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Many families call us and raise their doubts about whether the Spanish water dog breed is ideal for a family:
• Is the Spanish water dog breed the right one for my family?
• We are a family with 2 children at home and we want to know if this race would conform to our way of life
• We live in a flat with a terrace (or patio) not very big and we want to know if it is enough to have a water dog
• We spend the whole morning working and the dog must stay at home a few hours alone. But in the afternoon and on weekends we usually take long walks or go to the park to enjoy the outdoors.
From the UBBADAT kennel, the first thing we always do is to know, as far as possible, the family and social environment that our puppies will have with their future families in order to give the necessary advice for a happy living together at home between humans and dog
A family type, say with residence in any city (either living in the center or in a row house), with one or several children and being a normal family; that from time to time he goes out for a walk or likes to enjoy the outdoors with his children, he should not have any kind of problem in sharing his life with a healthy and balanced Spanish water dog since his departure from the farm.
The life of a normal family has a schedule that is repeated for at least 5 days a week and the weekend changes to give way to other types of activities. This for a balanced puppy is easy to understand and assimilate. In fact, the daily routine is a point of stability in the life of the dog very necessary from puppy and what will quickly adapt as part of the family.
Obviously certain things change in family life when a puppy enters it. Daily departures must not be missed and must be POSITIVE. When I say “positive” I mean that you should not go out with the dog and be talking on the whatsapp or looking at the Facebook on your mobile. What you should do is enjoy your dog in the street, meeting new dog and human friends, acquiring new experiences and knowing new places, noises and situations every day. Playing with your dog and teaching him tricks is the best way to strengthen your mind and body and have a healthy and happy animal at home able to live with the rest of the family without problems and be one more.
The Spanish water dog is a dog TO HAVE FUN !!! It is a very intelligent race and capable of learning anything you intend to teach always positive.
TIPS FOR HAVING A BALANCED SPANISH WATER DOG:
So that the coexistence between the dog and the family is good in all the senses, it is necessary to have a dog balanced physically and mentally. Otherwise, there could be a series of more or less serious circumstances that make day to day a continuous struggle. Therefore, to avoid reaching that point, there are a series of guidelines that we must follow to have a balanced dog.
What is a balanced dog?
Before describing how a balanced dog is, it must be said that all dogs are born balanced. What causes physical and mental disorders are the subsequent circumstances that do not depend on him. Dogs also suffer from depression, anxiety and fear, just like people do. Therefore, a traumatic experience can determine your behavior.
In addition, and very important, is the way of parenting with which the puppy was born and grown until delivery to his family. Well, it is not the same to have a litter where the only human contact has had it with a person and without further stimuli to check that it is still alive to breed in a place where it receives EARLY STIMULATION and is subjected to several stimuli so that when the puppy leaves of the hatchery do it in positive and with desire to learn and play.
Spanish water dog in USA. Export from UBBADAT Kennel – Spain
A balanced dog is one whose physical and mental health is correct.
Having a healthy physique means not having any illness or discomfort that disturbs your daily life, including obesity. A mentally healthy dog is one that is obedient and has good behavior in all aspects. For this it is absolutely necessary that the dog receives a good education since childhood. And in good education a good deal is also included. The fact that “the letter with blood comes in” is not always true, and what you think is “for your own good” can mean a life-long trauma to your dog. For that reason, treat your dog with RESPECT, and if you must scold him, it should be in his just measure and better with orders than with blows. Remember that it is much more effective to give a reward when the dog does well, and that if you show affection in the end the behavior will be much more kind on the part of the two.
What is an unbalanced dog?
An unbalanced dog is one that, by trauma or rebellion, fails to establish a relationship of affection and submission to others, always showing the defensive or believing to be the leader.
THINGS TO AVOID FOR YOUR DOG TO BE BALANCED
As we said before, the mental and physical imbalance of a dog is due, most of the time, to the wrong doing of humans for the dog. This includes mistreatment and neglect, as well as poor diet or poor hygiene conditions. But, in addition, there are things that we sometimes do without realizing and that can harm the mental health of our dog. One of these things, for example, is to separate the cubs from the mother ahead of time. When they are so small and so vulnerable, what gives them the feeling of security and protection is being with their mother and siblings. If in addition to separating them from them you put them in a strange place to live and surrounded by people they do not know, it is a very bitter drink for the dog. Even more so if in those first days he does not receive the attention he deserves.
