"Not treating dogs like children"

[FoxyWench]

to me the differnece is, somoen treating their dog AS a child is extreem...

dressing yoru dog up and carrying it round is NOT a problem...IF the dog still gets to be a dog, walking and rolling in the dirt and chasing bugs ect when the time is right...

dressing up your dog, putting little shoes on them to carry them round the HOUSE, paying for a doggy nanny to stay in your house during the day and do your dogs laundry (theres a difference between someone who gets a pet sitter because there at owrk all day, or their dog has issues and someone who gets their dog its own maid)
doggy weddings, and extreem sheltering...

personally i do treat kids and dogs the same way, i expect them to respect me, to work hard, to play and get dirty, and go on walks and enjoy nature, to run and such...

i personally carry pictures of my dogs in my purse, and if someone asks me about my children my responce is that my kids have 4 legs and pull out the dog pitcures...

i dont think for me i have a proble with dogs being treated like kids because i dont go out of my way to do anything different with a kid or expect any less from a kid...
my dogs dont have tempertantrums in the middle of the store, i dont expect a child too either...

i think the problem comes when its taken to an extreem...when the dog is no longer ALOWED to be a dog, an instead becomes either csome delicate little porcelin doll with SA and identity issues...or a fashion acessory.
but i also thing ths same for kids, you treat kids like fashion acessories or porcelin dolls (or mini yous) they will rebel or end up with all kind of supression issues!

 

[smkie]

I expect my dogs to mind me.
I expect my children to mind me. The problems start when they hit their teens...
That little defiant stage..oops..do I mean the young dog or the adolescent child?
I expect to pull together as a team..dogs or children or anyone else living under my roof.

Question is do I expect my children to behave like the dogs or the dogs to behave like children...or is expecting those you walk down the road with to work with you basically the same thing? I am just glad my dogs don't have 4th grade homework.

 

[dobesgalore]

I certainly to a degree treat Finnegan and the pets as my children, much like you mention, 3M. Especially since I don't really plan on children of my own, my pets get that doting attention that I would have given to a child. I dote very heavily on all of my pets.

However, that doting attention is given in the form of training, ear scritches, games of fetch/tug/chase, etc. The attention that Finnegan and my other pets receive is catered to their species-specific wants/needs and to their well-being. I want them to be happy by doing the things they are meant to do.

I think of the comment you're referring to and I think of people with purse puppies and crap like that. Dressing up your dog and taking it around like an accessory. Dogs are not meant for that.

You have a very good point, and I think that sort of changes the way some people see their dogs. I think its different for those who don't or can't have children of their own. Dogs do take that place, and then they are treated much more like a child, than say those who do have human children.

 

[smkie]

I think the bottom line question is how do you treat your children? IF your carrying them around in your purse and dressing them up like dolls something is wrong.

 

[Lilavati]

I think the problem isn't that people treat their dogs like children, exactly (though thinkining of them of kids in fur suits causes problems because dogs are dogs and think like dogs and don't speak English). Its that they spoil them in ways that most people wouldn't even spoil their children. I've met too many people with dogs that had no manners at all and yet could do no wrong (I know there are people who are like that with their kids too, but most realize the kids need to grow up and be civilized people). Basically, they use their dogs as a vessel for all the love they would give a child, and yet do not take the responsibiity for them that people would for a child. Not the responsibility of caring for them, but the responsibility for bringing them up right.

I get after Mike for calling the dogs "our kids" but in a sense they are. Its just that we realize that "our kids" are dogs, not human children. We love them deeply, but they have doggy needs, doggy motovations, and doggy problems, and we recognize that. More than that we recongize that we are responsible for bringing them up to be good dogs that everyone enjoys having around. If nothing else, if something happened to us, they need to be the sort of dogs that our families would take in, or that would be easy for a rescue to place. Dogs that anyone would love to have.

Now, as to those people who really do seem to think dogs are kids in fur-suits . . .its a cruel to try to raise a dog as a child as a child as a dog. Neither is natural for that creature. It doesn't mean you can't love your dog as much as you would a kid, but love means giving the creature you love what it needs . . .and dogs and children need different things.

