Dear Moron:

[noludoru]

When you spend months giving the dog every little bit of food he wants when he invades your space, nudges you, and whines if you don't give him part of your dinner, he quickly learns that gluing himself to you, whining, and nudging you is the way to get food.

I did not teach the dog this. Do not accuse me of teaching him this behavior. I despise begging from my own dog, and pushy begging is a little red button for me - it makes me want to slap him in the face - there's no way I would teach him this. Do not accuse me of "not being able to train my own dog," either. I taught him within a week after I got home from my vacation that that behavior was unacceptable with me and he lays quietly at my feet for the most part. If I was unable to train him out of behavior like that, the likelihood of him being alive at this point would not be good, and last time I checked, he is alive.

Do not yell at me to come "take care of my dog" and "actually train him for once" when he is drooling all over your lap and begging for food when you are the one who taught him to do it. You. Are. A. Moron.

Why? Because I have been telling you for several months now not to let him get away with this behavior, why it's bad, and not to give him any food, ever. And yet you ignore me and give him food at every opportunity, including cakes, pies, and ice cream after I'd told you not to.

Don't act like it's all my fault and revert to two-year old mode when I repeat for the 10,000th time "don't feed the dog, you're teaching him bad behaviors" and snippily tell me that "fine, I wont feed the dog - or do anything for him ever again!"


Sincerely,

Stefanie, your completely irritated daughter who would like a DNA test, because she can't possibly be related to you.

 

[jess2416]

((((((hugs)))))))

 

[JessLough]

(((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))) Nolu <3 <3

 

[Saeleofu]

My mom is this way too. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[noludoru]

Thanks. <3

It's ridiculous. I finally got tired of breaking Middie of his bad habits only to have them re-taught. So now he has a few completely awful ones that make me rather ashamed to have anyone over (not that I do since I have one friend within easy driving distance anymore) and I figure my dad can suck it the **** up and deal with it since he taught them. He doesn't like the results? Too bad.

 

[Xandra]

I feel your pain Nolu.

I, too, am at a loss with these people. You tell them something very simple, and inform them consequences of not doing what you say. Clear, right? No room for interpretation, or so you think. But somehow their brain chemistry dissolves the fresh layer of information and it all goes to hell again. They can't make the connection between what you say... and what happens.

It is like creepers who see a "CAUTION- DANGER OF ELECTROCUTION CAUSING *DEATH*" sign and then proceed to pull out the copper. I just don't know what to say.

 

[mrose_s]

I get this. Mum blames me for teaching harry to lie down using food rewards as the reason why now everytime he wants something he come and slams himself on the ground in front of her. no mum. its because half the time you laugh and give him some of whatever your eating.

 

[Whisper]

Ugh. I have family members a bit like this, too. It''s awful. Sorry, nolu.

 

[noludoru]

They can't make the connection between what you say... and what happens.

It is like creepers who see a "CAUTION- DANGER OF ELECTROCUTION CAUSING *DEATH*" sign and then proceed to pull out the copper. I just don't know what to say.

Perfect description. It doesn't matter how you explain it or even if you write it down for them - then you're just being rude, when it's plain old directions. (Seriously. I had to WRITE DOWN "Clip leash to Middie's harness. Tug it to make sure it's secure. THEN open door and let him out. When coming back inside, CLOSE DOOR before taking him off leash.")

 

[misfitz]

I feel your pain, you just described my roommate and her cat. Darned variable reinforcement schedule...

 

[Amber]

You just summed up EXACTLY my situation with my dad and Amber. I'm sorry your dad does that too.

 

[babymomma]

you are definatly not alone.. Both my parents do it.. They feed keely ALL the time. Its not healthy And i dont want them doing it.. they even let her in their laps while they ar eeating. Its rediculous.

Then I get called a b*tch when I push keely away when Im trying to eat. Yet I get freaked at when she gets on ther nerves and its very obviously, MY fault..