Another mistake is to be too permissive with the dog and not to set limits, such as letting her get on the couch and the bed or eating the remains of our food at the table. You can not allow him to do it once and the next time he will scold him and pretend not to do it again. This will confuse the dog and it will be difficult to correct his behavior.
Spanish water dog in Finland. Export from UBBADAT Kennel – Spain
BASIC NEEDS TO HAVE A SPANISH WATER DOG BALANCED
To have a balanced dog, it is essential to cover your basic needs.
• A good quality food and in its proper measure.
• An optimal rest:
For your dog to develop physically and intellectually, it is necessary to rest the necessary hours and this is a quality rest. For this you must find a suitable place, clean and at a good temperature, from where you have access to food and water.
• Protection site:
It is not advisable for the dog to spend much time outside the house, even on the porch or in the garden. The Spanish water dog must always have a relationship with the family and with other dogs. This will help make him more sociable.
• Exercise:
While it is not good for the dog to spend a lot of time outside, it is advisable to exercise daily. The dog must play and run to develop his musculature and intellect.
• Education and affection:
Your dog will be your best friend. The affection it will have for you will be infinite. Try to return a little love. Dogs love attention and caresses. But without taking his place: it is a dog, not a child. Do not overdo your attention and educate it accordingly.
Puppy of Spanish water dog. UBBADAT Kennel – Spain
TIPS FOR HAVING A SPANISH WATER DOG BALANCED
• Educate him from puppy
It will always be easier to have a balanced dog if you educate it since childhood. Once it has grown it is more difficult to redirect its behavior, although it is not impossible. But if from the first days the dog receives everything he needs and gives him the necessary guidelines so that his behavior is correct, coexistence will be ideal.
• Play with him and take long walks
As we have discussed before, exercise is fundamental for physical and mental development. But not for the simple act of exercising your muscles. With exercise, which is game for them, they act on stimuli and relate to people and other dogs. This is great so you do not miss strangers, preventing them from barking or being scared. A long walk offers many good things to the dog. Explore new horizons, develop your sense of smell and respond to stimuli previously unknown to him, and strengthen your relationship.
• Talk with him/her
Yes, talk a lot with your spanish water dog. You will be surprised at the communication that these copies have. If you talk to your dog while doing any homework or you speak to him as if he understood what you are saying, the puppy will be aware of you trying to understand it and in a few days you will see that he communicates with you; with gestures, small barks, sounds and movements the water dog expresses itself like no other race.
Connecting with your dog and creating the LINK with him is a wonderful experience. Talk to him a lot. Respect him and give him affection. You will see the result in a very short time.
• The dog is a dog. Treat it as such
A dog is part of the family. That is indisputable. But the dog has its place and must not go beyond the limits. He must eat in his place and at his hours, not have too many mimes and accept as many orders as he is given. Although we believe that we do well to pamper him and “give him a better life”, it can be harmful to the dog. There comes a time when he does not ask for those comforts, but demands them. The dog feels in a position above you, and that can bring many problems.
Let your dog be a dog, get dirty, run and jump in puddles. But laugh at him if he scavenges in the garbage, you see him sleeping on the sofa or he jumps to the table to get food. Also, do not see them as little children or treat them as people or toys. That way you do no good to your dog.
• Establish orders and limits
First of all, you have to establish some rules and limits, and the whole family must stick to that decision. Therefore, if you decide not to let him sit on the couch, you can not leave him at any time. If you do it sometimes yes and sometimes not, the dog will not understand that doing it is wrong and will receive reprimands without knowing why.
Also, when giving orders, always use the same words, the same tone and the same gestures. If you teach your dog to sit at the command of “sit”, do not be angry if you say “sit down” he does not pay attention to you. And if your dog disobeys or has done something wrong, do not let him down or encourage him until he has had a good time. He must learn what is right and what is wrong and know the consequences of disobeying.
• Be patient with your pet
Educating a puppy is a fun task that requires a lot of patience. Short sessions of 5 minutes will suffice to teach you the first orders and the coexistence day by day will do the rest.
Setting limits, having patience, respecting it, giving it the love it deserves and playing with your dog will create a very special bond.
We have the best breed of dogs in the world, the Spanish water dog. Let’s take care of it
David Colmenero,
breeder and owner of Afixx UBBADAT
