Even as a dog walker for two years and a prior owner of two other dogs for a combined 22 years, there’s nothing like being the primary owner of a four-legged roommate. I can’t imagine ever not having a pet again, but my Hound mix hasn’t lived with me for a full year yet. (I adopted her on Juneteenth, and she was 4 months old.)
However, I still encourage those who are interested in pet adoption to consider adult dogs. Every dog that I have dog boarded or dogsat has been at least 2 years old, and they were trained already. The learning curve for puppies during that first year can be exhausting, and those “teenage” antics spill over into the second year. Those are the trying years when you really have to decide whether you will make it as a dog owner for the long haul. I knew I’d make it, but the Zoomies were wearing me out.
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What I didn’t realize with my first two dogs (or even as a dog caregiver for two years) was how beneficial pet cameras are for training. I’d always considered nanny cameras as just a way to stalk your dog all day long. It wasn’t until I got surveillance cameras for a completely different reason that I realized why I should’ve invested in a pet camera months ago.
Recommended Read: “Old phone, new home surveillance system ~ AlfredCamera review: Taking advantage of free mobile surveillance apps”
Why pet cameras help with dog training
I didn’t need Agatha Christie or Detective Poirot to figure out who was digging around in my plants. I wasn’t investigating the whereabouts of who was leaving a dent on the top of my couch either. I knew exactly who the culprit was. But in any dog training book or online course, they all point out that it does no good to reprimand a dog for doing something after the fact. Wagging a finger or yelling or pointing to a pet crate is useless for an animal happily strolling to the door to greet you (or in my case, saying “rawr, rawr, rawr” to let me know how unhappy she was that I left).