Could there be stricter rules on dog ownership?

I love dogs and have always owned them. I do take them with us to most places that allow dogs (pubs that advertise as sog friendly, outside cafes etc). But they are trained and will sit quietly or sleep under the table.

Yes, there should be far greater restrictions on owning (and I would argue breeding too) dogs.

I'm probably too hard line on it though.

I'd like people to have to get a 'dog license' like a driving licence BEFORE they can own a dog, with mandatory training classes for a certain amount of time. Fines for allowing dogs off lead without perfect recall, owners fined heavily if their dog is allowed to frighten or alarm others and wildlife.

No dog should be bred that will have poor health (including many kennel club breeds). Breeding should have two priorities, health and behaviour, appearance should never be a factor.

His would make dog ownership more expensive. I'm far from well off myself, so I'm not saying dogs should only be for the wealthy. But any good dog owner would be budgeting for a dog long before they come along anyway.

Too right, @Onleemoi , tax breaks for doggy day care, that’s what I say!

People who think dogs are being treated like children (because they’re wearing a jumper!) need to be better parents.

Anyway, is anyone else struggling with keeping their dogs entertained during half term?

It’s the dog haters who immediately, on these threads, accuse dog lovers of “treating them like children” so it’s a natural response @Neemie .

And it’s about the treatment of a vulnerable, living creature in your care, so there are inevitable similarities.

Personally I think there should be more checks and balances on having either children or dogs.

What is it about dogs that makes people think about children? Dogs are animals that people have as pets. They can be very nice but they have absolutely nothing in common with children.

Children are humans. You were once a child. There is a child out there who will be your prime minister, others who will have to treat you in hospital, deliver your shopping, sort out your legal problems, help you go to the toilet, serve you coffee etc. They are not in any way the same as dogs.

I realise that some people are not good parents but it is a completely separate issue.

Are you based in the US @Gruffporcupine ? This seems to a prevailing view there. I have a friend who works for a charity rescuing dogs whose owners have dumped them in the woods in one of the more southern states so they can ‘run free.’ They generally starve, get shot (of course), or attacked by wild animals.

Recent research suggests there have been domesticated dogs for as long as there have been humans. The theory that they are wolves who’ve just popped into our homes for a bite to eat and a warm up is long discredited.

You are anthropomorphising your dogs. They would be totally fine and probably happier left to it with large amounts of land to roam around on and each other for company.

Your post is, again, just about what humans want. Have you ever been to SE Asia for example? You'll see how dogs prefer to live there when left to it. In packs together, roaming totally free, approaching humans occasionally for food then retreating into the wild. People are totally delusional about how dogs would prefer to live if given the choice. It would not be in your average house with average sized garden, sorry. They are clearly happier better left relatively to their own devices with lots and lots of land to roam around on, based on their behaviour when they aren't turned into human pets

The poo absolutely everywhere (even when it's picked up it leaves smears and gets on shoes). The impact on wildlife (for example, nesting birds, dog wee containing harmful chemicals due to flea treatments). The bothering of other people (for example, you can't just have a nice picnic or cup of coffee anymore without someone's dog coming over and disturbing you, even if the dog is perfectly friendly it is a nuisance). The getting under people's feet on narrow paths and so on. With far fewer dogs I don't think this would be an issue but there are so many that it has become an issue. Far fewer people should have dogs

It means you don't treat your dog as a blank screen onto which you project your needs, your dog listens to and obeys your commands because you've trained him to do so and you don't deviate from the expectation that your dog will listen and obey. So that means you keep your dog under your control, requiring constant vigilance on your part. You have to be consistent - self-disciplined, in other words.

The pack order theory has only been discredited if you believe families are democracies where everyone gets an equal say and nobody ever pulls rank. This is an appealing notion only to adherents of gentle parenting who have one or at most two children, one of whom is a baby.

Dogs need to be trained to obey or they become utter nuisances, and that means dogs have to be trained to look to their owner as She Who Must Be Obeyed. Their leader, in other words.

What I think is awful is when people have dogs but are literally out of the house all day. A dog should not be left alone for more than about four hours at a time. I adore dogs but will never get one as I work.

Agreed so tedious

Dog lovers are happier and healthier than dog haters. We have a better sense of humour and get laid way more too.

I was addressing the exact quote I included in my post, which did not have any reference to a coat on an elderly or short coated dog.

Fwiw, people where I live put coats on all sorts of short haired dogs, and sturdy little insulated booties too, as we get bitterly cold winters here, with snow and ice, and people spread rock salt on pavements. All fine and dandy imo, if dogs are to be given the exercise they need.

This absolutely.

None of the political parties is suggesting changing the law on dogs - not even Reform - so this post is just a load of meaningless hot air.

By people who know nothing about dogs. Therefore it is meaningless.

We’ve recently got a puppy - after our last dog passed a couple of years ago. Vets are no longer advising neutering dogs, which I was really surprised about.

@CoffeeLipstickKeysmy dog has alopecia and has no hair on her back and only minimally on her legs. Some very short haired dogs also get very cold. Sometimes sweaters are essential.
I think all dogs should be registered with an annual fee. This fee can be reduced if the animal is neutered. There could be more dog parks to allow them to run and play without bothering people. Dog owners use parks daily all year round - more than most users. Banning them is ridiculous. There are three parks near me, one requires dogs on leads. Another has a secure play area for kids. There is room to also make a secure area for dogs (there is a section that is already fenced and has fallen in to disuse but no one goes in there as it’s overgrown). People own dogs and everyone should be able to use the park together. I agree there are some irresponsible dog owners however, and i don’t like dogs in cafés - I have taken mine in on occasion but the behaviour of other dogs puts me off- an owner should know how their dog will behave and not bring it in unless it can sit or lay quietly.

Spaniels are wayyyy cuter than children though . .

What has that got to do with putting a layer on a single coated, low to the floor dog in winter?

Another day, another dog hating thread.

yawns.

Pack order has been discredited. All of this is very outmoded thinking.

And what is this:

Dog owners have to be very disciplined about their interactions with and treatment of the dog if the dog is to be happy.

supposed to mean?

I have been told me dressing my dog in a jumper is destroying humanity.

Treating your dog well means treating him like a dog.

Treating him like a human is putting your own needs first - emotional needs, psychological needs.

The dog has specific needs as a dog, and the first need is for owners to completely respect his canine nature. Dogs interpret their environment and the people in it with dog eyes and a dog brain. They are pack animals and your family is their pack. They need a leader who consistently reminds them of their place in the pack. Dog owners have to be very disciplined about their interactions with and treatment of the dog if the dog is to be happy.

Yeah, why are some people wound up by things that do not affect them at all?

They hated my elderly greyhound wearing a jumper. They need to get a life.

Why do you care what other people do?

And some breeds absolutely do need to wear a coat in the winter.