- Joined
- Jul 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1,447
- Likes
- 0
- Points
- 36
Are we all just 'irresponsible owners'?
- Thread starter straw
- Start date
I'm not super obsessed with nails, but I do stay very much on top of them. It is one of the first things Gabby learned about here. And luckily she's just... great about them, like she is for most things! 
I'd been bad, so last time I had Lauren hold a jar of PB for her, she barely even noticed I was doing her nails, haha.
I'd been bad, so last time I had Lauren hold a jar of PB for her, she barely even noticed I was doing her nails, haha.
- The dogs ride loose in the back of my car.
- I leave them loose together when I'm gone.
- I'm horrible about nails. Riff's are pretty easy, but Rowan's got long one time years ago and it's been hell to keep them decent ever since then. I did get a dremel recently which helps a lot.
- It's so hard to tell if "kibble" or "raw" is the so-called wrong answer now But I switch my dogs' food a lot because I like to see what they do best on, and I think it's nice for them to get a variety. Rowan was on raw again recently (has been on and off since I got him) but he decided he didn't need to chew thoroughly any more, so I put him back on kibble. I really didn't want to deal with holding his meals for him to make him re-learn chew. Bleck.
- We don't do yearly check ups (although I plan to start with Rowan soon since he's getting older.)
- They're horrible beggars and although I don't give them actual pieces of food off my plate, sometimes I'll let them lick the plate when I'm done. The plates do get scrubbed and run through the dishwasher though
- They both jump on people and I don't care. They behave themselves in public which is all I ask. At home? Whatever.
- I would like to vaccinate as minimally as possible. Right now they're both UTD on rabies/distemper/bordetella because it seems like all of the classes around here require all three But I won't be re-vaccinating until they're in classes again, and if I can find someone that doesn't require vaccinations, then I probably won't be updating distemper/bordetella at all.
- I used to leave the dogs unattended in our "yard" (fenced in patio) when it was nice out. I'd stop doing it again if Rowan hadn't started barking every time he was out there **** dog.
- They only wear collars when we go out.
- Rowan is horrible on a leash and I don't even care anymore. We have an Easy Walk harness that works well for him.
- I also have a prong collar for him that I wouldn't hesitate to use again, but the EW harness seems to work better.
- I leave my dogs in the car when the weather is nice. Usually it's when I go grocery shopping. They behave themselves and would rather be out of the house, even if it's just sitting in a car, than be home alone.
- I plan on getting an e-collar for off leash work.
- We basically never go on walks and they often don't get as much physical exercise as they should. I try to make up for it with trick training and mental work.
- I leave them loose together when I'm gone.
- I'm horrible about nails. Riff's are pretty easy, but Rowan's got long one time years ago and it's been hell to keep them decent ever since then. I did get a dremel recently which helps a lot.
- It's so hard to tell if "kibble" or "raw" is the so-called wrong answer now
But I switch my dogs' food a lot because I like to see what they do best on, and I think it's nice for them to get a variety. Rowan was on raw again recently (has been on and off since I got him) but he decided he didn't need to chew thoroughly any more, so I put him back on kibble. I really didn't want to deal with holding his meals for him to make him re-learn chew. Bleck.- We don't do yearly check ups (although I plan to start with Rowan soon since he's getting older.)
- They're horrible beggars and although I don't give them actual pieces of food off my plate, sometimes I'll let them lick the plate when I'm done. The plates do get scrubbed and run through the dishwasher though
- They both jump on people and I don't care. They behave themselves in public which is all I ask. At home? Whatever.
- I would like to vaccinate as minimally as possible. Right now they're both UTD on rabies/distemper/bordetella because it seems like all of the classes around here require all three
But I won't be re-vaccinating until they're in classes again, and if I can find someone that doesn't require vaccinations, then I probably won't be updating distemper/bordetella at all.- I used to leave the dogs unattended in our "yard" (fenced in patio) when it was nice out. I'd stop doing it again if Rowan hadn't started barking every time he was out there
**** dog.- They only wear collars when we go out.
- Rowan is horrible on a leash and I don't even care anymore. We have an Easy Walk harness that works well for him.
