Have you ever had a dog as a part of your family, or even thought about owning one? If so, do you consider how life-changing that decision would be? Maybe next time you’re out in public, in a big city or just a small town, try to notice people that are accompanied by their dogs. Do they seem to act differently than someone walking by themselves? Would you enjoy having a dog in your everyday life? Many people answer “yes” to this question. However, they should be aware of the care, responsibility, training, commands and interactions required by owners, while having fun at the same time, of course. As I have learned from raising a puppy, being a dog owner requires a lot of effort, but all of the hard work pays off in the end.

One of the most basic jobs of a dog owner is to know how to take care of them. This could involve some research, because there are different kinds of dog food, toys, and many other supplies for each kind of dog. Owning a dog comes with tasks like grooming, walking, and certainly entertainment to keep the dog occupied. Responsibility also ties in with taking proper care of your pet dog. The well-being of the dog depends on how responsible you are with keeping up with its health and care. Fetch Pet Care found that in 2011, owners spent $19.85 billion dollars on food for their dogs, and another $3.79 billion on various pet services like grooming and boarding. Almost like raising a child, dogs should not be expected to just behave all of the time and be independent. They can not speak or do everything a human can, so that means that their owner is required to watch over them and is responsible for keeping them safe and happy.

If someone wants their dog to be social but also calm and attentive, then training should be a part of their daily routine from the time a dog is very young. There are many different ways to train your dog, and it is up to the owner to decide what they want their dog to learn. A good start would be to begin with whatever commands your dog would use most, usually ones like ‘sit’ or ‘stay’. In fact, Pet365 concluded that 90.2% of owners who participated in their survey had trained their dogs to ‘sit’. Training your dog will be very time-consuming, but the end results will definitely be worth it once the training really sinks into the dogs brain. Just like the rule for most everyday tasks, remember that when training with your pet, practice makes perfect!

After taking all the steps to becoming a great caretaker, the owner will really want to make that special connection with his or her pet. A great way to do so is by spending quality time with the dog, so that he or she will become very attached to you. This should make it easier for the dog to become more social and friendlier around other people. Shivaun Statham, a pet-care expert, claimed that owners were “definitely tending towards treating their pets less like animals and more like children”. If you skip this important step, it will make it a lot harder for you to keep your dog calm and collected in public, since it wouldn’t have much experience interacting with humans. This process of making friends with a dog may need some time, especially because the dogs could have previously been treated badly by humans. Your job as an owner is to make sure that your pet feels safe in your care, and doesn’t have to worry about being alone or not getting enough attention.

The best part of having a dog, in my opinion, has to be the part where both dog and owner are sharing a fun time, interacting with each other and making a memory that will last forever. It is during these experiences where an owner realizes that the hard work, time, and effort put into dog ownership really has rewards. The National Household Travel Survey of 2001 showed that 58.9% of owners walked their dogs two times or more in one day. Fun ideas could include taking a day trip and going for an interesting walk to a new place which would be enjoyable for you and especially your dog. Even playing around the house or in your yard would be a great way to bond. This doesn’t have to involve money, stress, or anything bad - just you and your dog enjoying each other’s company.

Some pet owners feel that from the beginning, their dog is capable of behaving and becoming socialised without the adult working with them. After all, some breeds of dog are naturally less energetic or active than others, which is unrelated to how they are raised. Some owners believe that their responsibility ends with keeping the dog fed and sheltered. Unfortunately, that approach will result in a dog that is less disciplined, less social and less happy. Sure, certain dogs might not be as needy as more hyper breeds, but that doesn’t mean that you can just dismiss them and not treat them as a living, breathing animal. The amount of time you put into helping your dog succeed would probably be noticeable to other people, whether that person is a dog expert or not. Even just walking down the street, an average person could surely tell what type of owner is holding the leash. A devoted owner will get the benefit of their time and energy and will enjoy years of fun with their happy, healthy dog. A less devoted owner will miss out on this fun but may not even realize what they are missing. So, after hearing about the other side of the story, which type of owner would you want to be? And more importantly, how would you want an innocent and sweet dog to be raised - with just the basics of food and shelter, or with all the love and attention that a best friend deserves?. Hopefully after considering the two sides of this argument, people will choose the obvious choice for the sake of their dogs.

As many dog owners know, putting in the hard work to raise your own loving pet is very important. An owner’s huge efforts will really show when their dog is nice and gentle to other people and other dogs, and when their dog knows exactly how to behave in any environment. By actively taking advantage of proper care, responsibility, training and commands, as well as interacting and having fun with a pet, anyone can easily become a dog owner and share many great experiences and memories with their new companion. Following these quick and easy steps can really make a difference in the way that a dog responds and feels towards its owner, so why not go ahead and use them with your pet in your everyday life? Investing time and effort will make both the caretaker and the pet itself enjoy their time together. The owner will surely realize what others without a dog in their lives are missing!