 

[Tsume'sMom]

Maybe this is the time to teach your dog food refusal?

Yes people that don't follow the rules for your dog and then blame you when they make the dogs bad behavior are Morons. More so if they do not SEE where the behavior came from (the stupid thing they are doing).

But it also gives you the chance to train a behavior that could be helpful. (say if a jerk neighbor tries to slip your pup a poison hotdog) It is not easy to teach, and I would suggest finding a K-9 instructor to show you how. It will do two things for you, end the begging once and for all (no matter the stupid people you live with) and it will help assure that your dog only eats safe food (that you have given him).

Just an idea.

 

[filarotten]

Poor Middy! He just wants to please everyone.

 

[Sweet72947]

I feel your pain.

Benji barks when he wants something. It annoys the CRAP out of me. There was a whole week where my parents and my sister were both gone from the house, out of town for something. I was able to break Benji of barking, and had a whole WEEK of beautiful, beautiful silence. The SECOND they came back, the barking started again! ARRRGH

((hugs)) for you.

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

Poor Middy! He just wants to please everyone.

^^^ Was thinking that too. (Besides, I *lurvs* Middie. )

Nolu, sucky situation there fer shure ... and ya, it's completely ridiculous for someone to teach a dog something and repeatedly reinforce it, ... only to later get mad at the same dog for doing exactly what it was carefully taught ... and then proceed to blame somebody else who did NOT teach that thing to the dog.

{{{{ Middie }}}} who must get pretty confused at times.

 

[noludoru]

I'm kind of surprised so amny of you have the same problems.

Maybe this is the time to teach your dog food refusal?

Yes people that don't follow the rules for your dog and then blame you when they make the dogs bad behavior are Morons. More so if they do not SEE where the behavior came from (the stupid thing they are doing).

But it also gives you the chance to train a behavior that could be helpful. (say if a jerk neighbor tries to slip your pup a poison hotdog) It is not easy to teach, and I would suggest finding a K-9 instructor to show you how. It will do two things for you, end the begging once and for all (no matter the stupid people you live with) and it will help assure that your dog only eats safe food (that you have given him).

Just an idea.

It's a good idea, I'm not disputing that, but right now I have so many things I need to teach him I'm kind of overwhelmed. I don't need to add anything else to my list, or create more tension in the household. And teaching him something like that would cause a LOT of screaming matches.

I feel your pain.

Benji barks when he wants something. It annoys the CRAP out of me. There was a whole week where my parents and my sister were both gone from the house, out of town for something. I was able to break Benji of barking, and had a whole WEEK of beautiful, beautiful silence. The SECOND they came back, the barking started again! ARRRGH

((hugs)) for you.

You have so much tolerance. I would have strangled that little dog - or the people that teach him those habits -by now.

^^^ Was thinking that too. (Besides, I *lurvs* Middie. )

{{{{ Middie }}}} who must get pretty confused at times.

He does once in a while, but not too often. It's not difficult for him to learn that there are different rules with me than there are with other people. There are a lot of things he's allowed or not allowed to do to me that he doesn't do with other people. The benefits of having me around outweigh the crappy stuff (wrestling matches + walks > not begging for food, jumping up, etc etc).

 

[Sweet72947]

You have so much tolerance. I would have strangled that little dog - or the people that teach him those habits -by now.

Yeah, I tell Benji all the time that he's lucky he's so cute. He's pretty lucky he survived February, with all that snow he couldn't be walked much or go outside for very long, and when he doesn't get his outside time he gets "cabin fever" gets all excitable. I think I walked around that whole week yelling "SHUT UP BENJI." lol

 

[sammgirl]

Oh no!! How childish! Sometimes parents can be that way, too!!

 

[noludoru]

Oh no!! How childish! Sometimes parents can be that way, too!!

Yeah, welcome to my household.

I can be an insufferable little brat sometimes, but I've got nothing on my dad. Living with him is a pain.