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"Dog Lovers" that know nothing about dogs...
Being of college age, I know a lot of people who consider themselves "Dog Lovers" but most of these people don't seem to understand what a dog is.<br><br>For example, I have a friend who insists on feeding her dogs the highest quality food available. Which would be fine if 'highest quality' didn't mean 'most expensive' to her. She feeds her dogs those Cesar Meals, which have an extremely high moisture content. She also does not provide them with dry food or chew hooves/ bones to clean their teeth on which causes her dogs to develop gum infections quite often.<br><br>Or the people who feed their dogs all the food they want, and whatever food they want. This one is very close to me, because this is exactly what happened to my dog before I got her. Her old owners would just feed her until she could eat no more (I am assuming, I never met them). She is a beagle, which in good health weigh 25-30lbs, however when I got her she was nearly 45lbs. She got winded walking more than a few feet and could not jump up onto the couch on her own. By feeding her the portions of dog food recommended by the brand I feed her I have been able to get her back down into the healthy range in only about six months. <br><br>The same goes for feeding your dog too many table scraps. A small piece of meat here and there is not a bad little treat, but there is such thing as too much! I was visiting with a friend of mine, who has a larger dog, and in addition to the dog's regular serving of food, he gave it an entire pack of bacon. That would be like letting your child have an entire chocolate cake along with it's dinner, it just isn't good!<br><br>And it isn't just food, it's training and discipline as well. My father's girlfriend has two chihuahuas who she has spent hundreds of dollars on professional training classes for, and none of them took. She wonders why, but she requires no discipline from her dogs. She does not take them for walks very often, she does not even correct them when they bite her! When my father and I visit, she is always shocked that her dogs behave around us, but it's because we do not baby them.<br><br>My ex has a very large coonhound puppy, a very high energy breed. The dog drove him crazy, he insisted it was stupid and untrainable and just an all around bad dog. During the time he and I were together I managed to teach the dog to walk on a leash without pulling, to sit and shake and a few other tricks, and he was amazed by the transformation. I ran into them at the dog park a few weeks ago and the dog is right back to her old antics because he will not be dominant with her.<br><br>So, in short, treat your dogs the way you'd treat your kids. Feed them health foods in healthy servings, do not spoil them, and give them some discipline (but not too much).<br><br>Sorry this rant is so long, I've just been seeing it a lot lately. 
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And i belive that half the time i am a wolf amoung the sheep gnawing at the wool over my eyes
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