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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

I love my dog but I don't always LIKE him.

14 replies

Sizzlysausage · 07/09/2023 10:53

Just to reiterate, I love my dog and I think we give him a good life. However, he has many personality flaws which make him not very dog-ly. For example, dogs are meant to be sensitive when you are sad. As far as I can tell, my dog couldn't care less, other than how me being sad could affect his day. He is extremely needy and rather self-centred, and tends to put himself first in most situations, making him seem a little entitled at times. He takes against random small children (we are working on this, and children are always kept safe). He also hogs the bed. He has a habit of licking male dog's ... undercarriage ... on walks, even though I have repeatedly told him it's embarrassing. I admit that perhaps I have partly created this monster but I think some aspects are his fundamental personality. So to sum: I love my dog but I don't always like him. Anyone else?

OP posts:
Squirrel28 · 07/09/2023 11:19

I quite often say to my dog ‘your behaviour is making me sad’. He doesn’t give a shit, because he’s a tiny little psychopath. I find him much less annoying since I accepted this (obviously, I adore him, but he’s just going to do whatever he wants to do in that particular moment).

SirSniffsAlot · 07/09/2023 11:41

I don't mean to sound harsh but your dog is behaving exactly like a dog.

Caring when you are sad.

This is perhaps a bugbear of mine, but this myth that dogs are something they not does them a great disservice. He's a dog. Those dogs that appear to care when their owners are sad are - generally - just distressed by unusual behaviour from them. Your dog sounds more confident than that, which is a good thing.

Putting himself first

Of course! He's a dog. Dogs are, by nature competitive animals. They are programmed to put themselves first. Occasionally an individual comes along that doesn't because nature provides variation among species. But generally, they are out for themselves. If you want a more collaborative animal, you need a wolf - but that comes with it's own problems 😂

Taking against random small children

Children behave very differently to adults and the chances are high that a dog doesn't even equate them as the same species as us. As a species a dog's instinct is to only really like and accept those individuals he grew up with - which is how they make great guardian animals for sheep etc. If he's not used to small children, or to those small children in particular, they will be very strange and scary to him. As they are to many dogs who don't grow up around them, and quite a few who do.

Hogs the bed

When dogs share bed, it is often he who huffs and lumps about the most that gets the most space 😂

Licks his bits

Of course! He doesn't have hands to use a flannel. How else is he to keep it clean?

In short, you are very free not to like him sometimes, but don't dislike him because you don't think he is very dogly. He is absolutely 100% behaving exactly like a dog 😀

Drummend01 · 07/09/2023 11:54

Of course a dog is self centred and put themselves first. They don’t have the mental capacity to think “I’d like to go for a walk but I don’t want to inconvenience mum because she looks busy so I’ll just wait a bit”. Not sure what you expect from your dog to be honest, sounds like a typical dog to me

Newpeep · 07/09/2023 12:01

Dogs don't care when you are sad - they are responding to changes in you and showing stress. I prefer my dog doesn't as it shows she is confident and happy with our relationship and secure in the fact I'm going to sort stuff out.

They live for the moment. They are completely self centred. They will only work for pay. They cause us stress and heartache and cost us a fortune. But they are funny and cute and we can entertain ourselves training them and showing them off.

It's a two way relationship but not in the conventional sense.

Sizzlysausage · 07/09/2023 12:41

I was being light hearted, really, I should have said he's not dog-ly in the way that people sometimes expect dogs to be.😀

OP posts:
honeyandbutterontoast · 07/09/2023 12:56

Some dogs care when their owners are sad!

My old spaniel didn’t care what mood anyone was in. As long as she got her food on time and a walk all was right in her world.

Little dog is a different kettle of fish. She can tell I’m unhappy from across the room and will immediately run to be next to me. When I went through a very bad patch during Covid I would have awful nightmares and often wake to find she was licking the tears from my face and trying to snuggle against me. She also does really stupid comical things when the kids are arguing or grumpy to cheer them up, no prompting!

I mean she’s an absolute little bugger a lot of the time, but can’t fault the emotional therapist in her.

honeyandbutterontoast · 07/09/2023 12:59

Will also say though it’s a two way thing. I spent her first 18 months continually vigilant at night to keep propping her head up as she had sleep apnoea. So she owes me for that 😆

Strawberrypicnic · 07/09/2023 13:01

Sniffing and licking bits of other dogs of both sexes is 100% normal! It's how dogs find out about each other. All it means is that you have to have the ability to call him off reliably if the other dog doesn't feel like being social (usually easy to read from their body language).

Scousemousey · 07/09/2023 13:05

I know what you mean. I'm still getting over a disgusting shit eating incident from last week. He couldn't give a toss, the little sod.

Purplecatshopaholic · 07/09/2023 13:05

One of my dogs is being a dick today, so I sympathise op.

SirChenjins · 07/09/2023 13:08

My dog is like this. Doesn't seem to notice or care if I'm upset, barks at random strangers and other dogs, seems to have quite a low IQ despite being a mix of two supposedly intelligent breeds, costs me a flipping fortune and spends an inordinate of time sniffing bums. He's very cute though 😀

Riverlee · 07/09/2023 22:31

I agree with you. At one point, I told him that if he didn’t behave, he’d end up at The Dogs Trust on a regular basis. Haven’t said it for a while.

You see lots of pictures of dogs snuggling up to people on sofas - not our dog. He does come and rub himself against you, in a cat-like manner, but that’s the most affectionate he gets. He wouldn’t know if I was sad or happy.

He is lovely, but I do sometimes think we were sold a false dream.

FroggyWentACourtin · 08/09/2023 01:03

I think some posters missed the humour OP. You should know by now you have to signpost something as JOKEY and LIGHT HEARTED

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 08/09/2023 01:08

No snuggles @Riverlee 🙁 That’s just rude!

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