| Owning a dog is very rewarding and brilliant fun, but | | | | ancestors, the wolves. Man has intervened and |
| how do we really know if we are dealing with our pet | | | | produced the wide range of breeds we have today. |
| dogs correctly? Many owners often make the mistake | | | | The popularity of pets means that many dogs are |
| of treating their dogs like children or 'mini-adults', | | | | sought after as companions but being a pet requires a |
| forgetting that the important 'doggy-ness' of a dog is | | | | huge range of skills and the ability to adapt and learn |
| what makes them fantastic pets in the first place. | | | | far more than many working dogs. |
| Looking from the dog's angle, being a pet actually | | | | When we take home our new puppy or dog, it is likely |
| means that they need to learn a huge range of skills, | | | | that we want him to be a family pet, who will share |
| which are often far more than the average working | | | | our lives for perhaps 10, 15 or more years. Therefore, |
| dog will ever need, and this is something that us human | | | | we must put the effort into ensuring that this will be the |
| owners don't always appreciate. | | | | case, and invest time now to enable us to enjoy our |
| Man's best friend dog is his dog, but are we a best | | | | dog more fully in the years to come. |
| friend to the dog? We are dog owners and dog | | | | Preparing him for life is very important, and this includes |
| lovers, but how well do we understand our dogs? | | | | socializing and teaching him what it is we want. So |
| Some people believe that their dog 'understands every | | | | many parts of our lives are now geared around work |
| word they say', but how many of us have made the | | | | that we often forget the importance of having fun and |
| same effort to understand what our dogs are saying | | | | playing games. However, we must realize that these |
| to us? | | | | are at least as important to our dog as they are to us. |
| Today, our dogs have little resemblance to their | | | | |