6 Things Dog Trainers Won’t Tell You

Once upon a time there was a boy who grew up listening to the stories of Tiger. The giant German shepherd dog was an important member of his family and won hearts of everyone with his not-so-animal-like tricks. He was faithful, obeying and ferocious – all at the same time. The family loved the dog but unfortunately lost him before that little boy was even born. So, the boy could only imagine how Tiger was.

This made the boy fall in love with dogs. He so wanted to have a German shepherd dog, look for him, take care of him and play with him. But the family was too devastated at the death of Tiger. They didn’t want to bring another pet at home for it was heartbreaking to see them die. But the boy had made his decision. He waited…

And one day he finally got a chance to get a GSD for himself. He called up the best dog trainer in the country and asked him for assistance on buying and raising a good dog. The trainer, like almost every other business man, got a victim. He shot up with a number of suggestions, expensive treatments and different kinds of German shepherd dogs. It turns out every dog trainer in the country is also a dog dealer.

Little boy was a grown up now but he had no knowledge of dogs. And he didn’t dare to inform at home about this action fearing rejection. So, he decided to go on with what the trainer suggested? What did he get? Threats of how the puppy will die if he doesn’t eat the best quality dog food, even when the pup didn’t bear teeth to chew till then. A number of expensive toys with which the pup never played. A lot of other things that cost a lot to the not-so-little boy…

And you know what this is what happens with every person who brings a dog home for the first time. We are so clueless about what we need and what we don’t need that we end up following some stupid person’s advice who just tries to make more money out of selling living beings like dogs. They don’t really care if your dog lives or die. In fact, they would love it if it dies. Because that gives them a chance to sell you another puppy and repeat the whole thing!!!

You know what, this happened with a friend of mine a few days back and I couldn’t help myself but write this post. This is totally inspired from what was suggested to my best friend by the so-called best dog trainer in the city/country/Asia. Here are 6 things the dog trainer won’t tell you.

1. He needs milk: Of course, the dog experts would say puppies can’t digest milk because of the lactose present in the milk of cows. There is special puppy milk which is recommended. But you know what! I have kept 5 dogs and all of them drank normal milk which humans drink. And there are high chances your puppy won’t like that artificial milk. Why would you still want to waste your money or even worse – keep him hungry?
2. He doesn’t need dog food: So, my friend’s so called expert dog trainer suggested him the best dog food available for new born pups. Guess what! The pup didn’t even like sniffing the food. This obviously meant that his Rs. 800 got wasted. And there are high chances you’re also going to fall in the trap of keeping your puppy on complete dog food. It is always good if you present a variety of food options to your dog. Complete dog feed is, according to me, a stupid practice designed to rip money off dog owners.
3. He doesn’t need toys: Of course, you would have to deal with the chewing habit of the pup but that really doesn’t mean that you need a wide variety of chew toys for that. Trust me! He won’t even touch those chew toys. He would go on and chew your socks, chappals, clothes but never ever chew his toy. So, why even get that? One chew bone is more than enough.
4. He doesn’t need the crate: Well, I have been a big dog lover since a long time but I never knew what crate is. Basically, crate is a fancy name given to the dog cage. And I bet no real dog lover likes to see his/her dog in a cage. But such dog trainers would highly recommend you to buy a crate for they think puppies/dogs must not be allowed to roam around in the house. Come on! When you bring a pet home, you accept to share your house and family with him. Then why a cage?
5. He doesn’t need that baby carry bag: you would be wondering what’s that? It is a bag like thing which is used to carry around puppies. The companies making dog products are seriously thriving. And many of us fall into their trap. Why would you need to suffocate your pup in a bag just take him around? Either it can walk or it would stay at home. It is that simple.
6. Potty Tray is the only good thing: Yep, Potty tray is the only good thing your dog trainer/pet dealer might suggest. It takes a while to give proper potty training to your puppy and you don’t want it to litter around the house till then. A potty tray would really help in that case.

Did you see? 4 out of the 5 suggested things (Dog food, Crate, Chew Toys, Baby Carry Bag) weren’t really required to be bought for the puppy. But my friend bought it. Because he didn’t have any idea about what he actually needed and what he didn’t. But you do have the idea now. Right?

So, next time you or your friend buys a puppy, make sure you keep these points in mind and save yourself from spending money on useless things and causing trouble to your puppy.