What Is Your Dog Ownership Philosophy?

Jumping.

Everyone wants to stop their dog from doing this. Sometimes, it’s a safety issue. When the 100lb Golden jumps on Grandma, she loses her balance and she bruises easily. That makes perfect sense. A lot of times, it’s a personal preference. The owner simply doesn’t like it. Also, understandable. However, quite a few times, when I dig a little bit further, I find the owner doesn’t actually care, they just feel the dog shouldn’t.

Now they have something to think about.

Personally, I don’t care if my dog jumps. I often encourage him to jump on me when we play, he’s not often interested in other people, and if I need him to stop, I can control it and he listens.

I also let him rip old shirts apart and roll in cow poop…sometimes.

What I can control, I will often allow.

As owners, we have the power to dictate how our dogs live with us.

What we should consider first is what is safe - for us, for the dog, our family, and the outside world. If then, everyone is safe, what are non-negotiables, what works best for the dog, what best fits our lifestyle and environment, what are we willing to invest the time into training, and what can we tolerate with management tactics? The most important thing to remember, as your dog’s leader, should be to set and hold healthy boundaries that benefit everyone.

The last thing you should consider is what is status quo says your dog should be doing. YOU get to pick what you care about.

I’d love to hear everyone else’s take on dog ownership!