 

[Fran101]

I've heard from people who have dogs and kids. that they still love their dogs the same but they had no idea that their hearts were capable of loving something as much as they loved their baby/kid

 

[dobesgalore]

I think the problem isn't that people treat their dogs like children, exactly (though thinkining of them of kids in fur suits causes problems because dogs are dogs and think like dogs and don't speak English). Its that they spoil them in ways that most people wouldn't even spoil their children. I've met too many people with dogs that had no manners at all and yet could do no wrong (I know there are people who are like that with their kids too, but most realize the kids need to grow up and be civilized people). Basically, they use their dogs as a vessel for all the love they would give a child, and yet do not take the responsibiity for them that people would for a child. Not the responsibility of caring for them, but the responsibility for bringing them up right.

I get after Mike for calling the dogs "our kids" but in a sense they are. Its just that we realize that "our kids" are dogs, not human children. We love them deeply, but they have doggy needs, doggy motovations, and doggy problems, and we recognize that. More than that we recongize that we are responsible for bringing them up to be good dogs that everyone enjoys having around. If nothing else, if something happened to us, they need to be the sort of dogs that our families would take in, or that would be easy for a rescue to place. Dogs that anyone would love to have.

Now, as to those people who really do seem to think dogs are kids in fur-suits . . .its a cruel to try to raise a dog as a child as a child as a dog. Neither is natural for that creature. It doesn't mean you can't love your dog as much as you would a kid, but love means giving the creature you love what it needs . . .and dogs and children need different things.

Our son is our "skin kid" and our dogs are our "fur kids". We still treat the dogs as dogs, and our son as a human. They are different, but are treated accordingly. The "skin kid, fur kid" is more of an expression. We love them all grately and the "fur kids" are as much a part of our family as the "skin kid".

 

[M&M's Mommy]

So as you can see we really do not treat our dogs like children, we actually treat them better because our dogs have us trained to do so. :rofl1:

I think those were some pretty far fetched correlations. If anyone thinks that owning a dog is more work (or better)* than raising a child, please, don't have children!

*added by me

DanL. Thank you!. I was composing an answer very similar to yours, but then decided not to post it. I'm glad you did, though.

 

[ihartgonzo]

I don't think treating a dog like a child has ANYTHING to do with dressing them up, pampering them, buying them expensive food and treats, or anything monetary... it's about respecting that a dog is not a human being and does not have the same mental processes or consciousness that people have.

I also think that a lot of the "alpha theorists" and people who scorn others who "spoil" their pets are guilty themselves of anthropomorphizing dogs. They attribute their own need for dominance and control to their dogs, and they use supression training, thinking that the poor dog understands why they are being punished and believing that they will accept things that scare them by being dominated. I hate when trainers like CM accuse others of humanizing dogs, while he himself is guilty of misunderstanding how to properly handle and communicate with dogs as a human being.

What is the harm in seeing your dogs, your companions and friends, as your "kids" as long as you respect their species? I think that's a good thing. People are much less likely to starve, neglect, and abandon members of their family. There is nothing wrong with loving, cherishing, and even babying your dog as long as your dog is well socialized, trained and behaved.

 

[Romy]

I don't think treating a dog like a child has ANYTHING to do with dressing them up, pampering them, buying them expensive food and treats, or anything monetary... it's about respecting that a dog is not a human being and does not have the same mental processes or consciousness that people have.

I also think that a lot of the "alpha theorists" and people who scorn others who "spoil" their pets are guilty themselves of anthropomorphizing dogs. They attribute their own need for dominance and control to their dogs, and they use supression training, thinking that the poor dog understands why they are being punished and believing that they will accept things that scare them by being dominated. I hate when trainers like CM accuse others of humanizing dogs, while he himself is guilty of misunderstanding how to properly handle and communicate with dogs as a human being.

What is the harm in seeing your dogs, your companions and friends, as your "kids" as long as you respect their species? I think that's a good thing. People are much less likely to starve, neglect, and abandon members of their family. There is nothing wrong with loving, cherishing, and even babying your dog as long as your dog is well socialized, trained and behaved.

This makes a lot of sense to me.

I have much higher expectations of my daughter, because I know she has so much more potential than my dogs could ever dream of. They will never learn to read, or go to college, or get a job and possibly end up supporting me in my old age. They will never understand quantum physics, or algebra, and that's okay.

We are different species, and we complement each other. I don't think of my dogs as children. I see them kind of as furry housemates that I have promised to provide for. They are dear, dear friends, and part of my family. I love them very much. But they aren't children. They aren't human. I like them the way they are. Farts and all. If I wanted more humans around I would have rented a room out to someone.

