# What makes you a "bad" owner?



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Confession time!! 

I'll admit I do things that I shouldn't when it comes to owning a dog. Don't get me wrong, Ranger is spoiled and loved to an impossible degree but there are things I do that I shouldn't...and I was wondering if anyone else does things they know they shouldn't but still do! 

Here are mine:

- I sometimes walk him to the corner store and leash him outside while I run in to get something. He's only tied outside for as long as it takes me to buy the one or two items needed and then we walk back home. It's only a ten minute walk and I _could_ leave him at home, but he likes coming with and I like bringing him...so he gets tied up outside. I know it's frowned upon by a lot of people, not to mention a $200 fine, yet I still do it.

- We sometimes go for mini-walks on hot days. Ranger's long walks are reserved for in the mornings or evenings, unless it's a river jaunt. But sometimes if I'm mailing letters, I'll take him with me since it's only a two block walk. Even if it is in the heat of the day...

- He looooves alcohol (almost as much as me) so I'll let him lick the neck of the empties. He especially loves the caramilk cooler empties! I know alchohol is bad for dogs...but I can't resist letting him lick out the little droplets.

- The odd time I stop at Dairy Queen, I get a baby vanilla soft serve cone that we share. And by share, I mean I lick on side and he licks the other until he gets too impatient and then tries to eat the whole thing at once. At that point, it becomes his.

- I sometimes forget to feed him his supper until it's almost 9 or 10 at night. He doesn't seem to care too much and he's never missed a mealtime, it just sometimes gets pushed back a few hours!

Those are my confessions...anyone else brave enough to admit theirs?


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

I'll go:

-Maggie gets table food. Not whole meals, but, she trains better with chicken and gets a nibble of my dinner or breakfast.

-Maggie will occasionally get 1 M&M...I know its bad for her, but she likes it

-if I've had a long night, Maggie sometimes doesn't eat or go potty until 9 or 10am...if she needs to go early on these days, she'll wake me up.

go ahead...judge me.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Yeah, whatever, I admit it, I've poured a little beer in Flora's bowl for her to drink up. And by a "little" I literally mean less than a swallow.

I feed her too many table scraps.

I let her jump on and off my bed which, god knows, is probably terrible for her hips.

And last, and in my opinion the worst, I have turned her into a squirrel hunting monster by exclaiming "squirrel!" every time we see one, and she (naturally) goes nuts.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Hey now.... don't be so hard on yourselves.... unless it's a lot of sugar/salt/seasoning/or the "super dangerous foods"... it's not all THAT bad for dogs...
My dogs eat what I'm eating. I've taught one to have his head on my knee while I eat. I think it's great. But apparently other's don't. He doesn't slobber....
Some days we don't go for long walks. 
We've been out of training class for way too long. 
I don't have as many enrichment toys as I should. 
I don't train enough with my own dogs.


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## Alfie's Girl (May 6, 2010)

I break off tiny bits of cheese to give my boy...for no other reason than I LOVE HIM! He LOVES cheese just like me!


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Oh yeah I forgot to add that Ranger got some ham and turkey bacon yesterday. He was out front without a leash which is a HUGE deal for Ranger since he used to bolt whenever his leash was unsnapped. So he got some super good treats for hanging around and coming back ASAP when called!


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## SophieP (May 7, 2010)

kdmarsh said:


> And last, and in my opinion the worst, I have turned her into a squirrel hunting monster by exclaiming "squirrel!" every time we see one, and she (naturally) goes nuts.


That's hilarious! :

OK, I'm trying to think of some and I guess I'm still in the anal/protective stage with Abby since she is just 5 months old BUT with my previous dogs (labs), when I was clueless about raising dogs, I did SO many "bad" things, like:

1- Hardly ever walked them - maybe just a few times/week - I didn't realize the importance of mental and physical stimulation - duh.

2- They all had table scraps - my last lab used to empty all of our plates

3- Once they found the toilet bowl, I didn't try very hard to discourage them so they ended up drinking ALL their water intake from the toilet :yuckat least it was a clean bowl...most of the time ) 

4- I used to take them pretty much everywhere and like Ranger's Mom, tied them up outside stores when I went inside (I'm too paranoid someone will take Abby now so I don't do it anymore)

5- Never bought a dog license in any city I've lived in - I think they're a cash grab and just can't do it - unless I ever get caught and have to of course.

