You’ve heard the term before. It sounds cute, delightful, and just overall makes us feel good inside. It gives the impression that a dog is no different than an infant child; innocent, helpless, and in dire need of the loving affection of a human guardian. But is this term “fur babies” really an accurate and honoring characterization of man’s best friend? Or could it be that a term like this is actually more of a disservice to our beloved animal companions?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to sit here and say that a phrase like this is the worst thing ever, because it’s not. I realize this is just a phrase that really isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but, in my opinion, using a phrase like this to describe our dogs is actually quite inaccurate.
Dogs are descendants of wolves, and they still have some of those survival instincts built into them. This is why dogs sound the alarm at strangers, growl when they are uncomfortable, guard their territory, guard their resources, and so on…So I think it’s safe to say that dogs are far from helpless and “innocent”. They may be domesticated, but they are still animals. And it is a disservice to not respect them as such.
A common phrase used in the dog training world is, “Treat a dog like a human, and he will treat you like a dog.” Personally, I think this statement hits the nail right on the head. Dogs, in general, will absolutely begin to misbehave and show lack of respect towards people when we don’t set any kind of rules or boundaries for them. Not only that, but dogs will often times even develop anxiety issues whenever not given the proper guidance they need. And when dogs have anxiety, that’s when you often times see the worst behaviors come out.
So hopefully you can see why I am not a huge fan of this term “fur babies.” Again, it’s not the worst thing ever, but I personally don’t like to use it. I think it’s pretty clear that dogs are not mere infants that are desperately needing our love and affection. I would actually say that what dogs need more then anything is good leadership.
As one of my mentors, Sean O’Shea (The Good Dog Training & Rehabilitation in L.A), says, “Love them by leading them.” Not that there is never a time for love and affection, but often times dogs are given way to much affection, and not nearly enough rules and boundaries. For most things in life, balance is always best.