 

[JoeLacy]

I treat my dog like a child.

I always gave my son enough rope to get out and wiggle but not enough rope to hang himself. I always had one hand on his rope, should I need to reel him in.

I expected good manners and wasn't afraid to correct him. I excepted he had different view points and would consider his options above mine. I was careful not be overbearing and always except his individuality. He did make mistakes and those were forgiven and forgotten. Praise and rewards were given often but based on merit and level of achievement.

He had some absolute rules but many others were based on tolerable limits. I wasn't a harsh father, but I wasn't a push over either when it really counted. I tried to earn my son's respect, and found I never needed to demand it. He understood I could be firm, but he also understood I was fair and always loved him dearly.

I always told my son I loved him and told him and showed him every single day of his life. I spent time one on one time with him, doing something special or doing absolutely nothing at all.

This is the way I raised Peyton and so far, she's turning out just fine. So, in a way, I do treat my dog like a child. I love my dog very much and even my very worst day with Peyton, is still better than my very best day at the beach.

 

[dawgplanet]

if you treat your dogs like humans they will treat you like a dog :lol-sign:

 

[Lolas Dad]

if you treat your dogs like humans they will treat you like a dog :lol-sign:

Gotta watch what you say around here. I know you meant it as a joke as did I with my post comparing kids to children but some people might take you seriously. :hail:

A few did with mine

 

[bubbatd]

I was guiltily today ! Had a few errands today , but it was pouring rain and I knew I couldn't leave the windows open for Ollie . It was cool enough , but he loves open windows to greet people . So I kenneled him for an hour and brought him home a new stuffed bunny !

 

[DanL]

Gotta watch what you say around here. I know you meant it as a joke as did I with my post comparing kids to children but some people might take you seriously. :hail:

A few did with mine

I didn't take you seriously. I just gave reasons on why those quotes you posted were pretty stupid. Somewhere along the line someone wrote those quotes and was serious about it. You should probably cite the source. And if you did write it, just reading it made me throw up a little in my mouth edit by mod

 

[Lolas Dad]

I didn't take you seriously. I just gave reasons on why those quotes you posted were pretty stupid. Somewhere along the line someone wrote those quotes and was serious about it. You should probably cite the source. And if you did write it, just reading it made me throw up a little in my mouth edit by mod.

There is no source. As I said earlier, have a nice day and next time go ahead and edit by mod

If you want to also leave rude comments please have some class and respect do it to me privately. No need to let your feelings known on a forum board of a person that you don't like what they write so that everyone sees it.

 

[DanL]

??? Where did I say I don't like you? I don't even know you! I didn't like your post. It has nothing to do with you personally so get over yourself.

 

[smkie]

I treat my dog like a child.

I always gave my son enough rope to get out and wiggle but not enough rope to hang himself. I always had one hand on his rope, should I need to reel him in.

I expected good manners and wasn't afraid to correct him. I excepted he had different view points and would consider his options above mine. I was careful not be overbearing and always except his individuality. He did make mistakes and those were forgiven and forgotten. Praise and rewards were given often but based on merit and level of achievement.

He had some absolute rules but many others were based on tolerable limits. I wasn't a harsh father, but I wasn't a push over either when it really counted. I tried to earn my son's respect, and found I never needed to demand it. He understood I could be firm, but he also understood I was fair and always loved him dearly.

I always told my son I loved him and told him and showed him every single day of his life. I spent time one on one time with him, doing something special or doing absolutely nothing at all.

This is the way I raised Peyton and so far, she's turning out just fine. So, in a way, I do treat my dog like a child. I love my dog very much and even my very worst day with Peyton, is still better than my very best day at the beach.

I like this...well said.

 

[Lolas Dad]

??? Where did I say I don't like you? I don't even know you! I didn't like your post. It has nothing to do with you personally so get over yourself.

No need to let your feelings known on a forum board of a person that you don't like what they write so that everyone sees it.

I did not say anything about you not liking me as you can see that was not said by the part that is in bold.

 

[DanL]

Oh, I'm so sorry, I misread what you wrote. Shame on me. So you are saying I shouldn't comment on posts that I don't like anymore? I don't think that's going to happen. *edit by mod*