HOW TO CONVINCE YOUR RELATIVES/PARENTS TO GET YOU A DOG

Hi! So I'm new to this whole platform, but it has been my dream to start a blog for quite a bit of time. I'm Sneha, by the way. Now, the question arises: What should this blog be about? Well, I love dogs, and recently, I got a dog of my own, which was quite an adventure. His name is Barfi, and he's got not just me but the whole house wrapped around his furry little paw. He's eight months now, and one of the most popular dogs in our building. Let me tell you a story about how I got Barfi. Now, I know that this sounds far-fetched and lame, but the answer is hard work. I watched Youtube videos, I read sites, ( even blogs like this one ), and so on and so forth. Now I am going to give you some tips on how to convince your parents, family members, relatives, roommates, etc., etc. on how to get a dog or any pet for that matter! Let's get started.

Now, the main thing to remember when you're convincing someone to do something, be it getting a dog or a new expensive toy from the store, is that you have got to be CONFIDENT. Don't stutter or falter, practice a lot, rehearse your points and then say whatever you want to say. Make whoever you're convincing believe whatever you're saying is true. P.S - This also works with other pets like kittens, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, horses, etc.

1. CONNECT-4!!!

Okay. I know that this name sounds really boring, but trust me when I say that you're going to love it. I'm sure that everyone has a game of connect-4 or checkers in their house, even carrom coin

So what you're going to do is you're going to take one colour coin as the pros of getting a pet, and the other as the cons. Then show this to whoever you want to convince and tell them to give you points for the pros and the cons. Stack up the coins and then see which pile has more coins! To make sure you win, you should think up quite a few pros yourself and come prepared. Believe me, no one stands a chance against this game!!!

A few examples of pros are -

1. Scientific studies show that having a dog is good for your mental health.

2. You get exercise walking the dog.

3. It teaches you about responsibility and patience.

4. Lowers stress levels, helps you be more patient

and so on... P.S - red for the cons and yellow for the pros is preferred but you can use any color.

2. POWERPOINT/KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

These work really well with parents or siblings. Sometimes, it helps to have all of the good points about getting a dog organized and in one place. This is also easier to present and takes up lesser time. Use a lot of templates and spend time on the presentation, to make it look impressive. In some laptops/ipads, there is a function called Design Ideas which gives you a lot of options. You can either make one ppt that has it all or different ppts. For example, I made one ppt on dog breeds, one on puppy nutrition, and one about dogs in general to convince my parents. A bit of an overload, yes, but you can combine these three topics into one ppt.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS -

1. Put in a lot of pictures. If you've already decided which breed you want to get, put pictures of that breed doing whatever your ppt is about. For example, if it's a ppt about nutrition and you've chosen a labrador, put a picture of a labrador with a watermelon in your ppt.

2. Make sure the picture is attractive and cute so that your parents or relatives get more and more warmed up to getting a dog.

3. Don't overload the ppt with information. Around 4 or 5 lines are enough, as you don't want to overwhelm your parents.

4. Sound like you know what you're doing, or like you're knowledgeable. For example, put a slide with links to sites that you've visited.

3. Put cute pictures of puppies around the house, or in places where the person you're convincing sees them frequently. Even for people who are scared of dogs, seeing the picture makes them feel somewhat happier and when you finally break the news, they'll be more open to the idea.

4. Make small art or craft items to show your relatives or parents that you're serious about whatever you're doing. You can make some dog origami, or a painting, and give it to them. Maybe even a dish in the shape of a paw-print, or something doggy-related!! This will show them that you're serious about getting a dog and help them believe that you're responsible and eager enough for them to consider it. 5. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - SHOW THEM HOW YOU ARE WITH OTHER DOGS. There are so many ways to do this! If you live in an apartment, with a lot of dogs, then you can call them down and (with the dog's owner's permission ) show them how you walk the dog, or play with the dog. You can also volunteer at the dog shelter, or maybe rescue a stray dog/puppy. These kind of things warm our parents'/relative's hearts and ours, so they will be much more relenting to let you get a dog as they know how happy you will be. My parents refused to believe that I was ready for a dog until I picked up the poop of our friend's dog with a newspaper and threw it in the bin. I also had to walk it for a week, which leads me to say that you can get a temporary job as a dog-walker and then convince them. 6. FOSTERING Now, this is a tad far-fetched, and unlike my other points, it may or may not work. You can try asking your parents to foster a dog or pet for a week, maybe a month, just to see how it's like and what are the difficulties you will face, then come to a conclusion. Now, I'm not a big advocate for fostering dogs, simply because I think that if you foster a dog, they might become attached to you and when it's time for them to go, it will be heart-breaking for both you and the dog. But these are just my feelings, I won't let them ruin your chances of getting a dog. So, six reasons...That's not much, but believe me, if you combine all of these or even do one or two of them, you are on the way to getting a dog. Please comment and tell me how you feel or use these reasons, it'll make me feel really happy!!! A/F/F, ( A friend forever ) Sneha