Five Ways My Dogs Have Prepared Me for Parenting

My husband and I don't have kids yet, but we'd like to start a family in the future. We presently live in an apartment with our two dogs, Ockee and Odin. While caring for dogs isn't nearly as challenging, complex or expensive as caring for children, our dogs have helped us prepare for kids in some ways. We've started to refine our parenting skills with our pups.

Dogs Can't Talk

When our dogs are sick, hungry, tired or need to go out, they whine. Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what they want, especially if something out of the ordinary has happened and they are not on their normal feeding schedule.

Like babies and young children, dogs can't speak English and articulate what they need. If I'm lucky, our dogs will look at leashes or bowls, but sometimes it takes a few guesses before I figure out exactly what the dogs want.

On one occasion, Ockee kept barking. I couldn't figure out what she wanted and it was truly a helpless feeling. After hours of confusion, I finally realized that she had left her toy beyond the gate in the family room. Locked in the kitchen for a few hours, she couldn't reach it.

Budgeting

Feeding and caring for two large dogs is expensive. A large bag of dog food lasts about two weeks and costs almost $30. We spend about $60 per month on dry dog food, plus another $25 on wet food and treats.

We also need to keep current on the dogs' heartworm and flea and tick medications so they don't get fatal diseases or bring parasites into the apartment. On top of that, there are regular wellness visits and vet bills--and that's just when they're well.

When we go away, we also have to board our dogs--that's another $40 per day. Toys wear out; they need a new $7 rope every month or so.

While the costs add up, the money we spend is not nearly as much as we will have to spend on children someday.

In addition to the basic needs kids and dogs share, children need shoes and clothing and must be transported to different places frequently. Kids also tend to have more toys than dogs; a gaming console is more expensive than a play rope for a dog.

Having two dogs and managing their food and medical issues has allowed us to budget for the unknown and guesstimate future costs. This will be a useful skill when we have children.

Patience

Patience is the most important thing I have learned from my dogs. It will help me as a parent and already helps me manage my work more effectively. Patience even helps me succeed in interpersonal relationships, video games and my marriage.

My dogs test my patience in several ways. For one thing, they don't always understand what I'm trying to communicate because they simply aren't developed enough to do so. Training also requires repetition and reinforcement, and even after the dogs learn something, they can forget without correction and positive reinforcement.

Discipline and Saying No

It's hard to say no, but it's something any responsible pet owner or parent has to learn. When I'm preparing human food, Ockee and Odin constantly beg because one of their previous caretakers fed them from the counter and table daily.

Ockee and Odin are not allowed to have human food, so I have to tell them "no" despite the fact that they're cute. I can tell that they are disappointed, but I know I've done a good job as a pet owner and have made a healthy decision for my pets.

This is a good lesson'"it's hard enough saying no to myself when I want ice cream, let alone a child whose health depends upon a balanced diet.

Family Love and Pride

The most rewarding thing I've learned from my dogs is family love and pride. When I have a bad day, the dogs know it and they just want to be near me and make me feel whole again. While Ockee is a one-person dog who gravitates more to my husband, Odin loves everyone. If there are several people around and I'm not getting attention, he always comes near me.

I'm also proud of my dogs when they do something right. It's rewarding to see them succeed at small things, even if it just means saying "good boy!" while Odin's doing his business in the back yard.

As the years go by, I hope to someday be able to share the same love and respect with children of my own.