DS: What kind of dog owner did you used to be? *REPOST*?

Since Sasha was our first dog, I didn't have any firsthand experience with dogs before her. She wasn't the best dog for a beginner, since she is unstable and fear aggressive. I had read up on dogs and knew how to socialize and exercise a dog. But we didn't know what Sasha's problem was with strangers, and thought she was being "protective" of me when she lunged and barked at anyone and everyone while on walks.

It took a dog behaviorist to straighten us out on what was wrong with her, how to keep it in check, and how to use a prong collar.

My first dog was at the age of 5 so I would say I have learned a little bit in the ____years since. We weren't a bad owner my Border Collie which we bought from a family friend that had working dogs. Looking back we did not have the land for the BC to run and we had no idea what a working breed was or needed. She was always properly vetted, but her food was lousy Kennel Rations{shudder} although she live to be 16 years old. I remember always trimming her hair around her haunches and trimming the hair on her stomach so it looked neat, that must have been my future groomer instincts coming out. I also spent hours of reading to learn how to train her that was the future trainer comming out. Now I know how to properly feed, train, and socialize a dog. I know how to pick out a dog for the right living conditions and that I am responsible for making the best dogs out of the ones that I have owned.

I grew up with animal responsibilities. I was gathering chicken eggs at 3 or 4, milking goats before 1st grade, saw calves pulled, chickens running around with their heads cut off, we had dogs, cats, turkeys, chickens, goats, cows ............ it was a farm.

It seems like I have always known what to do if an animal gets sick or gets cut up, stomped on........... Part of it is instinctive, Grandmother was a healer of man & beast. That woman knew right were to stab a goat with bloat. She had a special knife for that .

Then after attending Dog Training school I learned a whole lot more. But back before that I did not train, so that is the only difference between what I used to be & to what I am now.

I've had dogs my entire life, and they're sort of like babies. You don't ever really know what you're doing at first, but you eventually learn. I just got my first dog since I've moved into my own place, and it's a learning experience. Despite the last 20 years of experience with dogs, it's more difficult this go round, but at least I've learned more about potty training and feeding schedules and going outside and exercise time. Having this puppy is like being a single parent heh, because before, I have my parents to help and I watched them... Now, it's just me taking care of him.

When I was a kid, our family got a dog from a BYB too... A Labrador Retriever called Kevin. We thought they were the perfect family dog so we hardly ever tried to train him or exercise him. We also fed him human food. He grew to be overweight and the worse of all is that, between my childhood dreams, I dreamed of having a b*tche and breeding Kevin with her just to have cute puppies!

THE SHAME!!...

Had 2 dogs growing up, a chocolate lab which somehow managed to run away from home even tho it was chained up all the time and not allowed in the yard, and a toy kerry blue terrier...My parents were real jerks..I was allowed to have a dog, fall in love with it,had the responsibility of feeding it and cleaning up after it, but it wasn't allowed to be played with...Go figure!! My terrier was a rescue dog from a family that didn't deserved to have kids let alone a dog. I now have 1 beautiful 14 yr. old australian sheppard, bird dog mix and I had a 12 yr. old shih tzu, or a cavalier charles whatever spaniel, so I was told who passed away in Jan. of this yr. He was a joyful..and she still is. Never took either one of them to anyone for any training either. Just let them be themselves...the 14 yr. old is getting very hard of hearing, but she is my baby. My 14 yr. old was a stray, got her at 5-6 mos. my 12 yr. old was a Christmas present and I got him when he was 6 weeks. You get attached to them quite easily and deeply, well I do anyway..My daughters grew up with dogs and cats and they all were with us until they passed away...wouldn't get rid of one. My youngest is so much like me...she has 3 Shih tzu, and 1 Pit bull, and I know this isn't about cats, but she also has at least 5 cats, not including 3 of mine, and she wouldn't get rid of any of them. Guess we are just animal lovers period...

Well, when i was 7 years old i came home from school and saw a dog outside in the garden it was looking through the door, i whispered to my mum whose dog is that, and she said it was ours. Silly question i suppose. But wow did i love that dog, i taught it to shake my hand. Of course it was a terror. My family were completely clueless. It pulled on walks, it crapped in the house. My sister picked up his poo once in a tissue and he snatched it off of her and shook it around the house. The breeders came and took him back because my grandad told them to(he was bred on a farm)

Its sad, if i was older i wouldve been able to raise him properly. I was too young.

We then got a Shih tzu when i was about 8. He was never socialized and attacked all the time. Attacked us all the time and tried to attack other sogs and children and he lead the way on walks also. He had to be euthanized, it wasnt fair at all. The poor dog.

Im 16 and now we have two Pugs. Weve took them to puppy classes to socialize them and children come around to play with them sometimes. Ive trained mine to walk loosely and it knows many commands. Its a shame that the last two dogs didnt have leadership.

When an excitable, very jack russell-y jack russell was forced upon me four years ago, I learned many things within a very short period. The first thing I learned was that just because I can't see a rabbit, doesn't mean there isn't one there.

The second thing I learned was that my mother is kinder than I thought and prepared to babysit for four hours while I track down the little hunting machine.

My parents were abusive and ignorant when it came to dogs (and kids), with no interest in learning better ways. They said I could have a dog of my own if I could prove that I knew how to take care of a dog. I read every dog care and training book at the local library, saved my money and bought newer, better books, observed and asked questions at dog shows, found friends with similar interests, never stopped learning...

I got my mini schnauzer before I knew what a BYB was when I was a little kid.

So, as you can probably tell, I got her for Christmas from a BYB. I know, the horror. She was the runt and she's cuter than most schnauzers, but the person we got her from wasn't interested in ever hearing from us again and she was slightly skittish when I met her. My parents were more or less dog people, so they made sure she was enrolled in obedience, so I didn't really have a problem with training.