So in the past few months I have pet-sit a couple of my friend's dogs while they were away. I always knew that Nadi was a very well-behaved dog but it is only when I am around other people's dogs that I realize exactly how good I have it. It's not to say that the other people's dog are *bad* but they are nowhere near as compliant, calm, and responsive as my own dog is. I know now that I am very spoiled because well, these other dogs have irritating traits that my dog just doesn't possess. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZnuGYPCWCWjAQEc1B2SvE7KatbSBkLMetxbuUpGy6adA/image.png) That's Nadi in the foreground with the first dog that stayed with us whose name is Vader. Vader is lovely but he has obviously been allowed to kind of do whatever he wants a lot of the time. He scratches on doors which would damage them over time and I don't think Nadi has ever done that before. Taking him on walks was almost impossible since his owners have kind of allowed him to be "free range" his entire life. He fights the leash and tugs on it and gets wrapped around any obstacle in the way. He also refuses to poop with a leash on. I don't like the idea of just allowing a dog to run around here in Vietnam because dogs are stolen regularly even right in front of their owners. Also, there is a ton of traffic here and while Vader does seem to have excellent street smarts, no one can predict the "one time" when things go bad and their dog gets struck by a speeding motorbike that is likely going to just take off after the impact. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeYuzAPYTFS2jZurFfFz9SXgAfTpXS88F2EftX3ghawMk/image.png) Next we move onto another dog that I didn't actually look after but is a good friend of mine's dog. His name is Sleepy and he is an absolute sweetheart. The issue with Sleepy is that he is a very finicky eater to the point where it is very rare to see him actually eat anything. This has to be one of the only dogs I have ever encountered that has ever turned his nose up at BACON. He also is very spastic and whiney whenever he is taken anywhere and just runs all over the place frantically and refuses to chill. We can mark a lot of this down to the fact that he is quite young and will hopefully grow out of it. I am spoiled by Nadi because although I do buy the premium dog food, she eats it on command after years of realizing that if she doesn't eat it when I make it available to her, I am going to take it away. I'm not going to tell anyone how to raise their animals because bot Sleepy and Vader are good doggos, but Nadi has definitely got me spoiled with how well she behaves. I think it is a bad idea to just have a dog food buffet sitting on the floor all day long and it encourages bad eating habits. This is what Sleepy's owners do every day, all day. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYxkUdMZGJTfeVCAP2MKxc8nfkaKBEzK7WSCzxxCH15Mk/image.png) Most recently I have been looking after Charlie while her owner is out of town on business. Charlie is a good dog but also is very fussy about what she will or will not eat. I can't leave food on the floor in my house because Nadi will eat it. If Charlie doesn't eat when I give the food to him, I take it away. It took a few days but now she already understands that if he wants to eat at all, she better do it when I offer it. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVPv8hKUkdFBz1JtKf6DT7ATUjVd8FtauMPWmGJC1rfSq/image.png) Charlie is also a bit of a nightmare on the leash. She tugs and pulls at it trying to get it off of her and sometimes just decides that she isn't going to allow me to walk her. I have to carry her at that point. In both the above pictures Charlie is tied to the chair that she is on because she also will not come to you when you call her. This is a very annoying trait for a dog to have in my mind and I don't understand why the owner doesn't rectify this. I feel that dogs need to understand who the boss is and Charlie seems to think that she is the boss. That doesn't fly in my household. ![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdMt6HSRc35anqzSorsTL84PGzGQtpdWTiR7g8FMXzwhJ/image.png) It is quite common in Asia with small dogs that they spend very little time outdoors and instead of relieving themselves on plants they use these things that are giant paper towels called pee pads. I don't think that Charlie has actually gone to the toilet very often any other way. Nadi is accustomed to these things as well but I still take her on twice daily walks. Nadi is an expert on the leash and is very compliant when it comes to heeling. She never fights me on the leash and is extremely receptive when I give her a command. The thing is, I don't recall ever being super strict with her or even actively working on these skills with her. She just kind of decided on her own that she was going to be good and that is how it has been. I like my friend's dogs but I am extremely happy that they are not my dogs. When the day comes and Nadi goes to doggy heaven, I don't know if I will get another dog. I'm sure everyone say this but after being around my friend's dogs I really realize that I have taken how wonderful my dog is for granted. I am very lucky to have her and am delighted she is a part of my life. Did i get lucky? Nadi is not my first dog and all the other dogs that I have had were similarly well behaved. Perhaps it just take the right mindset because like I said, I didn't take her to obedience classes or do anything particularly regimented in order to make this happen. Maybe dogs actually can read our minds and over time, they just start to behave the way that their owner wants them to.