I caught this cute Mental Health Break on Sullivan's site this morning. A cuddly puppy saying "hello." Adorable. And awful.
I'll explain after the jump...
I've known several people who've tried to teach their dogs to "talk" -- but without the absolutely mandatory "stop talking" training.Here's what happens: a puppy learns to make an adorable "word" (or not) with its bark. This rapidly evolves into a serious barking issue because the dog has learned that making loud vocalizations is rewarded, acceptable behavior.Before long, the dog won't shut up. And it gets louder as the dog matures. In some cases, the barking becomes so constant that owners either give the dog up for adoption or worse -- some owners have been known to have the dog's voice box surgically removed. Not only is the latter procedure cruel, but what happens if the dog is seriously in distress and needs to use its bark?Dogs can't actually talk like people. So if you know anyone who's trying to make this evolutionary leap just because it's cute, kindly instruct them to stop it -- or tell them to pay a professional trainer. Do-it-yourself dog talking only leads to bad places.ADDING... Two more horrible consequences of human-induced barking issues. Abuse -- hitting the dog to make it stop barking. And, of course, euthanizing the dog -- either as a first hand decision, or as the result of giving up the dog to a kill shelter.