1)socializing, dogs need to socialize and so with babies in order for him/her not to have stranger discomfort or anxiety when around with strangers.
2)Impose proper discipline from the very beginning. It's hard to teach new tricks to an old dog. Same with a person.
3)Dogs are cuddly just like babies and they are still cute even when they are upset.
4)They know how to give you a look that melts your heart... and you can't resist.
5) They chew everything when they don't have toys.
6)They demand your attention at all times.
The only difference is that you can leave the dog whenever you like but you can not do that to your baby.
For singles or new couples out there without a baby, having a dog is good practice. It stretches out your patience very well. Raising a dog is not an easy responsibility. You have to train the dog according to your lifestyle, not you adjusting to his. Choose the dog that fits your lifestyle, not the dog that you like but don't have enough time to spend on him/her. There are so many breeds to choose from.
******** REMEMBERING IVOR ******
Writing this, remind me of my days with our first baby... a baby dog.
Before we had our baby we had a dog. A Rotweiler, a robust breed and known to be notorious in many countries. Little did everyone know, this breed is so loving and loyal to their masters.
Ivor, our first Rot when we were in Angola, unfortunately we have to leave him behind due to travel restrictions. Yes, I cried a bucket! I fell in love with him so badly.Sadly, we left him to a friend. I hope he is in good shape now. As I recall our days with him, makes me a little bit teary. hu hu hu... Nope, my chest just gets congested! LOL. I got another one in Dumaguete and named him "PROXY" literally proxy to Ivor. But Proxy is really different. Why? because he is not well trained as Ivor because we are not there. No matter how I ask my sister and brother how to train him, its just not the same.
Ivor, Christmas 2004
We chose to have a rotweiler because we needed a guard dog. We are losing some cash in the house every weekend and nobody else lives there except me and hubby. There are on-duty guards 24/7 and during their shifts, they use the back toilet to do their business. The helper is known for her honesty as per referral by other expats she had worked with before. We can't point a finger who is stealing money from our wallets. We just leave our things downstairs because we are confident that the doors are locked at night. Our things like camera, cell phone, laptops were not stolen. Just cash that you may or may not take notice of. Until it became a pattern every Sunday, we are losing some cash, we can't tolerate it anymore and to solve the problem, we got a dog which became my best friend, protector and my buddy.
Ivor was home trained; I had the luxury of time to teach him tricks since I'm just home most of the time. Training him was exhausting and rewarding.
If I may recall, the following are the tricks Ivor knows.
"Sit",which he is pleased to do so.
"Sit and Wait" - Usually during feeding time, he will wait for the next command which is "eat". He doesn't touch his food until you say "eat" no matter how long it takes even if he is hungry.
"Check" - when he hears a sound from outside or sensed something is strange going on.
"Out of the kitchen" - there is one spot where he is staying when I'm cooking. He wasn't allowed to be in the kitchen when the queen is cooking.
"Spit it out" - he spits out a palm nut that he loves to chew fresh from the palm tree out near the gate.
"Bizu" - He will give you a big nice kiss!
"Give me five" - He gives you a high five when you give your hand out as if you're shaking hands.
"Shower" - He automatically goes to the place where he is taking shower outside where there is the faucet with a hose
Where is the ball? - He looks for the ball for you to play with him.
he knows what where is inside and outside.
He knows very well the meaning of Yes and No.
He loves to sit in between me and hubby when watching TV.
He loves to be cuddled and be part of the conversation.
He has his own couch in the sala and he kicks you out when you sit there!
He is going ahead of me if I go upstairs.
He sleeps with me in the room if hubby having business trips out of the country.
He eats 1 chicken a day with rice, well cooked, not boiled but semi-fried like adobo. He is not eating cold rice from the fridge.
He loves to play basketball outside, running in the garden destroying my plants.
He looks so nice when he is upset with nose down the floor stealing looks at you. Just like a kid being scolded.
He jumps on Daddy every time he comes home from office
Gosh I miss Ivor while writing this!!!
********
Our Dogs are the Star of this show... they are funny, cuddly, monsters, sweet, naughty, clever and the list goes on..
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