Are you practicing good dog owner etiquette?

As a dog owner, it is very important that you practice good doggie manners. What does that mean, you ask? This article is going to point out some things that are important for you to be a good dog owner and display good dog etiquette.

There are several things you need to do to show that you are a courteous dog owner. These are just four different ones that I see being abused the most.

jumping on people

This is probably the most abused. Yes, you walk into a house and here comes the dog, jumping on you. Some people say it’s okay because they’re dog lovers, but not everyone wants a dog to jump on them. In some cases, these exuberant dogs actually knock people down. Depending on the age of the people, this could be very dangerous.

So how do you prevent it from happening? Put the dog on a leash so that he cannot reach the person and jump on him. In fact, teaching your dog to sit is very helpful here.

excessive barking

If you’ve ever been the subject of nonstop barking from a neighbor’s dog, you know what I mean when we talk about excessive barking. We should all be good neighbors and bring our dogs into the house, especially at night so our dogs don’t disturb the peace. If you know that a neighbor sleeps during the day, do the same. If necessary, crate your dog and the neighbors will love you.

Allow your dog to run loose

Allowing your dog to run loose in most areas is not only illegal due to leash laws, it is also very dangerous for your dog. Thousands of dogs a year are run over while roaming the streets. A dog owner who takes care of his dog will never allow his dog to run loose. If your dog shows any type of aggression, you are exposing yourself to a great deal of liability if your dog bites a person or another dog.

pick up the poop

This is a real pain in the rear for a group of owners. I know you’ve seen it, but I hope you’ve now increased the problem by allowing your dog to poop and not bagging it. This has become such a problem in some communities that all dogs have a DNA sample taken, and waste material that has not been collected is checked against the DNA on file and the offending owner can be fined up to $500. So bag the poop and keep your neighborhood clean.

I hope these articles give you something to think about so you can practice good dog etiquette.