[Dailydrool] Training question

[dpmcquade at verizon.net]

It is my experience that so often, kids can so anything they please, and no one says a word. But if your dog acts up in the least, the folks who ignore all the children's yelling and screaming are down your throat. Happily, we live in a very nice neighborhood, where most people have been most generous about our dogs--though I believe many think we are crazy for having three. However I remember the times I got in trouble from neighbors about our dogs doing their business on the public land between the street and sidewalk (I note that one of these folks now has a dog, so it's no longer a problem). It didn't matter that it was perfectly legal and that we always picked things up.

But I have to wonder, if we treated kids in a similar way to dogs, would they be better behaved and better treated? Since so many of us think of dogs as family members and people spend a small fortune on their dogs, I often wonder if in some households dogs don't have the better deal. (Since Drew and I have never had kids, I will not elaborate on this subject.)

Not that my hounds are incredibly well behaved, but I also have to believe that a reasonably smart child might pick up some training better than a stubborn basset. Of course, in this household a child might only know commands like "sit," "stay," and "leave it"! And since hounds can't talk back, having a child might actually be the worse deal.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets