Responsible dog ownership is something that needs to be taken seriously in this country. For some reason, America, the land of the free, places more restraints on canines than most European countries. In many "old world" countries, dogs are allowed everywhere in public. People take their pets shopping with them, to church with them, and to the pub with them. What made America take on such a negative view of pet ownership, that it started placing restrictions on where we could go and what we could do with our dogs? Could it be that some pet owners, because of their irresponsibility, have caused American merchants and government officials to take on a "better be safe than sorry," and "don't allow them a chance because of what they might do" kind of an attitude? That's a shame, because most of the dog owners I associate with are very responsible, and it's too bad that they have to be "limited" or punished for the past transgressions of others. If we want to turn around the attitudes about dogs in this country, we have to try to make all dog owners take responsibility for their pets and become "model citizens." This is part of the goal of Dog Scouts of America.

What does it mean to be a responsible dog owner?

Being a responsible dog owner is easy, but it involves many things. It means making sure that your dog is not a nuisance. Basically this means being a "good citizen." It means making sure that your dog does not roam freely, destroy property, chase livestock, maul children or other animals, leave excrement behind where he goes in public, or become a nuisance barker, or in other ways decrease the quality of life of others in your community. It boils down to proper control, good training, cleaning up after your dog's messes, and providing your dog with enough physical exercise and mental stimulation that he does not create his own "vices" out of frustration.

Dogs were meant to share our homes with us and be our companions. That is the right reason for getting a dog. People who get dogs for the "wrong" reason, often end up regretting their decision to get the dog in the first place, and the dog often becomes relegated to the backyard tied to a doghouse and forgotten about. Or, the dog is "thrown away"--surrendered to an animal shelter or dog pound to get rid of the burden. Dog ownership should not be a "burden." If you get a dog for the right reasons and are committed to giving that dog the love, care, attention, socialization and training that he deserves you will be able to honor your commitment to being his partner and caregiver his whole life long.

Some of the "wrong" reasons to get a dog are:

For Protection.  This is a scenario that almost always goes bad. People think that if they get a dog, it will automatically be protective of their family. This is not true. Some people even keep their dogs away from other people and fail to socialize them properly, in an effort to make them more "protective." Here's a news flash--improperly socialized dogs are not barking because they are protective. On the contrary, they are usually barking out of fear because they have become "wary" of strangers. If left with the choice of defending the owner, or turning and running, this fearful, unsocial zed dog would head for the hills. The other mistake people make is to encourage the dog to bark by tying him outside and creating a territorial aggression problem. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen. What happens when a child wanders up into the dog's territory. There are thousands of cases each year where children are hurt or killed in this unfortunate scenario. If you want your dog for protection, why would you tie him out back to the tree? Do you need that tree protected? If you really want a dog to protect your home and hearth, the place he should be is inside. And courage is something that is only built through proper socialization at an early age, which will make your dog comfortable around all kinds of people. If all you really wanted was a "junkyard dog," don't waste a valuable canine life dooming a dog to that kind of misery. Buy one of those electronic taped "vicious barking" devices which is triggered by motion. It's less expensive and requires no maintenance.

A Companion for the Kids.  Another poor choice. Children often beg their parents for a dog, promising to take responsibility for the care of the animal. It takes a few days to a few weeks for this to wear off, and the dog's care ends up the responsibility of the already overworked and too busy homemaker (usually the "mom"). Since it was not the mother's idea to get the dog in the first place, she often tires of taking on the added duties of canine care and maintenance. She doesn't have time to properly train the dog, and he starts to develop bad habits that the average owner has no idea how to "fix." This is often how dogs end up in the shelters and pounds. People underestimate the commitment of being responsible for a dog's upkeep, and they just "give up" and throw away the dog. How convenient. What about that loving animal who you promised you would love his whole life long? What is he thinking when you drag him off to a dog pound and drive away without him, leaving him in that strange place filled with the smell of other abandoned dogs and the dead ones which have been "put to sleep" (a euphemism for executed--KILLED--because their owner could not or would not take responsibility for his welfare any longer. Did you know that 80,000,000 dogs each year are killed in pounds and humane societies because they developed "behavior problems?" It's the number one reason for surrender of an animal. If you're not prepared to train your dog to be a well-mannered member of the family, then perhaps you should get the kids a stuffed dog, instead. They don't require much effort to maintain.

