Are some dog owners a bit deluded about their dogs?

[jennylamb1]

Just putting it out there- my mum has dogs, but with a sensible attitude I think- the dog stays downstairs at nights, as a puppy he is being trained, he is treated well but not not like a human being.
Some dog owners though seem to justify their dog's behaviour out of some ill advised need to defend them at all times, even in the face of reality. A previous poster on here had a dog who was biting visitors, but justified it because he was a rescue dog and they were warning bites and hadn't broken the skin. I had to take a detour running on a woodland path yesterday because an aggressive barking dog was stood in my path and the owner just thought they'd tell them off without thinking of putting them on a lead/restraining them. This week at the vet a dog owner with two large dogs leaping up at my nervous cat's cat carrier said that it was OK because they knew cats at home and were fine with them (whilst leaping up at my...).
Are there dog owners and then dog owners?

Definitely!

I have a dog/ puppy and he stays downstairs locked in the kitchen at night, gets left alone for a few hours at a time and whilst he’s our little prince he’s definitely a dog and has to do as we say.

I’d say most dog owners are deluded about their dog’s behaviour. It’s only been this swing in trend for the last 15 years I’d say, but far worse in the last 5 years. I have had dogs my entire life but they are treated like dogs; don’t go everywhere with me (I find this bloody weird), don’t go in shops or restaurants, don’t sleep on my sofa, definitely don’t go upstairs, are disciplined, and eat dog food not some fancy home cooked nonsense that costs more than a weekly shop at Waitrose.

I would say the vast majority of dog owners are more suited to owning a goldfish than a living creature. And the fur mom trend of owning designer crosses, “Doodles”, French Bulldogs, and other dogs that don’t look or act like proper dogs only fuel the madness further. And of course nothing is ever the fur mom’s fault, it’s your fault for walking in a public space, it’s your fault the dog is out of control etc. Modern dog owners have put me right off having another after my current girl pops her clogs. Half of them are utterly bonkers.

Most of them.

Of course there is. Most of them in fact. Same as some people are deluded about their children's behaviour.

Goldfish are living creatures!

Maybe. My dog is very spoiled and has the run of the house but I’ve also put a huge amount of effort into training her and she’ll do what she’s told if we need her to. I think a lot of people get a dog and then do the bare minimum of training.

I think that's a big part of it. Training is hard work (as I've seen with my mum's puppy) and some people are too lazy to do it and instead just think other people will have to deal with it.

And probably the most ill treated pets of them all.

Oh yes. This with bells on.

Lol this thread is like asking Mumsnet if 'obvious' begins with an 'o' and ends with an 's'.

little prince 🤦‍♀️

The trouble is these 'fur babies' are badly behaved because they are not being treated like dogs. They are not trained sufficiently (if at all), most are bored out of their tiny minds, under exercised which has just produced (at best) a load of just emotionally incontinent manky pests. And the owners just refuse to take responsibility.

There are some responsible dog owners and I can usually spot them a mile off.

2 seconds in and already the posts talking about children as if they have somehow some equivalence with pet dogs.
It must be the furbabies syndrome 🤦‍♀️

There are two types of dog owners.

Type one: Those that view being a dog owner as being a 'responsibility and a privilege'. Those are the ones who train their dogs properly and ensure their dogs cause no fuss.

Type two: 90% of owners who got a dog because they thought it was their 'right.' Those are the ones with badly trained dogs.

There is one near me who has started bringing her puppy to socialise with children… at the school gates at home time! Because that is just what the pup needs, 400+ rowdy excited primary age children running out of the school gates. It is terrified and shaking in her arms most of the time, and if the puppy does eventually snap at a child the dog will be blamed.

It's the same principle though! Parents who think their little Angel can do no wrong, dog owner who thinks their dog can do no wrong - same same!

Definitely.

I was at the vet with one of mine last week. Another woman with a dog in there on a long lead that kept coming over to jump up at mine. It got a firm "no" from me - at which point she simpered that he was just being friendly. My response was that at no it's not being friendly, it's your dog being badly behaved - because if you had them under control and they were well trained, then they wouldn't be jumping up at strangers. I don't like it, and my dog doesn't like it, so keep your dog under control. She didn't have much to say about it, but she pulled the dog back.

Dogs are hard work. I love mine but other people's badly behaved dogs do my nut in. It's also really arrogant to assume that strangers want Fido's muddy paws all over them - not everyone likes dogs.

I'm the third type, took in a middle age rescue dog that you can't really train, her last owner was a drug addict who left her tied to a fence while he went to try and end his life, he was saved, Christ knows what she's seen in her life. All I can do is give her the love and security she needs to live out the rest of her life and her needs met.

She is our second middle age rescue both are chalk and cheese, we just need to work with what we get!

Yes, I think it's all about people feeling that it's ok to step over other people's boundaries. Vets waiting rooms areas are a nightmare if busy. My poor cat had already wet herself on the way to the vet in her carrier because she was so nervous. I don't want someone's dog leaping up at her even if according to the owner they are 'good around cats!'

Irony my friend.

Yes they are.

I am a dog owner and she sleeps on our bed, and is currently curled up in an arm chair.

But I don't take her out with me, or assume it would be OK. My sister sometimes looks after her if we go out for the day, and is happy for us to take her round if we go for the evening, but we don't usually take her and would definitely ask before doing so.

I don't let her off the extending lead and I reel her back in when necessary and I don't let her jump up at other people.

To be fair, most other dog owners I personally know IRL are just the same, but there are definitely some who have other ideas!

Emphatically yes.

I loathe it. Totally unfair on the humans that come into contact with the dogs and the poor animals as well.

I really feel for cats and small furries at the vet. Ours has a good sized reception and a separate walled off waiting area for them, so that they aren't in the eyeline of dogs.

It's still a stressful environment for all of them though. One of my dogs gets very anxious, as she's frightened of other dogs due to being attacked and badly hurt by one. I have no compunction at all about telling other dog owners to keep their animals under control.

Absolutely loads of them!

we have dogs, horses and other small pets. They all have a wonderful life, as the much loved ANIMALS, they are.

Example being a thread running at the moment, where the OP's relatives are all kicking off because she doesn't want them bringing their various dogs to her (dog free) house for Christmas.

Why on earth would you assume that you can bring your dog wherever you go? And not even ask! I don't get it at all.