Where is your dog in your family hierarchy and why? - Page 4

I live alone and have one 5 year old GSD and 2 cats. I'm #1 and the dog is #2. She has accepted me as the leader since she moved in here at age 8 weeks with no effort on my part. She has never made any attempt to bite me or the cats, but she'll take on any dog that aggravates her. Although pet quality, she was bred from ASL dogs.

 

I agree with VK that having a working police dog as a house pet may not be a good idea. Years ago when I was working as a nurse practitioner, one of my patients around a year of age was attacked by the working police dog that lived in the house. The child was climbing out of his crib and was bitten in the head/face requiring many stitches.  Who knows what the dog, who had no history of doing anything like this previously, was thinking, but I would be uncomfortable having a dog trained to attack in certain circumstances living with an unpredictable child/children.

My dog's at home enjoy the same rights as any human in my family. Meaning the right for care, health, education (training) and the same responsibility as i have regarding my children.

I don't allow my dog's to bully my children as i don't allow my children to bully my dog's. There for i teach rules, boundaries, limitations to my dogs. But i also teach my children how to behave/handle dogs from a young age.

Whenever we take any kind of dog into our home, the dog becomes our RESPONSIBILITY period.

 

well said Allan. Its like having a child ..ownership is not just based on the feeling " I want a dog". Responsibility comes with it just like with having children.
There is a certain community of people who use dogs as a fashion accessory ....pitbulls with bling, and titanium and gold tooth caps etc. But many times these dogs are abused in private because it is never really about the dog.

there is no formula to compare a child to a dog. Every child is precious. Children have rights, dogs have privileges.

student " like" implies an approximation.
And dogs do have rights to humane treatment. Go out and abuse a dog in the public and see what will happen . I am assuming you live in a reasonably civilized country.

I have a couple trainer friends and one trainer/behaviorist, all have spent 30+ years training law enforcement K9s.  Not one will say having the dog in the home as a pet is a bad idea.  It is all about the selection and training of the dog and handler.  To say having a police dog in the home is a bad idea is incorrect.  Not 1 dog in their experience has EVER bitten a family member or friend.  Guess that is what careful selection, positive/motivational training, and respectful leadership gets you.

As for dogs that get mouthy and act like challenging teenagers....firm, fair, age/temperament appropriate, consistent, immediate reward and consequence, short duration reward and consquence, understanding, patience, and respect.

In my world children neither are allowed to attack their siblings nor their mother.
Mithuna, would you allow your daughter to attack your wife ( maybe with a knife instead of teeth ) ?
I don´t think so.
Children need education and manners, so do dogs.

LIKE; if you treat a dog LIKE a human, it will treat you LIKE a dog.

In lieu of a "like" button:  @Student:

"Like" not = identical to

so the dog gets humane ( not human ) treatment