- I also have a prong collar for him that I wouldn't hesitate to use again, but the EW harness seems to work better.
- I leave my dogs in the car when the weather is nice. Usually it's when I go grocery shopping. They behave themselves and would rather be out of the house, even if it's just sitting in a car, than be home alone.
- I plan on getting an e-collar for off leash work.
- We basically never go on walks and they often don't get as much physical exercise as they should. I try to make up for it with trick training and mental work.
- Finn rides loose in the car, like all the freaking time.
- We don't do any dog-related activities, he barely even goes to pet events with me anymore because I'm way too busy doing caricatures and such.
- I'll be tethering him outside in the backyard for the foreseeable future (half-fenced).
- We go whole days without doing anything except potty breaks.
- Perhaps the one I've had the biggest controversy over: In situations of known over-arousal he wears a calming cap. The terms "putting your dog in bondage gear" and "completely shutting down your dog" have come up.
- We don't do any dog-related activities, he barely even goes to pet events with me anymore because I'm way too busy doing caricatures and such.
- I'll be tethering him outside in the backyard for the foreseeable future (half-fenced).
- We go whole days without doing anything except potty breaks.
- Perhaps the one I've had the biggest controversy over: In situations of known over-arousal he wears a calming cap. The terms "putting your dog in bondage gear" and "completely shutting down your dog" have come up.
My dog isn't the center of my life.
He's a part of it, a part of it I love dearly, but my life doesn't revolve around him or dogs in general. I sometimes feel like the forum norm is "I don't know what I'd do without them", I know what I'd do...probably just live my life. Just without a dog.
I know I love having him and love him in my life. But I can't say my life would be better/worse without a dog in it if I never knew him, just different.
that pretty much sums it other than the usual kibble feeding, vaccination giving, daycare going, off leash stuff.
He's a part of it, a part of it I love dearly, but my life doesn't revolve around him or dogs in general. I sometimes feel like the forum norm is "I don't know what I'd do without them", I know what I'd do...probably just live my life. Just without a dog.
I know I love having him and love him in my life. But I can't say my life would be better/worse without a dog in it if I never knew him, just different.
that pretty much sums it other than the usual kibble feeding, vaccination giving, daycare going, off leash stuff.
Me! I mean, if I'm being honest with myself, I know he won't be here forever. And yes, my life will have to go on, as life does, but I've never had such a strong relationship with an animal before in my life. I don't know if it's just coincidence, if it's the timing when I got him (at kind of a low point in my life, he was the first happiness I felt since my little brother died), or that we just have that "odd" connection, but my life would truly not be the same without him. Maybe that makes me sound like a nut... but it's how I feel.
And I'm not saying I love my dog more and you love yours less, not at all. I know plenty of people who are the same way as you, they truly do LOVE their dogs, but their dogs are not the... center of their world, maybe? as much as Jackson is mine. I've loved a few other dogs in my life very greatly, but Jackson is the first to really just get into my heart and soul, I guess? I dunno. We have a very special bond and connection, and I do think it doesn't just happen with everyone, even if you have a dog that you really really love a lot.
Kind of going off topic here, but just thought I'd add!
I mean, if I'm being honest with myself, I know he won't be here forever. And yes, my life will have to go on, as life does, but I've never had such a strong relationship with an animal before in my life. I don't know if it's just coincidence, if it's the timing when I got him (at kind of a low point in my life, he was the first happiness I felt since my little brother died), or that we just have that "odd" connection, but my life would truly not be the same without him. Maybe that makes me sound like a nut... but it's how I feel. And I'm not saying I love my dog more and you love yours less, not at all. I know plenty of people who are the same way as you, they truly do LOVE their dogs, but their dogs are not the... center of their world, maybe? as much as Jackson is mine. I've loved a few other dogs in my life very greatly, but Jackson is the first to really just get into my heart and soul, I guess? I dunno. We have a very special bond and connection, and I do think it doesn't just happen with everyone, even if you have a dog that you really really love a lot.
