Too Much Freedom is Not a Good Thing

Lucky Dog??

The owners had several acres of property fenced in with electric fencing and a doggy-door in the back door of the house so that their dog could go in and out as needed. This dog would roam alone, doing whatever she liked during the day, and would come back at meal times and to sleep in their bed at night. She did enjoy the company of her owners, but she did not need them. The complaint from the owners was that when they attempted to go for a hike with the dog, she would not listen to them and almost never came when they called her. Furthermore, the dog had little or not interest in playing with the owners, since her primary fun was chasing wildlife. Why chase a ball or frisbee?? Those games were much too easy for this sporty little dog and not nearly as fun as a deer that keeps running. The dog learned that outside was a place where she did her own thing, had a good time doing it, and the owners were not a part of that good time. And because it had gone on for so long, it was a way of life for her.

Don't Tie Your Puppy Out

After much discussion, a neighborhood family with three young children decided to get a Golden Retriever Puppy. Every day the adorable puppy was outside in the yard connected to a tie-out. No one was with him, he had no toys, bones, or anything else out there with him to occupy his time. Day after day, no matter what time of day it was, he seemed to be there. An adult was home all day, yet the puppy was tied outside. Why? This seemly friendly puppy with a lot of potential could end up with unwanted behavior problems because of this daily 'tie-out' routine. Discussions with the owner revealed that the puppy would start to get too rambunctious in the house (due to lack of exercise) and the adult that was home could not, or did not want to deal with it, and therefore put the puppy out. This is an example of a family that was not ready to make the commitment to care for a puppy.