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I was thinking about this when I was walking my dog today. I suppose some people have different mentalities regarding their pet. I suppose some consider themselves the "Master/Owner", others consider themselves the "Parent", some consider their dogs 'an accessory', and others "only work to make their dogs happy".
I think of myself as the parent since I feel he is a part of the family and not just 'an animal'. However, I don't cater to him with every little whim.
My dogs have always been like family to me. I remember visiting my family over in CA and introducing my dogs to my nieces as "their cousins". Sometimes, I refer to myself as their dog goddess, giver of all good things.
I'm with you on that...every kid needs discipline, furry and human alike, but as long as the corrections are done with love and respect, you almost can't go wrong. It's more of a disservice to them if we cater to their every whim (and bark and whine...) I actually use the same methods my parents used on me as a child...time-outs and a firm resolution when saying "no" but never, EVER hitting. My female JRT/Chi mix gets wildly aggressive sometimes, (she's almost a year old now) in the midst of play, she will sometimes get angry all of a sudden and start trying to scrap with one of the other dogs. When she doesn't respond to loud clapping or "NO", I will have to pick her up and hold her in front of me so she is looking at me rather than the source of her frustration, and say "Calm down" in my low & serious voice, but that's as physical as it gets. Once she realizes she can't go anywhere and won't be able to until she chills out, I can feel tenseness leave her and her eyes lose the crazy gleam...when I put her back down, she usually "apologizes" by touching noses with the others. She's very smart, and is constantly testing the waters to see how much she can get away with...! It's my job as parent to let her know bad behavior like this is NOT okay, so she will grow up to be a good girl who can live in harmony with the rest of the pack!
my dogs are the reason i get out of bed everyday. they are totally spoiled. they are well behaved, friendly and do me proud. of course, they're dogs so i don't expect them to act like a child. i see no reason not to spoil them. they don't have to learn the "lessons" of life that a child has to. they just need to be loved, spoiled and loved some more.
I am owner/master first and foremost. They are my buddies, loves and family. I am alpha they are the clan/pack. they get love and attention constantly... and I get same back.
Hey there :-)
I've got one dog, Lucky, and I def feel like I'm the head honcho.. the alpha dog.. something along those lines.. more so than a parent. I love him to death (don't get me wrong) but he's got his own personality and doesn't back off easily. He's extremely friendly.. meaning that he comes at everyone like they're carrying a special treat just for him.. but he doesn't back off easily. It's not uncommon for a bigger dog to tuck his tail and submit to my little friendly dog. After a few moments.. the bigger dog is romping around playing with Lucky and it's all good. Same with humans.. he runs at them and licks them to death.. sometimes he has a problem *backing off* of them.. but it's pretty easy to tell that he just wants some attention so we're all usually forgiven for the behavior. Anyways.. my point is.. that Lucky knows when I mean business. He responds very well to my commands and I don't even know what I'm doing, lol. He's the 1st dog I've ever really had.. so I think he's just great.. but the way I see our relationship is that of all the people he recognizes me as 'boss lady' and I like it that way.. and I guess the reason I like it is because that's what he needs, lol. I'm not sure why I don't really see him as a child.. maybe it's his personality. He's so independent most times. Anyways.. that's my take on this :-)
She is a dear, undemanding and obedient dog. I like to think my children responded favorably to most of my requests/demands, and so does the dog. I guess I raised the kids and the animals the same way.
I am the proud Mommy of 6 four legged furry little children that can do no wrong! And yes, my furry kids are the best, as all of yours are also!
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Sometimes, I refer to myself as their dog goddess, giver of all good things. 