Kind of going off topic here, but just thought I'd add!
I let Trent act all sorts of unruly (as long as he's not disturbing anyone else... usually).
I let him be loud and whiny for the most part, because sometimes I don't even notice it.
I give him baths about once every 2 years.
I definitely don't stay on top of his nails, but he's kept them filed down okay just from our walks/runs. That said, he's actually REALLY good about getting his nails done, and I jumped into it for the first time with just a hot dog and praise and no prior conditioning.
Loose leash walking? Eh. He knows how to do it but I don't really ask for it. As long as he isn't pulling I don't really care.
I am completely guilty of repeating commands in succession.
I feed him milk bones and all sorts of terrible treats.
I am okay with a prong collar and e-collar (even though I didn't utilize the prong correctly when I used it a few years back).
I am also okay with docking/cropping and if I had a Doberman or Giant Schnauzer I would very likely crop and/or dock (I know opinions on this usually varies...)
I let him run off leash even though his recall isn't perfect. He doesn't run off though and I'm always very careful and very aware of our surroundings.
We don't do yearly check ups or heavy vaccinations either.
His collar doesn't have tags, and this is 30% me being lazy and 70% me thinking the tags are ugly (he is microchipped though)
Yeah, this is me. I love my dog and I'm totally a dog person, but I guess I'm really not a dog person in the way others are (particularly on the forums/in the community). At least, not with the same amount of conviction and passion that I've seen in others. I do actively engage with my dog daily and enjoy that, but as a dog person, I'm pretty casual. Don't get me wrong though, I totally love dogs and everyone here knows that I can talk about them forever... but I guess in general, dogs are just something I'll always have and something that will always be there, but I don't really see it having any sort of huge impact on my life.
My world doesn't revolve around my dog either, and in fact, if I never had him a lot of things would be easier. I even think that me insisting I'll always have a dog in life could just be me being stubbornly in love with them. But that said, that sort of "easy" isn't what I would want, and I know that having my dog (and continuing to have dogs in the future) has and will be a major part of my happiness. Don't know about better or worse because I don't think it has that kind of impact, but definitely a source of happiness.
I guess dogs for me are a hobby/interest rather than a lifestyle. I still plan to do all sorts of dog sports in the future (because not being passionate about something doesn't mean I won't commit or find it uninteresting), but I also have other hobbies and priorities in my life.
I do relate to the whole "what would I do without him" sentiment, but I think that more applies to Trent specifically rather than dogs in general, and in a more figurative than literal sense. He's a huge, huge, huge part of my heart, even if he's not the focus of my life.
I let him be loud and whiny for the most part, because sometimes I don't even notice it.
I give him baths about once every 2 years.
I definitely don't stay on top of his nails, but he's kept them filed down okay just from our walks/runs. That said, he's actually REALLY good about getting his nails done, and I jumped into it for the first time with just a hot dog and praise and no prior conditioning.
Loose leash walking? Eh. He knows how to do it but I don't really ask for it. As long as he isn't pulling I don't really care.
I am completely guilty of repeating commands in succession.
I feed him milk bones and all sorts of terrible treats.
I am okay with a prong collar and e-collar (even though I didn't utilize the prong correctly when I used it a few years back).
I am also okay with docking/cropping and if I had a Doberman or Giant Schnauzer I would very likely crop and/or dock (I know opinions on this usually varies...)
I let him run off leash even though his recall isn't perfect. He doesn't run off though and I'm always very careful and very aware of our surroundings.
We don't do yearly check ups or heavy vaccinations either.
His collar doesn't have tags, and this is 30% me being lazy and 70% me thinking the tags are ugly (he is microchipped though)
Yeah, this is me. I love my dog and I'm totally a dog person, but I guess I'm really not a dog person in the way others are (particularly on the forums/in the community). At least, not with the same amount of conviction and passion that I've seen in others. I do actively engage with my dog daily and enjoy that, but as a dog person, I'm pretty casual. Don't get me wrong though, I totally love dogs and everyone here knows that I can talk about them forever... but I guess in general, dogs are just something I'll always have and something that will always be there, but I don't really see it having any sort of huge impact on my life.
