Does your dog listen to you?

More and more HDB flat dwellers are keeping one or more dogs in their flats, some with license and some without. Keeping dogs is not just about feeding and playing with them but also involves training them to behave appropriately. Many dog lovers even take their dogs as their own children. If so, then there is even more compelling reason to train and educate the dogs correctly and appropriately. When children misbehave, people would start pointing their index finger at the parents. What about when dogs misbehave?

I have observed many dog owners who are not able to control their dogs, for example, when a stranger appears at the gate, it is natural for the dog to bark at the stranger, but upon the owner's instruction to stop barking, the dog should listen and obey. But, I have personally witnessed so many situations, even when the owner shouts and screams at the dog to tell the dog to stop barking, the dog just simply ignores the instruction of its owner. Such dogs are obviously not being properly trained or might not have been trained at all.

Frankly, such uncontrolled behaviour of the dogs reflects on the poor training and upbringing by the owner. Dogs are very sensible, emotional and faithful friends of human beings. They can be trained to behave well. The onus lies with the owner!