I hear people all the time talking about getting a dog as a "test child". To be honest, I also had that thought when my wife and I decided to get a dog just after getting married. However, I think in the end we got the dog because we wanted a DOG and not a baby (yet).
We don't have any kids yet, but I'm wondering how much truth there is that a dog is (to a limited extent) a "test child". What skills do you learn as a dog owner that carry over to having a child of your own?
P.S. I sure hope that we find a forum like Chazhound when we do decide to have a baby. It's amazing how easily you can screw up your dog even if you think you've done your research and are doing "the right thing". Chazhound has been a great resource for us to quickly discover and correct our mistakes with our dog. Having a baby is so much more complicated, and correcting your screw-ups with a baby is much harder than with a dog!
We don't have any kids yet, but I'm wondering how much truth there is that a dog is (to a limited extent) a "test child". What skills do you learn as a dog owner that carry over to having a child of your own?
P.S. I sure hope that we find a forum like Chazhound when we do decide to have a baby. It's amazing how easily you can screw up your dog even if you think you've done your research and are doing "the right thing". Chazhound has been a great resource for us to quickly discover and correct our mistakes with our dog. Having a baby is so much more complicated, and correcting your screw-ups with a baby is much harder than with a dog!