Wherever you choose to share your dogs and the adventures you take with them, you are sure to find countless differing opinions. A prevalent topic with many different voices is what does and does not constitute abuse. There are many activities and tools that people will claim are abusive that simply are not. Whether these harsh judgments come from a place of poor education or misunderstanding, we cannot always be sure. What is most confusing about this is that while things such as dog sports and kennels are being talked down to as cruel, there is a new culture of casual neglect that is completely overlooked and often times glorified as a positive. Casual neglect can take on many forms, and I would like to compare them to what I would consider their opposites in the list of what many uniformed people consider abusive.
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด:
The biggest offender regarding grooming in the โOMG this is abuseโ category is creative grooming which involves creative haircuts in often vibrant colors. The dyes used are either made specifically for pets or are vegetable-based dyes that are completely safe to use on pet fur. These types of grooms are not done on the average dog who hates having a bath. They are done on dogs who enjoy the extra pampering because no one wants to stress themselves and their dog by doing it on one who would not enjoy it.
The largest complaint I see with creative grooming is that โDogs are not fashion accessories.โ Correct, they are not, but a dog does not realize nor care that he is bright pink now. He cares that he spent extra time bonding with his owner while the dye set, and he cares that he gets extra attention and love out on the street.
When proper products and techniques are observed, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
Casual neglect happens in many forms in relation to grooming.
The most common one I see is overgrown nails. When nails are too long, body posture changes in an attempt to relieve pressure off of the nail. This can lead to splayed feet, reduced traction, and injured tendons in the foot. Excuses for this often range from โI donโt know how to trim nails correctlyโ to โMy dog wonโt allow us to trim themโ. I sympathize with the struggle, however there is an entire world of information and education available online to show you ways to do it properly and to desensitize a dog to having his feet touched, in addition to professionals who can trim for you. At the end of the day, YOU are responsible for making sure your dogโs nails are cared for.
Failure to properly care for a dogโs coat is another big form of casual neglect. This is something groomers often see in โdoodleโ type coats. Owners either do not brush at all or they do not brush properly all the way to the skin, which results in severely matted or even completely pelted dogs. Matted fur pulls on the skin and can be very painful. It can also lead to sores and infection if left long enough.
Improper dental care I am going to lump in with grooming because, while a major medical concern, brushing teeth or providing dental chews is a simple task that can be added to a daily grooming routine. When the teeth are not properly cared for, this leads to a buildup of tartar and bacteria which also causes gingivitis. These problems can lead to loose teeth, bone loss in the jaw, pain while eating, bad breath, and even eventual heart, liver, and kidney disease due to the infection.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
Many dog sports and exercise tools are often called abusive by those who have never participated, watched, or used them. Sports like racing, coursing, and mushing hone in on a dogโs natural instincts. They were bred to do these kinds of activities and thrive on it. Others such as weight pull, dock diving, agility, and flyball are all also excellent ways to bond with your dog, give them ample exercise, and they love doing it. A common complaint against these sports is that dogs should not be forced to perform for you, but a dog that does not want to pull weight or jump into the pool will not do so and those who do, do it because they have positive associations with the activity.
Similarly, with exercise tools like flirt poles and dog powered slat mills, people often associate them with dog fighting paraphernalia. They are both excellent ways to keep your dog in shape when you are dealing with limited space or poor weather. Both also require the dog to be involved, so if the dog were not enjoying it, they would not be used.
โYour dog is too skinny!โ, โWhy can I see ribs?โ, and โFeed him!โ are common things that those with fit or conditioned dogs hear. This is often because overweight dogs have become such the norm in our society that the average person is unable to recognize a fit dog in the peak of health. They see lateral muscles and think it is all ribcage or they see sighthounds and not understand they are built differently than other dogs.
โChonkโ culture is glorified as a positive thing and overfed and under-exercised dogs are defended as โliving their best lifeโ. Allowing your dog to maintain an unhealthy weight is one of the most common forms of casual neglect and is typically the most heavily defended. While your dog may be otherwise healthy currently, being overweight for a prolonged period of time adds additional stress to the joints which can lead to earlier onset arthritis and joint injuries. Obesity in dogs can also cause diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, heat intolerance, increased anesthetic risks, respiratory disorders, and an overall shortened lifespan.
I recognize that there are health issues that can contribute to a dog being overweight. But while yes, there are disease processes that cause weight gain and yes, there are medications that make weight loss more difficult, you should not use that as a crutch to avoid putting in the extra work. Your dog still depends on you to step up and do what needs to be done to take proper care of it.
I feel it is also important to note that ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด. Not only do dogs not experience shame in the same sense that humans do, dogs only have the association with words that we form with them. My dogs know that โsitโ means to sit because I said the word and rewarded the behavior I was searching for, thus forming the association. I could have just as easily said the word โmangoโ and rewarded them when they sat down which would have then caused them to associate that word with the behavior. Dogs do not have a body positivity movement, nor do they need one. They need owners who realize that ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐:
No matter what the tool, I am certain I have heard at least one person at some point refer to them as abusive. Training tools are meant to allow easier communication between handler and dog, help keep a dog safe, and help to allow a dog to live a more normal life if they deal with reactivity of some kind. There is nothing cruel about a training tool as long as it is used properly.
Crates are often seen as mean cages that dogs are shoved into for no reason, but when a dog is introduced properly and they are utilized for an appropriate period of time they are wonderful tools. They allow the dog to have their own safe space to go and relax, they keep potentially destructive dogs from ingesting things that could cause GI obstructions, and crate training at home reduces stress in an emergency situation when a dog must be kenneled at the vet or groomer.
Muzzles are often viewed in the same light with people questioning why you would put a cage on their face. Muzzle training has many benefits outside of the typical of a dog being a potential bite risk. Again, it is lovely training to have in the case of an emergency, because an injured dog will not always behave the way it would normally. Muzzles are also wonderful tools for dogs who tend to eat things they shouldnโt while outside. There are various other reasons someone may need a muzzle for their dog and it still isnโt cruel. Muzzles help keep dogs safe. When introduced properly, they do not cause stress. When properly sized, they allow for panting, drinking, and barking.
Prongs and E-collars are always met with criticism. People often seem to overlook that E-collars can operate on both a beep and a vibration setting in addition to their stim setting, and that when used appropriately prongs should cause pressure, not pain. They are training tools like any other. Every dog is different and may require different tools. E-collars are excellent tools for training long distance recall or for work with deaf dogs. Prongs are wonderful for stubborn dogs who are strong pullers. A prong will evenly distribute pressure around the neck, whereas a flat collar places all pressure directly on the trachea.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, you will find people who offer no training, no boundaries, and no structure to their dogs. While this may seem less neglectful than the others, this complete lack of mental stimulation can drive dogs to be destructive and neurotic, especially if their physical needs are also not being met.
I suspect that many of the opinions that think safe and fun practices are abusive stem from radical animal rights activist movements that only serve to further strip away the rights of dog owners, which is why it is so important to educate yourself on these items. But it is also vitally important to look at the things that you may be overlooking that are actually causing harm to your dogs.
๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ป๐ฒ๐ด๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐๐ฒ ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ.