is it okay to love and treat your dog like a child?

Question

i do, and people have problems with it, what do you think?

i dress him, do his hair, and paint his nails.
but, i dont walk him without shoes, and usually
end up carrying him, i dont want him to hurt his
feet.

Answer 1

For the most part, no.

I volunteer at a shelter, and I see dogs come in with numerous behavioral problems caused by such babying. People who baby their dogs usually let them get away with most everything.

Sometimes dogs can do this and still retain a friendly attitude, but most often they become spoiled and dominant, and the dog will begin to express aggressive tendencies: at the food or water bowl, towards other dogs, towards other pets, children, strangers, ect. This aggression may start out small--a little growl here and there--but it can explode into a huge problem if left unchecked.

I'm not saying you should never indulge your dog. It's nice to baby them once in a while...pamper them with treats, take them on a road trip, let them run around in a dog park, swim in a lake...Just keep it to a controllable level so that things don't get out of hand.

EDIT:

In reply to your additional details:

I really don't care if you dress them up or paint their nails (personally I find that strange, but it's your choice), but you really should be letting your dog walk and not carrying them around everywhere.

Dogs need to be walked to get adequate exercise and to stay well-balanced in mind. Not letting him walk is bad for him and could lead to problems in behavior down the road.

I don't really like to equate "dog" situations with "human" situations, but this is the only good example I can think of:

Imagine if someone carried you everywhere and never let you stretch your legs or burn up a little energy. After a while, you would get jittery and antsy to move, would you not?

It is similar for dogs. Dogs that don't get adequate exercise get hyper and develop other ways of letting out their energy, mostly by tearing up your house, which is obviously unacceptable. If you exercise your dog in other ways, such as playing fetch, in lieu of walking, that's fine.

Answer 2

No it is not ok to treat dogs like humans.
This is exactly the reason so many dogs have behavioral problems and end up being dumped in shelters and rescues. Dogs do not respect a loveable leader they respect a fair and just leader and if you can not do the job a dog is happy to take the position of leader and this is where problems begin. Dogs that are humanized become pushy and aggressive towards everyone, including the owner. They test the waters to see what will happen with a growl and from there it gets worse til the owner has no idea what to do and off to the pound it goes. People would have an easier time with dogs if they just remembered that dogs are not furry people but pack animals that need structure and leadership.

Answer 3

Definitely NOT OKAY!! Would you invite an aligator into your home and paint his nails? Because that is basically what you will end up with - a dog that is uncontrollable and potentially dangerous - if you insist on humanizing him.
Dogs are animals, not babies. It's okay to love your animals like they are people, but they do not think the way we do and therefore require a different treatment.
Dogs are also happier when they are able to be dogs, and use their instincts, and LEGS for that matter.
If you really care about your dog, you will let him be a dog.
My dogs are treated better than most children, but even though they are well treated, they are still treated like dogs, not helpless babies.

Answer 4

Well i think is ok as long as you let it be a dog you not like giving hem food with a spoon or celebrating hes birthday at mac Donal's there's is a lot of kids that don't eve have food to eat and have to dig on trash so don't over do it you know what i mean, you can love it like a child but not actually treat your dog like one.

Answer 5

yes! its nice to see people loving and kissing there dogs!
they have a short life, why not give them the best?
my doggie is my baby and i take her everywhere with me!
she is sooo sweet i make sure he doesnt leave the house without a coat in the winter otherwise she will freeze. . dont let people bring you down
they dont know what its like to be loved by a pet and to love a pet. there is just a special bond between your dog andyou that only you two can share and i think that is sweet.
good luck with your dog and please. dont let anyone tell you that its wrong to love your dog!

Answer 6

Yes,It's fine!! Don't worry about what other people think,If that's what you want to do then do it! I mean,I Love My baby girl to death,she's a 2 month old Pomeranian & I treat her like a princess, & I beleive animal's are living beings just like we are so why not treat them with the same respect & love?

Answer 7

I totally agree with Bambi, That is exactly how I feel, I have a big baby dog , I love her to death, shes my baby! So YES it is okay to love them who cares what anyone else thinks and what probelms they have with it, there are many people that feel about their dogs the way you do yours!!! I know I do!!!!

Answer 8

I love my dogs as I would love my own children, but they are dogs - a different species. I don't treat them as humans because they are not.

Answer 9

No, dogs want to be dogs, treated like dogs.. Given rules and guidelines, trained, and included in your life.. They do not want to be treated like furry little babies wearing nail polish and goofy clothes.. You have to allow dogs to be dogs, or you mess them up.. Would you like it if I forced you to live like a hamster?

Answer 10

No theres no problem with it!

I saw this Judge Judy show and
this lady called her puppy
her daughter it was really cute.

Your puppy is like a your child because
you take care of it right??
Give it bath's, feed it ECT.
So I would say it's ok.

I know I treat my puppy like a child!