Owning a dog means a lot of things. It means being a parent, being a friend, sometimes being the best cook in town, and most of the time, being someone who cleans up ‘round the clock.
Man and dog have been best of friends for thousands of years now and there have been a lot of misconceptions and myths about dogs and myths you should stop believing as a dog owner. Let’s go through that lane and maybe save you and your dog a few trips to the vet or maybe unnecessary stress.
1. All dogs love swimming
We all have that fun image in our head of a dog having the time of his or her life on the beach. A lot of dogs do love it, they really do. Swimming with you, maybe catching a ball while running along the shore, or maybe even trying surfing with their dog owners. However, check if your dog is meant for swimming or actually enjoys swimming. Just to be sure, here’s a list of the top dog breeds that adore being in water:
- Standard poodle
- Irish water spaniel
- Irish Setter
- Portuguese water dog
- Labrador retriever
- Golden retriever
These dogs would be over the moon to be in water. Just make sure that after spending time swimming and playing, your dog gets plenty of fresh, clean drinking water and a good rest. Maybe consider getting a waterproof dog bed too!
Just to be sure, here’s also a list of dogs that aren’t such fans of taking a dip:
- Pug
- Bulldog
- Basset hound
- Boxer
- Corgi
- Dachshunds
- Shih tzu
You may try to bring these dog breeds to a beach or a pool, maybe they’ll try to love it for you, but watch out because most of these dogs are not built to be in water because of the risk of them having difficulty to breathe.
2. It’s okay to give dogs some bones. That’s what they eat. NO! BIG NO!
Media, cartoons, movies and ads over time have always shown dogs with bones in their mouths. Because of these, we think it’s okay to hand your dog a chicken bone hence the expression “give a dog a bone”. What we don’t realize is that dogs don’t just lick the bones, they chew it and swallow it.
When this happens, the bones get broken into tiny sharp pieces that can scratch your dogs throat, stomach and intestines. The worst part about all of it is that mosst of the time, your dog’s body won’t even be able to digest the bones and it causes other more serious illnesses and diseases. Feedig your dog bones is extremely dangerous and can be fatal in some cases. Stick to high quality dog food. If you want to hand them some dog treats, opt for the safer kind.
3. A wagging tail means its friendly
It’s what everybody knows. Dogs wag their tails and suddenly everyone assumes that their getting licks, hugs and kisses. You’re not totally wrong there though, dogs communicate through different ways and a wagging tail is usually one of them.
The same way that a dog tucks his tail between his legs when he’s scared or ill. However, a wagging tail when towards the right does mean that your dog is expecting and is displaying positive emotions and the opposite if its towards the left.
4. You can feed a little bit of chocolate to your dog
Very wrong. You sould never risk feeding your dog chocolate. Chocolate containds theobromine and caffeine that humans can easily process and digest but dogs can’t. Their bodies take a while to digest it which can lead to the toxins building up that can cause a lot of serious problems.
When your dog ingests a little bit of chocolate, he or she may experiences stomach problems like diarrhea or vomiting.
If your dog takes a big bite of chocolate, take him or her to the vet immediately. Watch out for seizures, tremors, irregular heart rate, heart arrhythmia and even internal bleeding.
5. You can only train puppies-not adult dogs
The expression “you can’t reach an old dog new tricks” is a lie.
Puppies are hungry for attention, active and full of energy, which makes them easier to train compared to older dogs or adult dogs.
However, old dogs can still be trained. It’s just a matter of being more patient. All it takes is developing a method that gets your old dog to understand what you want him or her to do. Look into strategies of reinforcement and rewarding. That should get you somewhere.
Final Thoughts
There are tons of other dog myths that you can look at but these are some of the top ones. When it comes to making your dogs happy, ambient lounge® is with you all the way. Check out dog luxury beds, accessories and dog bowls.