"Spoiled" Dogs Are NOT So Spoiled

Lately I've heard people say "my dog is so spoiled, we haven't done any training with him", or "my dog is so lucky, she's never been left alone in her entire life."  Very well-meaning, loving dog owners think they are dog their dogs a favour, but they're not.  Training a dog helps him build confidence, helps him feel a sense of control over his environment, and when the hard work pays off, you have a better-behaved dog.  Never leaving a dog alone can create an unhealthy dependency and lead to separation anxiety issues, a very unsure or anxious dog, and makes it really hard for owners to ever go away on vacation or maybe even out for the day without their dog.  Dogs should not be left alone for exceedingly long periods of time (i.e. more than the 8 hours you are gone for work, or 4 hours for new puppies), but they SHOULD learn how to be alone and how to be with people other than their owners.  "Oh, but we take her everywhere, we would never leave her home when we go on vacation".  Fair enough.  It's your home, your dog, your vacation.  I'm not here to tell anyone not to bring their dogs places.  My husband and I take our dogs on vacation with us, we all love hiking and camping, and it's great for dogs to be exposed to new environments.  But what happens if you have to travel somewhere unexpectedly and can't bring your dog?  What if you break your legs and are in hospital for a few days and need a friend or dog care professional to care for your dog?  Teach your dog to be okay with being alone by leaving for very short periods of time by rewarding him as you leave and in this way you teach him that god things happens when you go away.  Start with an amount of time where he does not panic or get upset (even if it's only 2 seconds at first!) and then very slowly increase the time.  Sounds like a lot of work?  Maybe at first.  But after 2-3 weeks of slowly increasing the time and teaching your dog to be okay on his own leads to a life-time of being able to go out whenever you want - with or without your best friend - and a dog that feels safe and secure even when you're not there.  A great video to help start the process can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGxhcb-itO4.  Being a dog owner is about more than providing food, shelter, and physical affection.  We can show our love for our dogs by mentally stimulating them with training and helping them feel confident and safe in their own homes - with or without us.