To Breed.  If you're a hobby breeder, then you already realize the huge undertaking this is. You realize that you must spare no expense to keep your dog in top condition, feeding the best premium dog foods. You know that before you breed, you must research the dog's background thoroughly to make sure the animal does not potentially carry any undesirable hereditary health problems, like hip displasia, elbow displasia, night blindness, deafness, or predisposition to any number of other hereditary problems, like seizures or rage syndrome. You know that you must also carefully research and require proof of clear hips, eyes and other potential problems from the person whose dog you plan to breed to. You also realize to raise a healthy litter of quality puppies, you do not make money. At best you are prepared to break even, but will probably not come out ahead. As a hobby breeder, you are not in this for the money, anyway, but because of your love of the breed, and the desire to perpetuate the excellent traits that your dog possesses. Dogs weren't meant to be puppy making machines. This is dog abuse. Places which maintain dogs strictly for the production of offspring to sell to pet stores or other buyers are called "puppy mills." Dogs used to "manufacture" the product (a constant supply of cute puppies) are kept in deplorable conditions. Anyone who purchases a puppy at a pet shop is guilty of perpetuating this heinous activity. Responsible dog owners will caution their friends about this problem, and will never purchase a puppy from a pet shop. Most responsible pet owners try to "boycott" the perpetuation of this animal cruelty for the sake of making a fast buck, and will not purchase ANYTHING at a pet shop which sells puppies. If you just bought a nice, pet quality dog, and don't want to show it in the breed ring at dog shows, the best thing you can do for your pet is have it spayed or neutered. I will repeat the statistic that 80,000,000 dogs are killed in shelters and pounds each year. There is a serious pet overpopulation problem in this country. There just aren't enough homes for all of the dogs which are brought into the world. Don't contribute to the problem. If you don't have a plan for finding excellent homes for all of your puppies, and aren't prepared to keep them all yourself, think twice about breeding your dog.

The right reason to get a dog is the same as the right reason for having a child. You intend to do all that you can to make him a productive member of society. You are committed to properly socializing him during those all-important "critical periods." You intend to take him to dog school, to teach him how to behave himself in everyday situations (obedience training is not just for people who want to enter dog shows and compete!). You will become involved in activities you and your dog enjoy, which will provide physical activity and socialization as well as mental stimulation (like agility, Frisbee fetching, jogging, swimming, and learning tricks). You will protect him from harm, try to instill manners and teach him right from wrong. And most importantly, you will sign on for a lifelong commitment to care for and love that dog, providing proper nutrition, good hygiene, physical exercise, mental stimulation, getting regular health checks and vaccinations and providing medical care when needed.

Where does responsible dog ownership start?

Responsible dog ownership starts before you even get a dog.  You should put a great deal of thought into adopting a dog, because you must make a commitment to that dog for his lifetime.  You should research the breeds which you think would be best for you based on the breed's "job description."  Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers are smart--you see them in all of the television commercials.  But if you won't be happy with a dog that will need enormous amounts of mental stimulation to keep that busy mind from creating games of its own (like redecorating the house or chasing/biting/shredding the children), then you should choose a dog that is a little "easier" to maintain.  If you think you want a Labrador, but you don't want to invest the time to properly train him, and he grows up to be 80 pounds of trouble bouncing off the walls, don't you DARE cart him off to the animal shelter and tell the people "he just got too BIG!"  If you research the breed, you would KNOW how big he was going to get, and you would know that Labs are very energetic animals that need training for basic control and an outlet for all of that natural energy (he needs a "hobby," like flyball).

A young dog will require extensive amounts of proper socialization to grow up to be well-adjusted.  Puppies need to be taken out to meet people of all different shapes and descriptions.  They must be exposed to all kinds of sights, sounds and environments as a youngster, so that when they are older, these sights, sounds, people and environments will not be scary to them.  A puppy needs to have a great deal of time devoted to proper housebreaking.  You can't just turn him loose in the house and punish him if you find accidents.  You must constantly monitor his whereabouts and activities, taking care of the "food-in, food out" business at regular intervals.  A puppy needs to be learn routines and some human vocabulary, to get along in our world.  He should be trained to obey simple commands, so that he will do what he is told when you need him to do it (like, "go to your bed," "be quiet," and "leave it alone").  Some basic obedience skills are also very important, so that your puppy will stay when told, walk on a leash and come to you when called.  If this sounds a lot like having a child, you're right!  And it should!  The commitment should be the same.

