Joe,a friend of mine, has always had a dog as a friend and a
companion.

During our chat about dog ownership he became overwhelmed
by the wonderful and not so wonderful experiences of
having been associated with these animals. The evolution and
domestication of the canine spieces is a gift from God.

As a dog owner you accept the responsibility for their care,
training, exercise,food,and water. Be patient with your pet
and apologize when you take your frustrations out on canine.
In return they will give their life for you.

Dogs have an intense desire to please the owner. Additional
emphases should be given to furthering of this atttribute
This will take a little more time and patience but the
results are priceless. An example: Ask a cat or bird to
fetch your slippers at the end of a hard days work.
Call me if you have one that will follow your request. It
will make "Riplies Believe it or Not".

Joe's Heidy( a German Wirehair Pointer) will fetch his slippers
and is happy to do so. Of course a little reward is given upon delivery.
She will tell you when her water dish is empty and when she needs
to go outside for bathroom functions.

When training a dog,you must be smarter than the dog. Dogs must be
taught to live in the human enviorment. This is best acomplised
with love, patience, and reward. Trainning should be
started at an early age. Puppies and young dogs have short
attention spans. Training times should be a happy time for
the dog so when it loses interest in the session stop and
provide some play time for the pup. The first thing a pup must
learn is that it is not allowed to perform its body functions in
the house(house breaking). This is an on going session but can be
included in the other sessions. "come", "sit", "down","whoe"and
"heel". Again, patience, and reward(or a lack of it) are important
to permit and strengthen the dog's desire to please the master.
Once the dog begins to respond to training,repetion becomes of utmost
importance. Use the same word in the same tone of voice every time,
"come"."sit",etc.

Dog care is generaly the same as humans. Feeding, grooming,
health care,and a comfortable warm enviorment. These things have
to be provided by the owner. The dog cannot provide them for himself.
The canine depends on you to provide for it.

Owning a dog results in the expenditure of your time and money, however
the rewards are priceless. Where can you buy true loyalty,unbiased love,
effection,and lasting companionship? A very wise man once said "If you
want a true and loyal friend, BUY A DOG".
Having a dog will certainly change your life for the BETTER.