Stages of dog ownership

Dog ownership is much more complex than it seems from the outside. People that don't have dogs or that do but don't do anything with them tend to see owning a dog as a simple thing.
I did, I admit it.
I mean you get a dog, you train it a bit, feed it, take it to the vet and pick up the poop. Simple.
What I and I think many, forget is that dogs are living creatures with individual personalities and development stages and needs, just like you and I.

The above means that for most of us dog owners, training is an ongoing thing. As your dog traverses through the stages of its life you will need to review some things or work with a whole new behavior (or 20 LOL).

OK so some of you may be saying I wonder what this post is all about. Its just about walking through life with my boy Bugsy. I am not sure whether he has entered adulthood or it is a response to the whole surgery experience but I am noticing a calmer dog, a slightly more obedient dog and a dog that is more peaceful.
The other night our cul-de-sac was full of young kids running, screaming, using bikes, motorized scooters, you name it.
This has been a situation where he would need to go inside because he would want to be running with the kids so much that he would be running the line and getting way too worked up.
Not the other night. He watched them and was alerted when they shouted or cried or screamed but he didn't get agitated. DH & I were watching in amazement. He would watch intently and then go back to grazing the grass.

Anyway back to my original thoughts on this subject it has been an eye opener to realize the appropriate energy and effort of 'good' dog ownership. You must grow with them and know who they are and what they need.
Bugsy is not the dog I grew up with nor the neighbor's dog. He is a unique (you can say that again) individual that I am responsible for.
I love that.