Leema Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 So what do you think a responsible dog owner is? How do you define it? I started with "obey laws" (regarding leash laws, registration, etc) - but then I didn't know where to go from there. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 One that goes out of their way to not allow their dogs to negatively impact upon others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 One that keeps others safe from their dog. One that provides for the physical, social, intellectual, and exercise requirements of their dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 I regard responsible dog ownership to be all of the following: food, shelter, medical, exercise, training, socialisation, containment, leash laws (and other council regulations) and to include that my dogs do not interfere with anyone or anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 One that stops to take the time to think about "Responsible Dog Ownership" and what it means to them, and how it impacts on their own, others and their dog/s day to day lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 (edited) Someone who gets a dog suitable to their lifestyle, trains it, feeds it, gives it all the attention, affection, stimulation, exercise and discipline it needs to be a well rounded doggie individual. This person would securely contain their dog, give it all the vet attention including vaccinations, check ups etc, that it needs and ensure said dog does not bother anyone in the community. Edited April 15, 2012 by Aussie3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leema Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 Thanks for the ideas everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Someone who gets a dog suitable to their lifestyle, trains it, feeds it, gives it all the attention, affection, stimulation, exercise and discipline it needs to be a well rounded doggie individual. This person would securely contain their dog, give it all the vet attention including vaccinations, check ups etc, that it needs and ensure said dog does not bother anyone in the community. Yep, agree with all that. And also, picks up their poo. No brainer, but whenever I see someone's dog pooing and the owner not picking it up, the first thing that crosses my mind is "IRRESPONSIBLE!!!!!" :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Someone who gets a dog suitable to their lifestyle, trains it, feeds it, gives it all the attention, affection, stimulation, exercise and discipline it needs to be a well rounded doggie individual. This person would securely contain their dog, give it all the vet attention including vaccinations, check ups etc, that it needs and ensure said dog does not bother anyone in the community. Yep, agree with all that. And also, picks up their poo. No brainer, but whenever I see someone's dog pooing and the owner not picking it up, the first thing that crosses my mind is "IRRESPONSIBLE!!!!!" :laugh: :laugh: Same, we have seen people not picking up and given them bags before, to their disgust :laugh: I'm always dismayed, but not surprised, at the amount of dog and cat shite we see around when we walk our two. People are such pigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 (edited) As a rescuer, one thing I'd add (which many owners fail on) is flea/heartworm/worm treatments. So many dogs in the pound are crawling with fleas. I don't know if this equates with medical but it should be highlighted and it's something I always check on with potential new owners - if they have no idea what I'm referring to then they are not going to be the right home for any of my dogs. I get very concnered when I hear about people not wanting to use chemicals for it often means that their dogs will be crawling with fleas which is also not good for their health ... I also have several friends who are groomers and they tell me many a horror story and these are people's pets ... Edited April 16, 2012 by dogmad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 As a rescuer, one thing I'd add (which many owners fail on) is flea/heartworm/worm treatments. So many dogs in the pound are crawling with fleas. I don't know if this equates with medical but it should be highlighted and it's something I always check on with potential new owners - if they have no idea what I'm referring to then they are not going to be the right home for any of my dogs. I get very concnered when I hear about people not wanting to use chemicals for it often means that their dogs will be crawling with fleas which is also not good for their health ... I also have several friends who are groomers and they tell me many a horror story and these are people's pets ... I don't use chemicals unless necessary- if I find a flea on one of the dogs or they even look itchy I pull out capstar and go into a cleaning frenzy. Fleas are too scared to even come within nibbling distance of my pooches!! I have seen flea infestations- hell I did have one 4 years ago myself and used spot ons but it wasn't until I vacuumed the house to within an inch of falling down and did crazy things like mowing then using flea powder and keeping dogs off it for 24hrs that the problem got sorted!! Fleas are horrid but don't automatically think that being anti-chemical means that they are going to let their dog suffer either. Heartworm preventatives are something I don't mess around with- 18th of every month like clockwork. I do think appropriate grooming is an important part of dog ownership- a dog so matted it can barely walk while the owners are doing renovations and 'forgot' about it?? You don't need to have it look amazing but not matted, clean and an appropriate length are musts!