To HATE my dog

So many dog 'lovers' are guilty of this. People are daft as brushes.

So you leave his nuts on, not train him properly, not have time for him, can't be bothered with putting a stairgate on

but you want to keep him: poor poor dog.

That's a matter of opinion and does nothing to help the dog or the OP.

This.

It's true - cats are much better. I can never understand why anyone would want a dog when they can have a cat 😻

We rescued our dog because her previous owner didn't have time for her because of her young children. We were warned that she was badly behaved, destructive and would wee indoors.

We took her on and she never did any of those things because we had all the time in the world to devote to her training and giving her company, love, days out, long walks, camping holidays.....everything really. Nothing was too much trouble.

We had 10 gloriously happy years with her.

Give your dog up to someone who won't hate him and can give him the life he deserves. Your kids will get over it very quickly, your life will be easier immediately and your dog will benefit.

It drives me mad to see people who haven't bothered to train their dogs properly and then blame the dogs for their behaviour. You actually hate your dog? What a sad life he must lead if so. Yes, yes, you feed him and take him for walks. That's the bare minimum that you should do. But dogs are genetically programmed to want to be with people and they are generally highly in tune with their owners. He must know how you feel about him, especially if your attitude has changed. He is probably confused and anxious.

These posts crop up every so often. The owners are often praised for being "brave" if they decide to get rid of their dogs. There's nothing brave about it IMO. It's the coward's way out. Look into training, consult with your vet, hire a behaviourist if the root cause is anxiety. You owe it to your dog. He doesn't have anyone else to look out for him.

So many people piling on the OP for not neutering the dog. Routine neutering is not always for the best. The last two vets I've been registered with have recommended not neutering as a matter of course.

OP - you need to take him for a vet checkup to see if there is a physical reason why he is marking. I would then consider chemical castration to see if this makes a difference before you go for the permanent option.

This.

I feel so sorry for this dog. You're blaming him for his behaviour when you can't be arsed to do the bare minimum to try and train him.

If it's a new behaviour, take him to the vet. Get their advice. There's plenty of info on the internet. Yes, pugs are notoriously difficult to train as they're stubborn as fuck, but with work, it can be done.

Is it possibly linked to the arrival of the cat/children? I agree with another PP-seems you got the dog as a surrogate for a child-and now you have a child (and a cat) you can't be arsed with this poor dog.

Your failure to put effort in is not the dog's fault. It's yours.

Put a gate on the stairs? Don't let him out in the garden for so long that he can chase passers by continuously?

Essentially be a human and use your human brain.

Poor dog.

A few things you have said stand out for me. You say he barks in the garden and wees inside, this is classic behaviour from a dog that is bored and isn't walked enough. You also say he is social, as many pugs are. Pugs need a lot of attention and love and to be out and about. Is he getting enough of, not just walks, but positive attention as a lap dog really needs. He is a companion dog, that's his job, is he able to do his job? If not then you will get behavioural problems. The other one is obviously frustration due to being intact and any female dogs in heat in the area. The other issues could be pain as he is 7 and a pug, he may have back issues, a UTI etc. If this is a behavioural change then he needs to be checked out by the vet. Pugs have terrible backs and dogs show pain in very different ways to humans they can seem fine but exhibit strange behaviours. You don't hate him op. You know its not his fault he's just a dog.

@MadamVastra You pup is a cutey!

FFS. So many people love to jump on the “bad owner” bandwagon without engaging their brain cells 🙄. You don’t hate your dog- you hate the behaviour.

@Blossomo I read your posts as not a lack of early training but the indoor peeing being a more recent thing.

Does it pee in the same place every time?
Is it only when you are out?
Is the dog contained when you are out?
Has the dog been to the vet?
Would you consider neutering him?

There are loads of places to
start. Talk to a behaviourist

She did train him. He didn't used to do this. This is a new development. How many times does this need repeating 🙄
OP behaviourist and a stair gate.

I'm not sure why the stair gate concerns you so much

It sounds like he has a stress-related behaviour and maybe separation anxiety. Instead of hating your dog when he's struggling, you need to invest some time and energy into learning why he's doing what he's doing, see if there is a medical issue behind it or if it is stress-related, and figure out a solution to keep him happy and healthy. He can't TELL you that you're making him miserable and letting him down, so he has to show you. Listen to your dog and show him you care by working out what the issue is and attending to his needs. He's not a machine, if his behaviour has changed there is a reason behind it and you need to be a responsible dog owner and figure out what's going on.

You kept his bollocks and didn't train him.

Wtf did you expect?

The problem is YOU.

Really amazed you didn't neuter? This is a pretty standard part of pet ownership. How come you didn't? It would be really weird that your vet didn't immediately suggest it when asked their view of the peeing indoors....given that that's odd behaviour in a toilet trained dog, I assime of course you did actually ask your dog's vet before posting on a random web forum?

Your dog should be neutered too! Totally irresponsible!

This sounds like a training issue, also giving him the snip could also help. I get that you feel bad but he's a sentient being that it sounds like has been pushed out and replaced now you have kids. Toileting changes with no health concerns sounds like a behavioural problem so I'd engage a dog behaviourist to support you will reduce your stress and also help perhaps with bonding as imagine cleaning his wee multiple times a day isn't conducive to repairing it. Also get a stair gate, find zoning dogs to just the downstairs is much easier for everyone.

I hated my dog (she's 3) between the puppy to adult years. I wanted to give her away. I remember being in forest and walking away to drop her poop in a bin and thought about leaving her in the forest. I didn't. She is good as gold now, I invested time in her, training and now she is my best friend I just adore her

I know it’s not, but they’re not usually do open about it. I think this is a wind up to get attention and to get people frothing.

At the moment you hate your dog because his behaviour is problematic and you don’t have the bandwidth to sort it out due to kids and cat.

Stop. Remember the dog you loved and still have. Take some steps to sort it- a baby gate; vet visit and neutering if recommended, and if not a big crate for being left unattended.

Then, and only then, have a rethink.

What message do you want to give your kids about relationships, love and pet responsibilities?

I had a few friends who got dogs as baby substitutes and then hated them when finally got a baby (let’s face it, they’re hard work!) I’m not saying the op did this but it’s not unusual.

I'll have him lol I love pugs
My terrier x was a leg cocker but after he was neutered he stopped
It only happens the odd time now if he smells something really strong on my coat when I've been out , say if I've fussed a cat / other dog ( before I wash it of course )
It worked great for him
I'd say get a stair gate too
Lots of luck he sounds lovely just a bit cheeky