My world doesn't revolve around my dog either, and in fact, if I never had him a lot of things would be easier. I even think that me insisting I'll always have a dog in life could just be me being stubbornly in love with them. But that said, that sort of "easy" isn't what I would want, and I know that having my dog (and continuing to have dogs in the future) has and will be a major part of my happiness. Don't know about better or worse because I don't think it has that kind of impact, but definitely a source of happiness.
I guess dogs for me are a hobby/interest rather than a lifestyle. I still plan to do all sorts of dog sports in the future (because not being passionate about something doesn't mean I won't commit or find it uninteresting), but I also have other hobbies and priorities in my life.
I do relate to the whole "what would I do without him" sentiment, but I think that more applies to Trent specifically rather than dogs in general, and in a more figurative than literal sense. He's a huge, huge, huge part of my heart, even if he's not the focus of my life.
Ohhhhh where to start....
- I own cropped/docked dogs, and openly support cropping and docking.
- I own prong collars and ecollars, and use them both when needed.
- I'm not afraid to put a prong collar on a (teenage) puppy.
- My service dog wears a neck-tech "prong" collar.
- I really have no interest in owning a rescue dog, aside from Talla. But I went about getting Talla like most people go about buying from a responsible breeder, so.... yeah.
- I use retractable leashes.
- Yes, I have a squirt bottle. Yes, I use it to make them stop doing what I don't want them to be doing.
- I don't pick up poop if they poop in the bushes or off the beaten path.
- I feed raw and most of it is not fit for human consumption.
- I will not sink several thousands of dollars into a dog's medical bills. Unless it's Kaylee. I'd go bankrupt for Kaylee.
- I rarely walk them. (Though I do have a fenced yard, and Kaylee is roadworked every other day from about March to November.)
Wow... I seem like a really terrible owner! :rofl1:
- I own cropped/docked dogs, and openly support cropping and docking.
- I own prong collars and ecollars, and use them both when needed.
- I'm not afraid to put a prong collar on a (teenage) puppy.
- My service dog wears a neck-tech "prong" collar.
- I really have no interest in owning a rescue dog, aside from Talla. But I went about getting Talla like most people go about buying from a responsible breeder, so.... yeah.
- I use retractable leashes.
- Yes, I have a squirt bottle. Yes, I use it to make them stop doing what I don't want them to be doing.
- I don't pick up poop if they poop in the bushes or off the beaten path.
- I feed raw and most of it is not fit for human consumption.
- I will not sink several thousands of dollars into a dog's medical bills. Unless it's Kaylee. I'd go bankrupt for Kaylee.
- I rarely walk them. (Though I do have a fenced yard, and Kaylee is roadworked every other day from about March to November.)
Wow... I seem like a really terrible owner! :rofl1:
One of my favorites was that I posted that we used positive punishment to fix Summer's crate barking fits that would last for hours. This is after trying to fix this for YEARS, mind you, and utilizing 5 different trainers who tried positive techniques.
I got all these messages and lots of threads on the other board about how if positive training didn't work for a problem that you were lazy and a bad trainer, etc. Mmmm yep. Lazy. That's the right word for trying to fix this for years.
I got all these messages and lots of threads on the other board about how if positive training didn't work for a problem that you were lazy and a bad trainer, etc. Mmmm yep. Lazy. That's the right word for trying to fix this for years.
-I let my dog ride loose in the car.
-I have never really been able to train loose leash walking, so I either let him pull when I don't care or put on his gentle leader when I do.
- I am inconsistent with some training things. Sometimes I let Leo jump up, sometimes I don't want him to. I expect him to know the difference.
-I crate my border collie for 9 hours a day when I work.
-I don't give my border collie 4 hours of exercise a day (more like 30min-1hour)
- I don't have a fenced yard, and live in a small apartment with a border collie.
