Try Raising a Dog First!

By God?s Grace, I raised a son as a single parent without going insane! Today my son serves in the ministry. During his first sermon he said he was thankful his mother was so tough… if not, he would have been a worse delinquent! _Pr 22:6 Train up a *child* . . . he will not depart from it._

Since I would live alone, I wanted to get a dog for protection. After searching I got Ramses, a Fila Brasileiro. Filas are huge, very dominant dogs, but faithful and fierce protectors. Like kids they go through the terrible two?s and teenage cycles.

I tell parents I trained my dog like I raised my son. I wish I could have done it the other way around. It would be easier to deal with my son after raising Ramses.

It hurt to discipline my son. A ?yes? really meant ?no? and he took advantage of me working on my emotions to get his way. My mistake was not establishing the ?pack order? with my son. But I learned to be Alpha dog!?

At 7 months Ramses challenged my authority, like my darling son did at 13. Ramses was well trained, but because the Fila is so dominant, it must RESPECT the owner in order to obey. Ramses had to ?test? me to see how far he could go. Kids are like that. I see kids whose parents cannot control them. I imagine them on leashes led by their parents.

I gave Ramses a command and he would hold his ground, defiantly staring at me saying ?You talking to me?? _De ja vu_ with my son! I knew Ramses was not deaf, because when I said ?Let?s go? he dashed for the door, or ?cookie? he dashed for the kitchen, proving Ramses was not deaf. My son pretended to be deaf many times. I developed the ?look of death? technique, which works to this day!

I gave Ramses the ?look? and ?move? command. He knew I meant business and moved. Ramses challenged me for awhile, but I never gave in! A dog must respect you as Alpha to obey. _Sound familiar?_ A child must respect the adult to obey. It would be easier to let him do what he wanted, but the outcome would be a dangerous dog and a foolish child. _Pr 29:15 – . . . a *child* left to himself bringeth his mother to shame._

When my son challenged my authority I was firm. I spanked him, used the ?look?, gave tons of love. Yelling did not phase my child nor Ramses. Today I have a well-trained dog, and a wonderful son, devoted to the Lord. _Pro. 23:24 “…he that begetteth a wise *child* shall have joy of him”._ Recently my son gave Ramses a command, and he did not move. To my joy, my son developed his own ?look of death? and Ramses obeyed!

_Sis. Romero attends Iglesia Pentecostal Unida Nueva Vida in Miami, Florida_

Author: Jay Jones

Jay is an author, veteran church planter, speaker, and the pastor of the Pentecostals of Kentwood. He's a passionate worshipper of Jesus Christ, a husband, daddy, pastor, and a ‘pretty good guy’. Jay is also an ordained minister of the United Pentecostal Church, where he currently serves as a Presbyter in West Michigan.

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