Types of Dog owners.

[835]

Due to a recent thread about dogs with some arguing in it I got to thinking.
I think most of this bickering happens because there three types of dog owners.
Because of this you tend to one line of logic and think you are right. But since we all own dogs for different reasons we cant aggree with one and other. so here we go, I'll try to put this to words as best i can and see what you think.

I'ts just a dog owner:
these ownres just have dogs as pets. And dont put much more thought or time in it then that. This is a wide group but for the most part dont put much thought into the dog. Dogs are just dogs.

The worker:
This owner puts a huge amount into the dog. Hunters, trials, agility Etc.
These people put in research, training time and vet time. They have more invested into the dog. Dogs are more then "Just dogs"

The rescuer:
Some one who wants a pet and wants to help dogs. Loves the dogs but doesnt always see the reason for a purebreed. Dogs are not Just dogs, but also arent tools.

There is obviously alot in between these three but i bet If you think about it you tend to one side. And is the base for alot of opinion based arguing.

Yes im bord, maybe i didnt put my thoughts down right but what do you think? Can you expand?

[keoke]

I have my dog as a pet first, worker second. But I treat it like a dog, some people think I am harsh to my dog because of it. I do not physically harm my dog, but when she does something I don't like I make sure she knows. What grips me are the dog owners who "ask" their dog to stop doing bad behavior. Bad behavior = no respect in my books.

[Tripitaka]

Folks don't agree for lots of reasons but you touch on a very relevant point with your statement "Because of this you tend to one line of logic and think you are right." It takes a lot of courage and effort to change your view to "I know what I think now but it might be wrong so I'll listen to everyone else and try and find some information that may change my mind". The sasquatch thread is very interesting in this regard.

Most folks want to be right but fail to appreciate that we learn from being wrong. If we don't make mistakes, we never learn - I know plenty like that. Once that foundation is understood, you can add whatever topping you like - dogs, politics, religion, calibre, truck brand etc etc. Opinions are like a**eholes - everyone has one and they all stink.

[Sasquatch]

Your catagories sound pretty accurate to me. I would include one for people like farmers, who have dogs that aren't really pets or working dogs...they just sort of hang out on the farm. My inlaws always had dogs like that.

What I find interesting is that people who have such similar interests - dog lovers - can have such a hard time getting along. Maybe once you become an expert on a subject, it can be difficult to accept people who you think are doing something wrong.

[Bow Walker]

There is another category to your types of dog owners 835, and that is the type - maybe a sub-type of the "Pet Owner" - who think that their dog(s) are part of the family. By that I mean that the dogs get more than the average share of care and attention. Not obsessively so, just more than the average.

The Dogs-Are-People-Too category don't 'work' their dogs, but they do get them out for regular exercise - and they care for them like one of their kids. So the comments from this category are often emotional and subjective, rather than the "The Worker" category's comments which tend to be more objective and impartial. Hence the chance(s) for debate, often testy debate are high.

jmho...

[835]

I have my dog as a pet first, worker second. But I treat it like a dog, some people think I am harsh to my dog because of it. I do not physically harm my dog, but when she does something I don't like I make sure she knows. What grips me are the dog owners who "ask" their dog to stop doing bad behavior. Bad behavior = no respect in my books.

So you may be "Worker" But what would seporate you is How you chose and treat your dog.
Do you spend hours training your dog?
did you reaserch the breed a bunch? Pick a dog with health checks? This would put you into one "Type" of owner

You saying it is a pet first ( i edited my orig post to clairify) To me can be all the groups.
What seporates us is Why we own the dog and How we came to decide on the dog itself. This leads to what we do with the dog and how we treat it.

From your post i would put the "Asking" the dog to stop being bad into the First catagory, Just a dog owner.
And you i would put into the Worker. Being a pet is common amongst the groups.

[835]

There is another category to your types of dog owners 835, and that is the type - maybe a sub-type of the "Pet Owner" - who think that their dog(s) are part of the family. By that I mean that the dogs get more than the average share of care and attention. Not obsessively so, just more than the average.

The Dogs-Are-People-Too category don't 'work' their dogs, but they do get them out for regular exercise - and they care for them like one of their kids. So the comments from this category are often emotional and subjective, rather than the "The Worker" category's comments which tend to be more objective and impartial. Hence the chance(s) for debate, often testy debate are high.

jmho...

I was about to put that exact catagory in there BUT!
I would fall into it for sure my dog is family in that way but what i thought seporated me was...

I picked a lab to work him, i checked his health etc. So i put myself into the Worker catagory. I activly hunt him for upland and water fowel.

This is obviously bigger then what catagories i posted, I just think fundamentally we fall into the three at a base level. Though we can share opinions. I think you are a rescuer? so you cant check health. and dont care for the Hunt trial side of a dog.But you may Baby it the same as me.

[oldschoolguy]

It's JUST a dog. In my books at least. We've always had a few dogs running around the farm, getting in the way while you're walking, killing the odd rat. Getting chased off the patio when we have visitors. We treat our dogs well, feed them what they need, give them a nice doghouse, which they usually end up chewing to smithereens, but they rarely make it to the vet. Would never spend more than a few hundred bucks before they get the coup de grâce with the .22, and go lay with the dead chickens in the mass grave. There's dogs where its harder, and some where its easier, but mostly its just the part of life. And for those who have personal hunting dogs, what better favor can you do your dog than have the last sound it hears, be the sound it loved. (no offense meant to anyone with that last line. Just wondering)

[835]

Yep,, yer definatly a Cat 1 !!!!!

[greenhorn]

I'd be a rescuer I guess.

People who see me train my dog think I'm a bit harsh with him. There is no hitting or anything cruel, but when he doesn't listen he gets corrected and learns that he needs to listen on the first command. I don't enjoy the correction, but it warms my heart when we go hiking together and he listens to commands and has a blast running all over the forest.

I think to myself how bad he had it before we got him from the pound, and how his life is now and when he smiles and pants and passes out in my truck from an exhausting day of fun....... I think yea, training is what's best for him and he's going to be better for it.