- I believe in positive reinforcement, but have definitely given Leo a spank on the bum when I have caught him in the middle of doing something bad.
The thing is, dogs are so adaptable. Let them have someone who loves them, and they can adjust to most situations.
I think there are far less irresponsible owners than there are judgmental people on the internet :rofl1:
-I have never really been able to train loose leash walking, so I either let him pull when I don't care or put on his gentle leader when I do.
- I am inconsistent with some training things. Sometimes I let Leo jump up, sometimes I don't want him to. I expect him to know the difference.
-I crate my border collie for 9 hours a day when I work.
-I don't give my border collie 4 hours of exercise a day (more like 30min-1hour)
- I don't have a fenced yard, and live in a small apartment with a border collie.
- I believe in positive reinforcement, but have definitely given Leo a spank on the bum when I have caught him in the middle of doing something bad.
The thing is, dogs are so adaptable. Let them have someone who loves them, and they can adjust to most situations.
I think there are far less irresponsible owners than there are judgmental people on the internet :rofl1:
Well just last night I got berated for leaving my dog crated in the car with the windows open (I have these awesome barriers for the back windows) when it was 60F and dark out, and VERY windy. Because ZOMG HE COULD OVERHEAT AND DIEEEEE.
Oh and I don't walk my dogs. Logan works so I suppose that counts for something, but Gavroche just...doesn't care for walks. He'd rather go lay in the sunshine out back (oh oops, there's another one!).
When trainin I use a clicker and corrections, and I use food and toys. Apparently these are all incompatible with eachotheropcorn:
OH OH OH. And according to my dad I'm an idiotic novice trainer because I use a clicker to you know, SHAPE and CAPTURE, instead of using it as a recall cue.
Oh and I don't walk my dogs. Logan works so I suppose that counts for something, but Gavroche just...doesn't care for walks. He'd rather go lay in the sunshine out back (oh oops, there's another one!).
When trainin I use a clicker and corrections, and I use food and toys. Apparently these are all incompatible with eachother
opcorn:OH OH OH. And according to my dad I'm an idiotic novice trainer because I use a clicker to you know, SHAPE and CAPTURE, instead of using it as a recall cue.
I definitely play favorites. Cricket is my favorite. I even have her portrait tattooed on my arm if that is saying something. I love all three of my dogs and would do anything for them but I know I would do even more for Cricket. I feel bad about that a lot, but my bond with her is so different compared to my bond with the boys.
My dogs wear collars all the time. They wear collars in crates. They play with collars on. Some people would say that's dangerous.
They don't always wear tags and I lose tags a lot. They mainly wear tags to the dog park and then get thrown into a drawer somewhere when I get home.
Only Cricket and Joey are registered with the county and that is only because it's required around here if you want to go to dog parks.
My dogs are all chipped but I'm really bad at updating chip information and paying the yearly fees to keep them active. I think Bamm is still registered to the shelter I got him from.
I still crate Joey even though he has had a couple bad seizures and could badly injure himself in a crate if he seizes.
My dogs sometimes ride loose in the car though I am actually working on having three crates set up eventually.
I leave my dogs in the car when I go places (as long as it isn't super hot out). I left Joey in my car and went into a restaurant with a bunch of friends a couple weeks ago. We were there for two hours and when I got back to the car he was fast asleep.
I run my sighthound. In fact. I have raced him. The horror.
I let Bamm loose into the yard on snow days. He bites people sometimes and is very DR as well. He loves the snow though so I will let him run loose in the yard if I don't see other people or dogs.
I feed kibble. Not only do I feed kibble but I also switch food a lot and I don't slowly switch either. Cricket not so much because of her allergies but the boys get lots of variety.
My dogs are crated a lot when I work.
I leave dogs loose together sometimes. I never leave Joey and Bamm loose together 100% unsupervised, but ether boy can be loose with Cricket. Joey isn't loose usually though because I have a cat loose.
