Busy Running a Household, Raising Kids & Juggling Fighting Dogs?
How Do You Do It and Stay Sane & Keep Everyone Safe?
I have a lot of busy moms who not only are raising kids, but are also managing the household, a career, and trying to keep the dog/dogs out of trouble. How can one person do it all? While it’s true that raising dogs is a household/team effort, it still falls on the person who is with them the most. For most of my clients, it’s the moms that have the trouble with the dogs and the responsibility of training the dogs.
Why do women struggle with dogs more than men? First, they perceive a dog as another child. Did you ever hear a person refer to their dog as their “fur baby” or “first born” or simply just gush about how much their love their dog? Its 99.9% of the time a female who saying that. Also, men tend to be (not always but majority of the time) more direct, and no nonsense with the dog. The problem is that dogs are not children. They have sharp claws and sharp teeth—that too is a hint of why you want to command respect from your dogs.
Moms need a plan of action that includes your dogs. More importantly, you need to define the house rules for your dogs, and EVERYONE in the household has a responsibility and they need to know and enforce the rules. Let’s be realistic with the kids, no matter what the age, they are not in charge of raising and keeping the dogs in line. And if you caved in and got your child a dog because they promised to take care of it, that’s on you. Kids are not responsible or committed enough to handle all that’s involved with raising a dog, but you are.
Structure is a huge part of everybody’s life. We keep a work schedule, our kids follow a school schedule, etc. The same goes for your dog, and it is the number one thing that will help you stay on top of all of your responsibilities. More importantly, a schedule imprints on your dog what they should be doing at any given time during the day. The earlier you start with this imprinting process (call it forming a habit), the better off you will be with your dog being a go-with-the-flow type, rather than a demanding, anxious and high maintenance type of dog.
The best way to achieve this is to start training the very day you bring your puppy home. A lot of times, people don’t know this and they are swiftly sinking in quicksand. Raising a puppy is a lot of work, so if you are starting at ground zero, get yourself a trainer to help you. You can have an in-home trainer come to you, or you can send your pup away to camp (board and train), or you can do puppy classes. Start the training process as soon as you bring your pup home, so you can have the adult dog of your dreams later.
When I train dogs, I do it in a board and train format. I love the transformation that takes place over 2 or more weeks. The good habits are formed during this time, the bad behaviors fall by the wayside, and a good attitude (on the dog’s part) is cultivated and nurtured along in the process. The owners are also in on the process, and they learn how to reinforce the training when the dog returns home.
