How to Convince Your Parents to Get a Dog? Best Tips
Are you ready to love and care for a dog? If you want a puppy but still live with your parents – you need some strategies to convince the decision-makers. You need convincing reasons to show your parents why you can have a dog!
Here is our guide with the top tips on how to convince your parents to get a dog.
Dogs are cute loving, and loyal animals, so it is no surprise many people want one. However, not all parents wish to adopt a dog because they are expensive, but they are also hard work. SO how can you convince your parents to get a puppy!?
If you really want one of these adorable pets (like a Teacup Goldendoodle), you will need to make your parents believe they are making the right decision.
The Obvious Step ONE – Be on Your Best Behavior
You can’t have something for nothing, life doesn’t work like that. If your parents are tired of your evil behavior, there is no way they will get you a dog.
So the first step is to ensure that you are on your best behavior at all times. Here is how you do it?
Improve Your Habits AND Improve Your Chances!
Think about your behavior, what do your parents get mad about it the most? What is THE MOST ANNOYING thing you do that frustrates your parents?
- Are you getting bad grades in school?
- Do you answer back rudely when you are getting told off?
- Or do you come home after curfew?
You know what infuriates your parents the most, whatever it is, stop doing it. Once you have a track record of the improved behavior – take it to them as an example.
Even better? You can say something like, “I know it is frustrating when I put dishes int eh sink without washing them.”
Follow up with “I am trying to show that I care and love you, and also am a responsible person. I am going to try and improve this behavior to show you I am ready for a pet dog.”
Discuss the Positives AND Negatives of dog ownership
There are positives and negatives to owning a dog. Before you approach your parents about buying you one, you must know what they are.
Your parents also need to know that you are not just being emotional about wanting a dog. Many kids know that dogs are cute and adorable, but not many will understand what it takes to look after one.
Make a list of Pros AND Cons to share with your parents to show how much thought you have put into getting a dog.
You’ve got to prove to your parents that you have thought about your decision logically from every angle.
Here are some positives and negatives to getting started:
Positive 1: Dogs protect the home, so you will feel safer with a dog in the house. You are probably not going to get a guard dog, once a dog has been appropriately trained. They are familiar with the people who visit your home. They are not going to tolerate any randoms trying to get in.
Positive 2: You will all become healthier because you will spend a lot of time outside going for walks with the dog.
Positive 3: You will become a more responsible person. To look after a dog properly, you’ve got to stick to a set routine. This will ensure that you follow through on tasks and always get things done on time.
Positive 4: A dog will bring the family closer together because the dog will form a common bond between everyone. You will probably spend more time together as you look after the dog.
Don’t forget to raise the negatives, so your parent knows you are being thoughtful and considering any possible bad points.
Negative 1: Dogs are expensive, and you will need to be committed to making enough money so you can look after it.
Negative 2: Dogs are time-consuming. You will need to make a lot of sacrifices throughout the day to ensure that it is looked after properly.
Negative 3: Dogs make a lot of mess, when you are training them, they will often go to the toilet in the house.
Make Your Bed to Demonstrate Responsibility
As soon as you get out of bed in the morning, make your bed. Take a look on YouTube and find out the correct way to make your bed.
The aim is to really impress your parents so that they have no choice but to give you what you want.
In fact, wake up a bit earlier than usual so that before your mom or dad comes to wake you up in the morning, you are already sitting on a made bed.
Tidy Your Room Every Day for a MONTH
Parents hate a messy room because they know they are the ones who will end up cleaning it up.
Instead of leaving your bedroom in a mess every day, make sure that it is always spotless.
Hang your clothes up in the closet, put your shoes on the rack, and put your sweet wrappers in the trash.
Photo by Ray Larabie /CC BY
Do the washing up for two weeks solid.
No one likes doing the dishes, and that includes your parents. But if you want to know how to convince your parents to get a dog, this is a guaranteed way of getting one.
If you are on vacation, or when it’s the weekend, make sure you do the washing up after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
On school days, do the washing up after breakfast. Make sure you do it correctly, the last thing you want is for your mother to have to come and do the washing up after you.
Educate Yourself About Dogs
Many kids get pocket money every week, and if they don’t, there is always a way they can get some extra cash by doing chores like washing the car or mowing the lawn.
The next step is to learn everything you can about dogs. One of the reasons most parents don’t want to get a dog is because they know that all the responsibility will fall on them when it comes to looking after the pet.
If your parents can trust that you know how to look after a dog, they are more likely to get you one.
So the plan is to use your pocket money to buy dog-related books. You want your parents to see that you are serious about looking after your dog properly. When they see you reading a load of books about dogs, they will seriously consider buying you one.
There are also plenty of YouTube videos you can watch and get tips from real-time dog trainers.
Once you have some knowledge under your belt, start speaking to your parents about the dog facts you have learned. This will impress them and have them seriously thinking about buying you a dog.
Start Dog Sitting
There are plenty of people who need to have their dogs looked after when they go away on business trips or on vacation.
You can go around your neighborhood and ask if there is anyone who needs a dog sitter. Obviously, you will need to ask your parents if you can do this first.
But with your good behavior and you educating yourself about dogs, there is a high chance they will say yes.
When you get your first dog-sitting job, make sure that you do everything possible to impress your parents with your dog sitting skills. They need to trust that you are going to be able to look after the dog when they buy it for you.
Get Some Extra Money OR Plan a Budget
Dogs are not cheap, and that is one of the reasons your parents are not going to want to buy you one. It costs approximately $1,400 to $4,300 per year to own a dog. The exact amount will depend on several factors, such as the dog’s age and size, the area that you live, and the specific needs of the dog.
The things you will need to consider when working out how much it will cost to take care of a dog are as follows:
- Food and treats
- Bedding
- Toys
- Collars and leashes
- Veterinary care
- Supplements and medications
- Resources and training classes
You might not be old enough to get a job, but there are still things you can do to make extra money. As mentioned, you can do things like car washing, mowing the lawn, make cookies, and sell them, have a lemonade stand.
Think about it and get creative, if you are serious about getting a dog, you will do what needs to be done to get the money.
If you know that your parents are really hard up on cash, a better idea is to find out exactly what dog you want, how much it will cost, and how much it will cost to look after the dog for the year.
Once you’ve got the figures, do what you need to do to make that money, and then once you have the cash, approach your parents and ask. They will find it very difficult to say no because they will see how serious you are about getting a dog since you went out and made money for it yourself.
Your parents will probably be really impressed with your diligence.
Final Thoughts on How To Convince Your Parents to Get a Dog
A fantastic plan to get your parents to buy you a dog. We can’t guarantee that this is going to work, but what we do know is that if you are really serious about getting a dog, and you show your parents that you are, there is a high chance that they will give in.
It is also important to remember that you seriously think about whether you want a dog because they’ve got feelings. You don’t want to hurt them by abandoning it.
Unfortunately, many people buy dogs and get rid of them after a couple of months. Typically this happens because it soon becomes apparent how expensive and time-consuming it is to look after a dog.
This is why you must show your parents how responsible and caring you are to know you are ready for a puppy as a pet.
