your dog in the wrong way. It’s always Love, Love, Love.
It’s great you love your dog but, how are you loving it? If all you do is love your dog and are unwilling to give the other half of the conversation your dog needs. Well, that’s why shelters and rescues are over run. It takes love and tough love to have a good dog. Your dog needs to learn how to live in your world and not be left to figure it out. If your dog gets to do whatever it wants because of love. They will do the things that you don’t love.
Take the time to teach your dog all about love not, just the love that makes you feel good. But, the love that helps your dog be good.
