Many dog owners, too many, rely on luck instead of wisdom. In addition, they fool themselves by lying to themselves, and surrounding themselves with enablers who perpetuate, protect, and excuse their bad habits. Over time, so many repetitions of luck will blind owners to their bad habits, their luck will run out, and then… disaster!
You can’t prevent all accidents. Every dog owner… and every dog trainer… makes mistakes. That’s life and that must be acknowledged. In addition, there are risks to owning a dog. There are also risks of not owning a dog. But, at the very least, it is wise to avoid the obvious extreme risks of owning a dog.
Here are twelve Bad Dog Ownership Habits that could cause you a lot of trouble one day.
Letting your dog off leash when you and your dog aren’t sufficiently prepared and trained for that situation. Many dog accidents happen when people let their dogs off leash in situations where the dog cannot be expected to obey if required. I see this regularly. How many dogs have been shot and killed by the police because the owners couldn’t control their off leash dogs? Or, what about people who like to take their dogs off leash just before entering the home. Why? Why does that make any sense at all? All it takes is some kind of distraction to happen around you, and the calamity happens next. More than one of my students have encountered this situation walking their dogs in their neighborhood, when one of the neighbors let their dogs loose somehow. Those loose dogs have attacked my student’s dogs. Many times, these are dogs that we have spent a long time working on fixing their dog’s reactivity to strange dogs, and then we must address these potential setbacks. Sometimes one or the other dogs are hurt. This kind of negligence is completely avoidable.
Engaging in strife around your dog. Dogs pick up on strife in the home. I have encountered numerous situations where dogs either got in fights in the home, or bit someone in the home, because there was intense and hurtful strife going on in the home. You want to fight? Take it outside and don’t make your dogs have to deal with it, too.
Letting your dog get in multiple fights or dog biting incidents. I have been contacted many times over the years from owners who tell me that their dogs have been in numerous dog fights or biting incidents. How is that even possible? How do you allow your dog to be in that many fighting situations? The more fights your dog has, especially if they are sufficiently violent, the more likely you doom your dog and risk someone being seriously injured. I can only advise people to take sufficient precautions, but I don’t move in with them, and I can’t make them do the necessary preventative things in the home and in public.
Defaulting to punishing dogs when you get angry. Lots of people lose all sense when they are working with their dogs. When the dog crosses whatever threshold these people have, they will take it out on their dogs… harshly. That’s not training, that’s retaliatory abuse. For the most part, dogs are going to do what you allow them to do and what you have trained them to do. If you allow bad manners or don’t train them sufficiently, it’s not the dogs fault… it is yours. You aren’t fixing your dog by losing it.
Not doing any reconnaissance before taking your dog to new places. As best as possible, when taking vacations, walks, renting a new home, booking a hotel, etc., you should do as much reconnaissance of the situation as possible, in advance. A little forethought can prevent a lot of problems. On vacations, what will be the rules for your dog? Is the location and trip safe for your dog? When going for walks, what’s the neighborhood like? When renting a home, is the property situated and laid out in such a way that will be good for your dog? Are dogs even allowed where you are going to rent? I can’t stand reading all these posts on social media about how people somehow didn’t check out whether dogs were allowed where they are now living and have been given a demand by the landlord that they must get rid of their dogs. Regarding hotels, you want to know their policies and you want to pick a room that you think will make it easy on your dog, such as near an exit for a midnight poop.
Not adjusting your schedule with a puppy to complete the socialization and house training before 16 weeks of age. Most dog problems would either be prevented or eliminated if people heavily and properly socialized their puppies. But I see people put this off and then find out months later that their dogs are reactive and difficult to manage in public or with guests in their homes. I also see people put off the formal house training, especially with breeds that are known to require more effort.
Not keeping your dog in top physical condition. How many obese dogs are out there? How many bored dogs are out there? Lots. Years of healthcare negligence gets mighty expensive over time, and it also shortens the enjoyment and lifetime of the dogs.
Poor supervision with kids and guests. Hearing about all the calamities people have with their unsupervised kids and guests is quite disturbing. This is especially true when you are dealing with small kids. Kids get hurt; dogs get hurt. Furthermore, some guests just can’t be trusted around your dog when you aren’t looking.
Not preparing for emergencies. Do you have a dog first aid book and kit at home? Do you bring first aid stuff with you on hikes and trips? Do you have a bug out bag for your dog in case you are required to evacuate your home, or are required by law enforcement to remain inside? Good preparation is worth it.
Ignoring Manners problems. Seemingly small Manners problems can cause major bad results. I know of a lady who had a dog that wound around her legs, caused her to fall, and she shattered her elbow. She had to have elbow replacement surgery and over a year of physical rehabilitation. Manners issues are much more than just a nuisance. They can develop into major problems, such as uncontrolled barking, separation anxiety problems, jumping on guests, destructive behaviors in the home and yard, bratty behavior with other dogs, and stealing items and guarding them. Every one of these things can develop into something more serious.
Not preventing escapes. Shelters are full of stray dogs that escaped. It is amazing how this goes on day after day, all over the nation. It is easy to prevent most escapes. Walk around your property and ensure it is properly secure. Teach your dog to wait at the door. Build a good Come command in the event you need it. Supervise that front door, especially if you have small kids. Have a leash on your dog, and someone holding it, before you open a car door. Stuff like that is easy to do if you make it habitual.
Being rude to others and not eliminating bad language from your vocabulary. This is one of the worst bad habits. Being uncaringly and regularly rude to others (friends, family, strangers, other animals) can eventually harm you and your dog in serious ways. Let’s say you tend to go off on people when you get irritated. Let’s say you like to throw around insults and profanity. Let’s say you like bullying people and chest bumping others to get your way. Or you ruminate on vengeful or hurtful memories or future plans. One day, your luck will run out, and that stuff will be used against you and your dog, possibly in a court of law. Integrity and good character matters, especially when owning a dog. You start a fight; you won’t have the ability to claim self-defense. Someone might just shut that big mouth of yours or harm your dog. You let your dog start arguments by letting your dog be rude to others? One day you will provoke the wrong person, civilian or police officer, and you are going to be in one heck of a bad spot. Clean up your act. Don’t make your dog trainer have to confront your bad attitudes. Get your head straight and start acting like a well-mannered adult. One day your luck is going to run out, only wisdom applied starting today will save you.
So, are you lucky so far that nothing bad has happened? Maybe so. But one day that luck is going to run out and then you are going to be SHOCKED. However, this doesn’t have to be your future. One of the benefits of professional in person training is to help you weed out your bad habits. So, there is hope here. If you see yourself doing any of the above, take steps now to make the necessary changes. It will be worth it!