Pictured Here: Just Like Lay's Potato Chips, One is NEVER Enough as shown here with the Burrows Family of Huntington Beach, California
The first thing that should be mentioned about your responsibilities as an owner of a dog is that you now have a new addition to the family which demands care and attention. Before you purchase a dog, make sure you are willing to make a lifetime commitment and the sacrifices necessary to provide for this animal. Dogs don't need much to survive, however many people ignore the most basic needs of a dog.
1) Love and Affection - Huskys and German Shephers are both smart breeds and they are also very sensitive. They will do most anything for attention, even negative attention if they can't get any other kind. They look to you for guidance as their "pack leader". You provide for all your dog's need including leadership and he/she in return serves you. Be careful not to allow your dog to rule you, as this is not a good situation for either you or your dog. A secure dog is one that knows he is loved, adored, fed and most importantly knows he has one or more leaders who he/she can trust with their lives.
2) Exercise - dogs need daily exercise to expend the energy they accumulate each day. If this energy is not expended, they will find things to do with it, and it probably will not be the things that you will appreciate. Ninety Percent of all behaviour problems can be eliminated by taking your dog on a daily walk. The length of the walk depends on the age, size and energy level of your dog. Typically you will walk in one direction until your dog gives in and is willing to follow you, then turn around and head home. The most important need of a dog is love and affection. Except for extreme cases most people who report having a problem dog that does not listen, cannot be housebroken, or chews on household items is due to not getting attention and/or exercise.
Pictured Here: Counts Cove's Maya of Cruz at an all out run in Big Bear, California
3) Nourishment - We prefer to free feed so that the dogs have food and water all day long. However if this isn't compatible with your lifestyle, then scheduled feeding times are the next best option. When your dog is expecting food at a certain time and you are an hour or two behind schedule, you dog may panic, thinking that it may never be there again. This in turn can force them into a starvation attitude to the point that they will wolf down everything that is placed before them whether they are hungry or not. You will see this with stray dogs, where they will eat whatever you offer them and then immediately up chuck it because they are full!
4) Shelter - Provide a safe and secure place where predators cannot invade, threaten or harm your pup. Even in well populated areas you hearing more cases of wild animal attacks on pups. A shelter needs to be clean, dry, protected from the heat and the cold where ample food and water are also available.
5) Companionship - If you leave your dog alone often, the dog begins to miss you and worry about you. Dogs' senses are very acute, so when you are not around he looks for anything with your scent to remind him of you. This means he may find a shoe or something in the garbage that has your scent on it and well, you know the rest.
Pictured Here: Counts Cove's Yodi of Fielder with her owner Brandi in Arizona
6) Guidance vs Punishment - Pups are not always destructive because they are bad dogs, but more often because they do not know what their owners expectations are. You need to show patience and guidance for your pup and lead him in the direction you want him to go whether it be potting training, chewing, or walking on a lead. If when you get home, you see your shoes chewed up or garbage all over the place, the less emotion you show, the better. If you punish your dog at this point, he will never make the connection between the deed and your anger. You want your dog to obey you out of respect, not out of fear. We do not advocate hitting, yelling or snapping your dog with a newspaper. If you call the dog and when he comes to you, you punish him for a past deed, he soon learns NOT to come to you for fear of punishment. Be careful not to give the dog mixed signals. It is also better to clean up your dog's mistakes when they are not watching you, because they could interpret these as attention and repeat the wrong doing another day.
Always ask yourself WHY your dog did the misdeed and then work on correcting your dog's perception. Reward the good deeds and minimize the bad.
Pictured Here: Curiosity got the better of these two Counts Cove Kennels Pups belonging to the Cruz Family.
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