Owners of small dogs, this post is for you.
I confess that I do indeed pick up my own small dogs and carry them.
Occasionally.
Well, okay, more often than I should
Take, for example, my Chihuahua. She has impossibly large eyes set in an apple-shaped head that is so deliciously kissable that I defy the most hard-hearted felon to resist planting one between her ears. You have to pick her up to smooch that little girl.
On hikes with my Pomeranian, there are always boulders on the trail that even he, wily climber that he is, cannot scale without a boost. So, yeah, I pick him up to give him an assist.
And now, my new guy, a 12 year old West Highland Terrier, is reluctant to go outside to use the facilities. He makes it as far as the edge of the back deck and without hesitation, lifts his leg on the grill cover. To prevent him from this discretion, I quickly heft him to ground to do his business on the grass instead.
From the dogs’ perspective though, it’s just plain wrong.
I see the panicked look on my Chihuahua’s face when I lift her up, and am reminded that the affection I give her is more for my benefit than for hers. All she wants is to be safely on the floor.
And truth be told, my Pom is more than capable of finding a creative way up the mountain. He is adept at seeking alternative routes, but I “save” him instead. Given a few extra minutes to contemplate the options, he’d do just fine without my help.
If I leashed the Westie and guided him off the deck and over to the correct potty place, he’d quickly learn to get there on his own. Now I’m afraid I’ve created a dependent little pisser that waits to be carried to the doggie toilet, something I will have to undo before the first snowstorm hits.
Trainers are dog owners, too. We make mistakes with our own dogs. Except that we are well aware of what we are doing AND we are kicking ourselves even while we do it.
Little dogs are big dogs in small packages. You would never dream of picking up your Great Dane or your Greyhound. Regardless of size, dogs have four legs that should NOT be dangling in the air. I will try and remember that next time I get the urge to hoist a diffident dog against his, and my, better judgment.
Comentarios