Perhaps in doing your research, you find that you do not have the time in your life for a new puppy. There are many rescue groups out there which have older dogs available for adoption.  These dogs have often already been housebroken, and may even have received some training.  The original owner may have had to part with the dog for health reasons, or because they were not prepared for the enormous undertaking that was in store for them, and they let the dog learn all kinds of bad habits which were intolerable to them.  Sometimes the dog just proved to be more energetic than the family would have liked (they should have gotten a STUFFED dog!).  Regardless of the reason, there are any number of excellent "second-hand" dogs available through these rescue groups.

If you're not fussy about the breed characteristics, and feel like taking potluck, you could adopt a mixed breed.  If you can determine the parentage of the dog, you may get an idea about whether or not he'll like water, pull a sled, retrieve, or do whatever else it is you might like to do with your dog.   Mixed breeds are wonderful dogs.  They have a "pedigree" just like everyone else does.  It's just that sometimes, no one bothered to write it down.  They're just as noble, just as smart, and just as worthy to be your lifelong friend as any of the registered purebreds.  All dogs are EQUAL in value.  When you pay more for a registered purebred, you're paying for the record-keeping and the registration.  You're paying for paper!  Your dog will love you the same, no matter what his parents looked like.

So you adopt a wonderful dog or puppy and bring it home.  What do you do next?

Well, remember all of those BEHAVIOR books you read BEFORE you got your dog?  This is the time to put that advice into action.  Remember all of the books that the trainer you called a few months back recommended?  "The Culture Clash," by Jean Donaldson, "The NADOI Good Puppy Handbook," by Fahrenwald, Olson, Morrison and Ryan, Social Graces," by Margery West...  You should be well-armed to tackle any of the growing pains you may encounter in raising your new dog or puppy.  Get your clicker and some treats and start teaching your dog how to live with you.  He hasn't a clue what your rules, morals or expectations are.  You have to show him what's expected.  You have to reward the absence of bad behaviors.  You have to give him a new behavior to replace any of the "bad" ones he may have already been taught.  You're going to enroll him in a puppy or adult training course which uses behavioral approaches to training (not the outdated, punishment methods that are sometimes called "traditional" training).

Pretty soon, you'll see that a dog is capable of learning amazing things.  Many people say their dogs mind better than their kids, but they're probably lying.  If people are good dog trainers, they are also good child raisers, and their children will mind as well as, if not better than, their dogs do!  All of the principles of dog training (the way WE do it) can be used in child rearing with great success.  You may have even taken up a few hobbies with your dog, like Animal Assisted Therapy visits at the local nursing home or hospital.  You may have become involved in agility or flyball, to keep your dog's active mind and energetic body from developing "idle time" useless (and possibly destructive) habits.  Instead of barking and digging holes in the yard, your dog jogs 2 miles with you on a loose leash every day, brings you the newspaper, and performs tricks for your friends.

By now, you may have realized that there are more than plenty great dogs in the world already, and that you don't need to contribute to the overpopulation problem, so you've had your pet spayed or neutered.  You've had him to the vet regularly, and he is up on all of his shots.  He's been through two obedience classes, two agility classes, and has joined a flyball team.  He is a model citizen.  You have done a great job at training him to behave himself, and he is a joy to be around.  You probably even have a deposit down to go to Dog Scout Camp this summer, where you can continue to learn about the skills you can develop together.

Guess what?  You have now become a responsible dog owner!  But now, your job has just begun...

Don't you get tired of being discriminated against because you have a dog?  Don't you wish OTHER people would clean up after their dogs at the park so that the laws that prohibit your GOOD DOG from having fun would ease up a little?  Don't you wish that everyone were a responsible dog owner, LIKE YOU?

How can I help promote responsible dog ownership?

The only thing we can do to protect ourselves is to make everyone else become responsible dog owners.  Now, we have to "convert" the other 90% of the population to be responsible.  We have to teach the others.  One way to do this is by example.  When people see you acting responsibly, then they are more likely to follow suit.  When you see a stray poop at the park, pick it up.  When you're in public with your dog, treat him kindly, so that others can observe the joys of owning a well-behaved dog.  Become involved in events in your community.  Attend walk-a-thons with your well-mannered pet.  Talk to friends and strangers about training without force. While you're at it, talk to them about ALL aspects of responsible dog ownership.  Join groups that promote responsible dog ownership, like Dog Scouts of America.  Pass this web site on to every dog owner you know.
www.DogScouts.com