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Push button dogs. Its a catchy phrase which some people use in reference to dogs that seem to be the perfect speciman of canine behavior. Let me assure you there is no such thing as the perfect dog. What people are seeing are the movies made revealing the, well trained behind the scenes animal that has gone through hours with a dedicated trainer. In other cases, which appears quite often, are the owners who overlook the faults of their perfect little angel. The cute little lap dog growling and snarling while sitting in his owners lap is "just the cutest thing". People enjoy the little tiny dogs chasing and barking at anything that moves, and are sometimes proud of the behavior it possesses. Since they feel there is no need for discipline because they approve of the behavior, they feel they have the perfect little push button dog and everyone should have one just like it. It doesn't matter whether the dogs are small or of the larger size. Dog lovers all have their special pick of favorite breeds. Mine is the Newfoundland.

Now lets look at the flip side of the push button dog. This section is about the dog that likes to push your buttons. You know what I mean. The little things that frustrate you, take up your time and send you over the edge, and you wonder "what in the world did I get myself into".

I have owned and helped raise several breeds down through the years. We began with a "beautiful collie named Lassie", then added Poodles, then the Labrador retreivers, and the Bernese mountain dogs, and now I own a Newfoundland. I have wanted a Newfie since my teen years when my older brother brought one home for his family. Tuffy was a very special dog. If there ever was a "push button, easy going dog" it was him. There was something different about this breed and I fell in love with it. It was uncommon to find Newfies in this area and that was before the internet, so finding a breeder was very difficult. Finally after years of looking for the right breeder and saving for a puppy, I have my very own Newfie puppy. Bonnke is almost five months old and weighs close to fifty pounds and is definetally a push button dog. He is a fast learner and has the most wonderful temperament and sweet, sweet face. But, he is a button pusher. The first thing I taught him were the words, "leave-it". He learned it very well and must love hearing me say it because the buttons that he is pushing at the moment are causing me to say leave-it several times a day. Each time I pull him out of something or remove stuff from his slimy mouth (yes, I knew Newfies drool), I wonder how many of my buttons he can push before he finally grows up and settles down into the gentle giant the breed is known for.

The whole thing in a nut shell, as they say, is this. The dogs that push your buttons will eventually turn into a push button dog, if you do your homework, administer the proper training, remain consistant, and don't give up on that aggravating four legged fur ball. It's worth the work.  Your end result will be a loving well behaved companion that will love you unconditionally while providing you ideas for future writing material and a lot of slurpy, slimy kisses. 

"Can some one please bring me a towell?"  "Thank you!"