This can be a tough question because the term "spoiled" can be subjective in some ways. Most pet parents spoil their pets in some way whether they know about it or not. Having a spoiled dog is necessarily not a bad thing as it is a sign that you love your pet. It can only become a problem if it starts to affect the behavior of your pet and your wallet.
The Difference Between Loving and Spoiling Your Dog
Are you loving your dog too much to the point where you are spoiling them?
Spoiling your dog means you are giving him anything he wants and this includes making excuses or ignoring their bad behaviors.
Conversely, loving your dog means developing a healthy relationship between you and your pet based on respect and trust. This means that you are in charge and you'll get to determine when your dog needs to be rewarded for its good behaviors.
How to Unspoil Your Dog
Training
Obedience training is crucial for any dog as it teaches them proper pet manners. If you've just brought home a puppy, then you should start training once they are old enough to understand and follow basic commands. Training is the key to teaching them good behavior and making sure they are not spoiled.
Set Rules and Boundaries
If you want to avoid spoiling your dog, you need to make sure that they know what behavior is wrong or right. Rewarding them when they've done something right establishes boundaries. But consistency is the key.
Being consistent means you are not making exemptions with certain behavior because of special circumstances. Your dog will keep the same behavior until they are taught consistently that what they do is bad.
You also need to make sure that everyone is consistent with this. Anyone who spends time with your dog needs to also be reinforcing the rules and make sure they aren't rewarded for their bad behavior. Allowing anyone to break these rules can break your training.
Feeding and Food Manners
An essential part of unspoiling your dog is to not allow them to indulge in their bad eating habits. This means you shouldn't allow them to eat on a person's plate, even if they are just treats. This teaches them that food is always up for grabs them. They should not eat human food, instead, feed them foods that are meant for dogs.
Toys
Puppies would love to play and chew, but this needs to be their toys. When your dog is spoiled, they see everything in the house as potential toys. This can lead to getting your personal belongings such as shoes, watch, remote control, or anything else within their reach. Much like the foods, the key to unspoiling them is to set clear rules and boundaries for your pet.
Can You Unspoil Your Dog?
If your pet has become spoiled for some time, don't worry since your pet can be re-taught with proper manners even if they've become badly behaved. All you have to do is put some time and effort into making sure your system works.
Unspoiling your dog requires that you do all the same things over and over again until they understand why you are punishing or rewarding them. Doing it is easy when they are still puppies, but when they are holding you'll be enforcing these rules for a long time until they understand what you meant. With some patience, you'll be able to unspoil your dog.