Roberto Nickson via Unsplash
Overall Philosophy
As an authoritative dog guardian, you’re all about balance, flexible schedules, and well-mannered behaviors. You believe in positive teaching methods and crate-training, and while you want your pup to be a pup, you also want her to know she needs to look to you for direction.
Playtime
When your dog starts running through the house with your socks or chewing on the corner of your favorite rug, you bring out the frozen Kong and let your pup settle in her crate for some calming-down. Or, you know it’s time for a quick run-through of your pup’s many commands and tricks. She enjoys the work and it’s a good reminder for her of how to behave.
Exercise
You and your pup take regular walks several times a day, and when you can’t fit it in yourself, your neighbor or dog-walker does it for you. You understand the importance of pack-walks and you know your pup is so much happier and healthier when she gets regular exercise.
Training Style
You and your pup probably graduated from puppy school at the head of the class, and it’s a safe bet you also finished beginning obedience training. If you had time, you’d like to be certified as a therapy team. But until then, you run through a couple of commands several times a day, and you always fit in a longer training session at least once a week.
At Home
Your home is a haven where, most of the time, life runs smoothly. Things are generally organized and predictable, and you and your pup appreciate the calming routines. When you have visitors, people can’t believe how well-behaved your pup is, and it makes them want to get a dog.
What are the Pros and Cons of being an Authoritative Pup Parent?
Pros:
🐶 You and your pup share an incredibly rewarding bond because of all the training you’ve done.
🐶Your pup’s been raised with appropriate boundaries. She’s confident, happy, and well-mannered, and you can take her anywhere.
🐶Your pup is usually enthusiastic about anything you want to do.
Cons:
🐶 Sometimes, you feel a bit like the “mean” parent, with all your focus on obedience.
🐶 Requiring obedience oftentimes puts you at odds with your pup’s doggy nature. It can be frustrating at times, and tiring, to fight instinct.
Are you a Small Dog Authoritative Parent?
If you want to capitalize on the pros and minimize the cons of your parenting style, please join our email list, where we’ll keep you in the loop on all things small dog.
Hi There! We’re The Team At Downward (Sizing) Dog.
My name is Karen. I’m a writer, a long time dog lover, and the founder of downward (sizing) dog, a lifestyle brand that takes small dogs seriously.
Although we love dressed-up Instagram pupfluencers as much as the next #dogmom, we’re all about showing others that small dogs are as canine as the golden retriever or lab next door. We’re literally writing the book on small dogs, and we’re deeply committed to helping small dog families live their best lives.
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