November 3rd, 2022
The biggest mistake dog parents
make in 2022
(It's not what you think)
Are you making this huge mistake as a dog parent?
If you are a dog parent you know that it comes with a lot of responsibility, love, and sometimes stress. With social media, and other people's opinions and feedback, it can get downright chaotic at times. So it’s natural to wonder what mistakes you may be making as a pet parent. We’re here to talk about it, and we think you’ll be pretty surprised at the biggest mistake pet parents are making today!
Life Elevated doesn’t only produce nutritious and delicious dog treats, we’re also on a mission to improve the physical and mental well-being of dogs and their parents. We aim to break the cycle of old-school training habits that can often be stressful. We believe that no one should have to blame themselves for their dogs sometimes frustrating behaviors, and that being a dog mom (or dad!) should be an enjoyable experience.
On our journey to build a community that encompasses compassion, empathy, and dog-obsessed humans, we have partnered with one of the most compassionate, empathetic, and dog-obsessed humans, Stephanie! (Read more about her experience and expertise here)
So, what is the biggest mistake pet parents are making today? Stephanie is here to tell us, and we believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
"It’s time to stop solely blaming ourselves, and know a dog is a package of genetics, emotions, likes, dislikes, physiology, and environment."
-Stephanie R
Compassion on both ends of the leash
“The biggest mistake dog parents make today is blaming themselves for everything they don’t love about their dogs' behavior. As a trainer often times I get called because a pet parent is completely overwhelmed by their dogs' behavior, guilt has consumed them and they feel stuck. “Help” is the first thing I hear, followed by “I know it’s me, I must be doing it all wrong”. When someone says that to me, what I am hearing is “I’m doing everything I know, please don’t judge me, I am already living with overwhelming dog mom/dad guilt”. When I hear these things my heart sinks because I know the relationship is suffering on both ends of the leash.
So I am here to tell you, it’s not all your fault! We are living in an age of guilt-inducing social media; including Reels and Tiktoks that show “perfect” dogs in 30 second intervals that make some feel they aren't doing enough. Paired with a culture of “it’s all in how you raise them”, it can sometimes feel like it's too much. When owners blame themselves fully for their dogs behavior it can lead to toxic anxiety, embarrassment, sleepless nights, and weakened relationships with their dog. This ultimately can make training miserable for the pet and owner, leading to worsened behaviors.
It’s time to stop blaming ourselves solely, and know a dog is a package of genetics, emotions, likes, dislikes, physiology, and environment. It’s never just how they are raised. By understanding genetics behind your dogs behaviors, you unlock the power of knowledge. This knowledge helps you understand your dog better, so you can learn how to work with nature, so the nurture no long involves guilt.”
It's time to take a deep breath, you deserve it!
So there you have it, the biggest mistake you may be making as a pet parent is actually blaming yourself. Blaming yourself because maybe your working dog herds you in the house, or your companion dog doesn’t want to go on 5-mile hikes. Now, this doesn’t mean we believe that we humans are never at fault, but we do feel it’s important to highlight the stress that comes with dog parenting and training and normalize it! As a part of our mission to improve the physical and mental well-being of dogs and their owners, we will be providing content, tools, and resources on everything dog behavior, proven training tactics, genetics, and more!
You can stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter, joining our private Facebook community, and follow us on our social pages!