Doggone Etiquette —

This Year I Will

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

Another weekend of fun and games, for your people, that is. It may be a noisy one, so you’ll be pleased to know that a bit of barking is allowed. You could also join in any of the singing that might be keeping you awake. It’s all done to celebrate the start of a New Year, which means all you dogs get a “new” start in almost everything you do – or don’t do. Well, not really. It doesn’t wash away all the problems you may have caused by being naughty, but a New Year does give you a new chance to do things the way your VIPeople have tried to teach you to do them. Start by promising yourself, “This year I will” and add “be good” or “try harder to understand what they mean.” Then make the same kind of promises to your people – and try to keep them all year.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

Well-meaning resolutions can be found everywhere at the beginning of a new year, but not too many are aimed at doing better by our dogs. Here are a few you might try:

This year I will …

*Be a more responsible dog owner              

*Try to eliminate bad habits (the dog’s & mine)

*Practice basic obedience, or

*Go back to dog school

*Learn more about the dog’s breed(s) to better understand him

*Maintain regular vet check-ups, not just emergencies

*Keep a list of questions to ask the vet

*Put more fun in the dog’s life!

The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. New Year’s resolutions are not just personal or relating to other people. They can, and should, include the pets we have brought into our homes to be part of our families. The odds are darned good that Rufus did not knock on your door one day and ask if he could come live with you for the rest of his life! Your adoption of the dog, regardless of how, when or where it took place, instantly made him your unique responsibility. The benefits of sharing your home and your life with a dog are yours to enjoy. You lucked out, so be sure the dog knows it.

As far as we know, a dog does not make resolutions to change its bad habits, or to acquire good new ones. Those are just some of the things that are up to the dog’s owner to deal with, and to handle properly. That’s where learning more about the dog’s breed (or breeds, if more than one) can be of enormous help to you both. There are numerous breed eccentricities that are simple to comprehend and cope with once you understand that they are innate, or at least common to the specific breed.

Be open-minded when trying to figure out why Rufus does the things you find frustrating. There’s no use getting upset about something his ancestors were bred to do hundreds of years ago, but – I hate to say it – it could possibly be a behavior you unknowingly instilled in him.

It’s a new year, so sit back, relax and know that this year you WILL be a good dog owner, and therefore, Rufus WILL be, not just a good dog, but one of the very best!

Until next time – BE GOOD!

 - Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.