Do we over humanise our dogs?

This topic was debated onanother forum and I thought it was really interesting. My OH is always saying i treat the dog better than I treat him (really male over-exaggeration but nevermind!!), but I do find myself having conversations with Roxy and do treat her sometimes like a child! I read somewhere that the more we treat a dog like a human the more effects how they regard us in the pack order.

What do you think of this and do you over-humanise your dogs?

I really do humanise Jade. I talk to her and treat her like shes my baby. I don't tend to notice unless my OH points it out - which he often does!!

I think humanizing our dogs must affect each of them different cos I certainly do treat Kane like one of my kids but he has never doubted my position as pack leader. I think his personality is to be a born follower. I humanize him more than anyone else in the family does yet he will try and push the limits in little ways with others but never with me.

Everyone seems to do this far too much. I'm guilty of it as well. People get into a lot of trouble when they forget their dogs are dogs and expect them to reason as a person would. Dogs understand the world though dog eyes and the pecularities of modern society which we thrust upon them is completely unnatural and we should never expect them to behave as anything other than dogs. As owners we should always be looking out for situations where they may act in a natural dog fashion and be frowned upon by others.

Very true Skippy and maybe this is why Kane still never doubts my leadership. I talk to him like one of my kids alot of the time but I never expect him to react like, or have the emotions of anything but the dog he is. I always think ahead as to how he will act in any given situation and when he does things that the kids will complain about or anything I have to remind them "he's just a dog", can't expect him to think the same as us. I think some parents in the park think dogs should react and feel just like humans when they let their kids rush up and get in a dogs face. Kane doesn't ever mind but I could see how some dogs would if not subjected to a range of human traits to help them accept how we are too. I also think that is where alot of the training problem occur is when people communicate in a human fashion only and expect them to completely understand. It becomes so much easier for the dog to learn if he is treated as a dog.