Love Your Little Dog Without Turning Them into a Human Baby

By Michael Cohen

Ethical pet care vs anthropomorphic projection in the small dog craze

There’s a difference between treating a little dog kindly and treating a little dog like a human child. One is ethical, grounded, and genuinely good for the animal. The other is emotional projection dressed up as love — and it often has more to do with the owner’s anxiety than the dog’s wellbeing.

Small dogs like Moodles, Cavoodles, Maltese crosses, Pomeranians, and toy poodles can live incredibly happy lives. But the modern trend of raising a dog like a baby has created a strange cultural confusion: people assume that more human attention, more human lifestyle, and more human spending automatically equals a better dog life.

It doesn’t.

Ethical dog ownership is not the same as “dog parenting”

A dog isn’t a child. It doesn’t have human identity needs. It doesn’t need you to “validate its feelings” in the way a toddler does. It doesn’t experience meaning through your symbolic gestures.

What a dog needs is simpler, and more honest:

consistent food and water

safety and stability

gentle handling

regular exercise

social contact

training boundaries

low stress at home

basic medical care

affection without chaos

That’s it. That’s the formula for a dog who lives and dies a happy dog.

This is ethical pet care. It’s also what most people mean when they search for things like how to care for a small dog properly or how to give your dog a good life.

Anthropomorphic projection: the quiet addiction people call “love”.

The problem begins when a person turns their dog into a proxy human.

This is what I mean by anthropomorphic projection: you stop seeing the dog as a dog, and start treating it like a stand-in for a baby, a partner, or a missing emotional role in your life.

It often looks like:

obsessive baby talk all day

constant “rescuing” the dog from normal experiences

refusing to train the dog because “it’s too mean”

carrying the dog everywhere so it never learns confidence

anxiety-driven overprotection

spending huge money as a substitute for actual calm leadership

interpreting normal dog behaviour as “trauma” or “emotional breakdown”

This isn’t love. It’s neurosis with a leash.

And here’s the blunt truth: the dog doesn’t benefit from your projection.

The dog doesn’t understand that it’s being treated as your emotional substitute. It doesn’t think, “Wow, my owner is healing their inner child through me.”

It just experiences your energy.

If you’re frantic, over-attentive, inconsistent, or guilt-driven, the dog becomes more anxious, not less.

And here’s the part people don’t admit: it’s worse for the human too

This is the hidden cost nobody wants to say out loud.

Anthropomorphic dog parenting doesn’t just confuse the animal — it damages the owner’s mental health.

Because once the dog becomes a proxy baby, you’ve created a relationship that can never relax. You’re always “on duty.” You’re always monitoring. You’re always worrying. Every bark becomes a crisis. Every minor symptom becomes a panic spiral. Every moment away becomes guilt.

Instead of getting companionship, you get a 24/7 emotional project.

It doesn’t make people happier. It makes them more tense, more obsessive, more fragile. It can turn what should be a warm, calming bond into constant stress — and ironically it can increase loneliness too, because the person stops living their own life.

The dog becomes an excuse not to heal, not to change, not to connect with other humans. And that is a psychological trap, not love.

The small dog obsession: expensive, performative, and pointless

There’s a growing craze of people spending enormous money on tiny dogs. Designer breeds. Luxury dog strollers. Organic dog cupcakes. Custom wardrobes. Dog “day spas.” Constant social media posts.

And the dog gets… what, exactly?

A dog does not experience status. A dog experiences:

comfort

calm

routine

freedom to sniff

freedom to walk

freedom to be a dog

A stable home beats a luxury lifestyle every time.

If you’re searching best way to treat a toy poodle or how to raise a moodle puppy, the answer is not “spend more money.” It’s “be more consistent.”

How to love a small dog in a way that actually helps them.

If you want your little dog to have the best life, focus on the dog’s real needs:

1. Give structure, not obsession

Dogs relax when life is predictable. Feeding times, walk times, bedtime — simple routines create security.

2. Train kindly, not emotionally

Training isn’t cruelty. It’s communication. A dog with boundaries is a dog with confidence.

3. Socialise without smothering

Let them meet people and other dogs. Don’t “save” them from every moment.

4. Respect that they are an animal, not a child

They don’t need a human narrative. They need a decent life.

5. Don’t use the dog to fill a psychological gap

Companionship is real. Substitution is not. If you’re lonely, admit it — don’t disguise it as “fur baby culture.”

The ethical conclusion: dogs deserve dignity, not delusion.

You can treat a small dog ethically, lovingly, and decently — without turning it into a human infant.

A dog can live a joyful life with ordinary comforts, calm affection, and responsible care. It doesn’t need you to perform love through money, obsession, or projection.

The best gift you can give your little dog is not a luxury life.

It’s a stable life.

Because the dog isn’t asking to be your baby.

It’s just asking to be your dog.

Michael Cohen is a Sydney-based Australian journalist and writer. He has contributed to publications including Independent Australia, Green Left, The Opinion Pages, The Telegraph, and HuffPost, often exploring the intersections of politics, history, and culture.