I make my dogs deal with nail trims every other week. Bamm hates it and has to be muzzled. I have tried to take it slowly with him and lots of positive reinforcement but nope. So... Since he doesn't like it the muzzle goes on to avoid me getting bit and his nails get clipped and then dremeled down the rest of the way. Cricket and Joey are a bit better about their nails.
I have tied my dogs up outside before.
I let cricket offleash on hikes sometimes. I call her back if I see people, dogs, deer etc but she does get to go offleash even on hikes where she is supposed to be leashed.
I hate picking up poop and rarely pick it up ij my yard. I also don't usually pick it up on hikes if it's off the beaten path. If I do pick it up I've been known to chuck the bag of poop into the woods so I don't have to carry it with me. A few chazzers have witnessed me doing this.
I let my dogs up on furniture. My dogs often sleep on my bed. Gasp!
I'm not opposed to prong collars or e-collars. I have used a prong collar on cricket before though I don't anymore because of her sensitive neck. I use a starmark on my sighthound which is similar to a prong. I use gentle leaders on cricket and Bamm though it's rubbing the hair off crickets face so I need to try something different for her.
I have used bark collars on my dogs and would use them again.
I mainly use a clicker for training but will use corrections if needed.
I've encouraged jumping from time to time.... And then get mad at my husband when he encourages jumping.
My list could go on and on.
My dogs wear collars all the time. They wear collars in crates. They play with collars on. Some people would say that's dangerous.
They don't always wear tags and I lose tags a lot. They mainly wear tags to the dog park and then get thrown into a drawer somewhere when I get home.
Only Cricket and Joey are registered with the county and that is only because it's required around here if you want to go to dog parks.
My dogs are all chipped but I'm really bad at updating chip information and paying the yearly fees to keep them active. I think Bamm is still registered to the shelter I got him from.
I still crate Joey even though he has had a couple bad seizures and could badly injure himself in a crate if he seizes.
My dogs sometimes ride loose in the car though I am actually working on having three crates set up eventually.
I leave my dogs in the car when I go places (as long as it isn't super hot out). I left Joey in my car and went into a restaurant with a bunch of friends a couple weeks ago. We were there for two hours and when I got back to the car he was fast asleep.
I run my sighthound. In fact. I have raced him. The horror.
I let Bamm loose into the yard on snow days. He bites people sometimes and is very DR as well. He loves the snow though so I will let him run loose in the yard if I don't see other people or dogs.
I feed kibble. Not only do I feed kibble but I also switch food a lot and I don't slowly switch either. Cricket not so much because of her allergies but the boys get lots of variety.
My dogs are crated a lot when I work.
I leave dogs loose together sometimes. I never leave Joey and Bamm loose together 100% unsupervised, but ether boy can be loose with Cricket. Joey isn't loose usually though because I have a cat loose.
I make my dogs deal with nail trims every other week. Bamm hates it and has to be muzzled. I have tried to take it slowly with him and lots of positive reinforcement but nope. So... Since he doesn't like it the muzzle goes on to avoid me getting bit and his nails get clipped and then dremeled down the rest of the way. Cricket and Joey are a bit better about their nails.
I have tied my dogs up outside before.
I let cricket offleash on hikes sometimes. I call her back if I see people, dogs, deer etc but she does get to go offleash even on hikes where she is supposed to be leashed.
I hate picking up poop and rarely pick it up ij my yard. I also don't usually pick it up on hikes if it's off the beaten path. If I do pick it up I've been known to chuck the bag of poop into the woods so I don't have to carry it with me. A few chazzers have witnessed me doing this.
I let my dogs up on furniture. My dogs often sleep on my bed. Gasp!
I'm not opposed to prong collars or e-collars. I have used a prong collar on cricket before though I don't anymore because of her sensitive neck. I use a starmark on my sighthound which is similar to a prong. I use gentle leaders on cricket and Bamm though it's rubbing the hair off crickets face so I need to try something different for her.
I have used bark collars on my dogs and would use them again.
I mainly use a clicker for training but will use corrections if needed.
I've encouraged jumping from time to time.... And then get mad at my husband when he encourages jumping.
My list could go on and on.
