What is your opinion on babying your dog or showing packleadership?

Question

I've often noticed some dogs that are being babied (huminized) by their owners often have the worst behaved dogs. While the owners who show true leadership to their dogs may be called mean or too strict. should we humanize dogs or show leadership. Is humanizing a dog in the best interest of the dog or is to fullfill an emotional need for some people. Is leadership with dogs just bullying the dog. I think all dogs should be shown leadership and treated like dogs. I think we can show them love by letting them be our dogs and not make them our babies. what do you think?

Answer 1

I try to be an affectionate pack leader.  These girls will get so big. I can't risk treating them like babies.  I show leadership but we also have cuddle time.  

There's baby talk but I also expect them to respect and listen.  I want them to follow my commands simply because I tell them too.  I call them my babies but they're dogs.

Answer 2

From my experience working with dogs, the people that treat their dogs like babies and don't exercise any discipline over them end up with the worst behaved dogs.

Treating a dog like a dog and disciplining the dog is not cruel. It actually produces the happiest best behaved dogs.

If only more people did this...

Answer 3

I'm totally in the leadership club.. dogs aren't people or toys.  They're dogs... a happy dog is shown time and time again to be one who knows the exact rules of the house, and how to respond to them.  These dogs never really need correction or discipline, because they already know what to do and what not to do.

Answer 4

I've always babied my dogs -  still do.  They are both well trained .  They know that i am the pack leader too. After all they are my babies.  If you owned a dog before and found your way of treatment didn't work, try the other way.

Answer 5

I am a babying leader.  I give them love, and lots of it, whenever they want and I show my leadership when they are in trouble (which is on very rare occasion).  I treat my dogs like dogs but also treat them like my children.  You know?  Vet when they need it, food, water, scoldings from time to time, and affection.  Oh, and to go to the bathroom when they have to.  Just like children, they need to have a good leader, but someone to give them affection, too.  It may seem like I give my dog too much attention, but she's well behaved.  If she started to get bad habits, then I would display my leadership more then giving them attention.  (I say "them" but I only have one dog.)

ADD: And also give them exercise.

Answer 6

I have witnessed this as well with friends that have unruly, misbehaved dogs through no fault of their own do not have boundaries. And those same friends complain about it and then ask How is MY dog so well behaved? I believe that as much as I love my dog, the best way to show this is through meeting his basic Animal needs first- Exercise, boundaries, vet care, food, training, mentally and physically stimulating him and then or course Lots of personal attention and cuddle time ! But affection does not mean getting on the furniture or being pushy or dominant either. You have to have a good balance much like with kids.  

Answer 7

People who obtain dogs often idolize them, or feel they are fashion accessories (min-oodle-poo-shih...,). Cruel.

Answer 8

I agree we do humanize our animals too much and not let them be pets.  I am not against having a pet as a family member (he can sit on the couch with us) but he not allowed to walk all over us.

Let them be dogs and give them a chore like they would have in the wild, be a pack leader and show them that you are boss but do it with out abusing them.

Answer 9

Dogs don't relate to you as if you are their mother. CATS do, but not dogs. Cats are solitary animals and the most they look to you for is the role of a mother. They will "knead" your body (or even your soft comforter), a throwback to the instinct of a kitten stimulating milk production in the mother cat.  People who "baby" their dogs don't truly understand dogs at all. Dogs relate to you as if you are a member of their "pack" -- hopefully the leader. (Even a dog that doesn't really have the temperament for leadership will take charge if no one else does, causing problems for the owner.)

That said, it doesn't mean you shouldn't express affection to your dog. Wild dogs display affection to one another, chiefly by l*****g on the mouth. But affection with your dog should be on YOUR terms, not the dog's.

Answer 10

I agree.  People who baby their dogs often have the most disobedient and aggressive dogs.  It is natural for dogs to have a leader.  And if they are not in a normal pack, their owners should be their leader and disciplinarian.  I have to say I somewhat baby my dog (an 8 month male golden retriever), by giving him lots of toys and having cuddles.  But lately he's been going through that puppy dominating phase where he jumps and bites my arm(not enough to bleed or leave bite marks, but enough to hurt and leave bruises), so whenever I can sense him trying to assert himself in a dominant manner I stop him by making him sit and/or lay down and I wait for it to pass.  If he happens to escalate too quickly for me to have been able to discipline him in the first few seconds, I grab him and pin him on the ground.  The episodes are becoming increasingly short and I am much more able to control him and to have him submit to me.  And I know people are walking by thinking I am abusing my dog, but I know that he is not hurt, just maybe a little unsure of himself.  Sometimes, to get a great dog, he must be shown who's boss, in a non abusive manner.  In the long run he will be a as near perfect dog as one could ever wish for.  I love my dog dearly, but I refuse to be jumped and bitten for the sake of his need to dominate.

Answer 11

For most dogs the pack leader approach is best, I have a 3 year old (14 stone) irish wolfhound, who tries to be dominant, so we have to keep her in line, but we still cuddle her and she's very affectionate. On the other hand, I have a 17 month old otterhound, who is really well behaved compared to other otterhounds (in other words, she's still quite badly behaved), and we do baby her more, coz she doesnt respond well to pack leadership, she thinks its all a game. You have to talk to her like a small child or she'll just chose to ignore you, lol. The only one in this family she respects is our chicken, who pecks her on the nose whenever she gets too close, lol. So, in conclusion, i think humanising your dog is stupid unless the dog in question is like my dog, lol.