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esky the husky Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I think giving the dog a chance to do his job, or a modified version is high on my list. Mainatining a healthy weight and feeding species appropriate food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 How do people live with animals with fleas?? Don't they get all in the bedding and clothes etc? I couldn't stand it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantis Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I regard responsible dog ownership to be all of the following: food, shelter, medical, exercise, training, socialisation, containment, leash laws (and other council regulations) and to include that my dogs do not interfere with anyone or anything else. I agree with all of these, but would add desexing, unless they are used for showing/breeding. OH & lots of love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyB Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I regard responsible dog ownership to be all of the following: food, shelter, medical, exercise, training, socialisation, containment, leash laws (and other council regulations) and to include that my dogs do not interfere with anyone or anything else. I agree with all of these, but would add desexing, unless they are used for showing/breeding. OH & lots of love. I agree with all of these. Also, putting in the effort to correct any issues that arise (like re-training when situations change and undesirable behaviours start happening) and realising when you're in over your head and need help. And worst case scenario (whether from illness, injury or behavioural issues) when it's time to consider having the dog PTS, as hard as that choice is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypaws Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I think giving the dog a chance to do his job, or a modified version is high on my list. Mainatining a healthy weight and feeding species appropriate food. Hi ETH .. Just wondering , and not meaning to hi jack this thread .. How do you excercise esky ? I have a med level energy lab .. And may consider a sibe male later in a yr or so ( I'm torn between two breeds .. Different needs as well .. I would have to consider how to meet these ) .at the moment we are walking about 4 times a week .. Trying to step it up , but starting a new job has thrown things around a bit . Just curious how you handle the energy level ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esky the husky Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) What energy :laugh: In all honesty she's an easy keeper, she likes to relax inside with us. Indoors we keep her busy with frozen treats or food toys, ( like kibble balls) When we're out the door it's a different story, she loves walk times. Depending on how busy we are we do a combination of walking, walking + running (interval training for me ), walking with backpack on, free running at the park, running next to the bike or pulling the scooter. I'm in the process now of buying a treadmill, and considering a few other activities, but I don't do them yet. Most winter weekends we're busy with sled dog club activities. Even when we're not racing there is a group of people I meet up with to train every weekend. That said she'd survive on one walk a day and some training, but I'm a very competitive person and I want us to do well this racing season :) Anything else you want to know about the breed, come ask in the sibe thread under 'breed sub forums ' :D Disclaimer: Your experience may vary :p Edited April 18, 2012 by Esky the husky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypaws Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 What energy :laugh: In all honesty she's an easy keeper, she likes to relax inside with us. Indoors we keep her busy with frozen treats or food toys, ( like kibble balls) When we're out the door it's a different story, she loves walk times. Depending on how busy we are we do a combination of walking, walking + running (interval training for me ), walking with backpack on, free running at the park, running next to the bike or pulling the scooter. I'm in the process now of buying a treadmill, and considering a few other activities, but I don't do them yet. Most winter weekends we're busy with sled dog club activities. Even when we're not racing there is a group of people I meet up with to train every weekend. That said she'd survive on one walk a day and some training, but I'm a very competitive person and I want us to do well this racing season :) Anything else you want to know about the breed, come ask in the sibe thread under 'breed sub forums ' :D Disclaimer: Your experience may vary :p Lol at disclaimer ! Interesting , thanks for sharing :D . I guess I expect the sibe to always be high energy and high drive ,but this is not always so? I will check in under the sub forum ... Cheers :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeimMe Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 As a rescuer, one thing I'd add (which many owners fail on) is flea/heartworm/worm treatments. So many dogs in the pound are crawling with fleas. I don't know if this equates with medical but it should be highlighted and it's something I always check on with potential new owners - if they have no idea what I'm referring to then they are not going to be the right home for any of my dogs. I get very concnered when I hear about people not wanting to use chemicals for it often means that their dogs will be crawling with fleas which is also not good for their health ... I also have several friends who are groomers and they tell me many a horror story and these are people's pets ... I don't use chemicals unless necessary- if I find a flea on one of the dogs or they even look itchy I pull out capstar and go into a cleaning frenzy. Fleas are too scared to even come within nibbling distance of my pooches!! I have seen flea infestations- hell I did have one 4 years ago myself and used spot ons but it wasn't until I vacuumed the house to within an inch of falling down and did crazy things like mowing then using flea powder and keeping dogs off it for 24hrs that the problem got sorted!! Fleas are horrid but don't automatically think that being anti-chemical means that they are going to let their dog suffer either. Heartworm preventatives are something I don't mess around with- 18th of every month like clockwork. I do think appropriate grooming is an important part of dog ownership- a dog so matted it can barely walk while the owners are doing renovations and 'forgot' about it?? You don't need to have it look amazing but not matted, clean and an appropriate length are musts!! I don't routinely use flea control chemicals either. If I see a flea on her, I'll treat her but otherwise I would rather that she wasn't coated in chemicals/ingesting chemicals if it's not required. As for responsible dog ownership, I think that in a nutshell we have a responsibility to meet the nutritional, medical, grooming, exercise, training and companionship needs of our chosen breed and to ensure that others are not negatively impacted by our dog in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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