OK, confession over - good idea Ranger's Mom!


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

It has been far too long since I practiced sit stays and down stays with Rookie. And I KNOW how important those skills are. Not something I should get casual about! I think I need to sign up for another class this fall. It helps me be accountable.


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## West (Jul 9, 2010)

Hmmm... Nice thread!
I'm still a bit overprotective, Cooper is just three months old.
Apart from his food I only give him pieces of apples, the occasional very small piece of chicken (if it's not seasoned and of course, without any bones or fat) and some treats.
But I do admit I really spoil him and he doesn't want to eat his food unless I thow in a splash of lactose-free milk or yoghurt (he goes nuts for yoghurt!). And sometimes I give him some grains of our cats' food as a treat. Not a lot, just four or five grains.
I also admit I put him a dog jacket when we go for a walk (it's winter here) although the trainer told me not to (he has this idea that a male dog should be super macho and unspoilt).
I also encourage him to chase pidgeons :S Fortunately, he doesn't really seem interested in them.


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

Snacking is probably the worse.


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## TobysDad (Apr 7, 2009)

*Mooching*

There are days when I think Toby eats better / eats more food than I do. His or mine....


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

1) My dogs also use the toilet as their drinking bowl. When I fill their water bowl, most times they will sniff it then go running to the bathroom.

My husband will actually announce "Fresh water" after he has flushed, and they come running!

2) My husband gives them each the last bite of every meals he eats. They will sit their waiting patiently.

3) We have used human shampoo on them, and to tell you the truth I think it works better.

4) We allow MacKenzie to take showers with us if she wants, Brady wants nothing to do with it.

5) I allow my dogs to lick the dirty dishes while I am loading the dish washer.


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

Guilty in *Red*.



cubbysan said:


> 1) My dogs also use the toilet as their drinking bowl. When I fill their water bowl, most times they will sniff it then go running to the bathroom.
> 
> My husband will actually announce "Fresh water" after he has flushed, and they come running!
> 
> ...


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Hmmm.... I think these fall right in line with everyone else's....

1. My dog does not have a license. I haven't bought one since 20 years ago and our then dog buried his new tag somewhere in the yard. o_I; 

2. I let my dog sit next to me in the front seat while I'm driving. 

3. He always gets my leftovers. <- I usually eat half of what's on my plate and give him the rest. Fortunately, this is usually soup or pasta. 

4. I saw him carrying an open box of cheezits around the house and I let him eat half a bag. Why? Because they were already ruined from him carrying them around and I was going to be throw it away anyway. 

5. On more than one occasion, I've sent my golden after rabbits in our yard. I know I shouldn't. But he LOVES chasing them. And those fangled oversized rodents keep eating my flowers!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

My dogs jump on people unless I'm right there micro-managing them. I never bothered to teach polite at-our-house greetings when they were puppies. Definitely changing that with the next pups in my life.

We don't walk everyday. Thankfully they're old enough to not go stir-crazy when this happens, but I still feel guilty.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

cubbysan said:


> 1) My dogs also use the toilet as their drinking bowl. When I fill their water bowl, most times they will sniff it then go running to the bathroom.
> 
> *My husband will actually announce "Fresh water" after he has flushed, and they come running!
> *
> ...


Lol x 1000!!! Your husband's a funny guy. :


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

My biggest confession is that I don't walk Molson every day... probably only 2 or 3 of 5 weekdays. When we do walk, they are an hour long at a fast pace and every day we play chase and fetch in the backyard so he gets at least 15-20 minutes of good activity. He is in great shape and I always make up for a lack of weekday walks on the weekends when we go on some exciting adventures which usually take up the entire day or weekend! ... but I still feel guilty for it!



cubbysan said:


> 3) We have used human shampoo on them, and to tell you the truth I think it works better.


We use Pantene Pro-V _for Blondes_ Conditioner on Molson's fur!  He is always being complimented on how soft and lucious his fur is.


I don't think I have any other confessions... maybe just a regret that we didn't put him in an obedience class as a pup. I'm very pleased at how well he has done so far by training him myself at home, but we are for sure enrolling in September so we can start some Rally-O and Agility!

I don't try to stop Molson from jumping up on people who I don't _really_ want to have at my house!  hehe. It's kind of my way of saying that you're not welcome if you don't like my dog!


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

* In almost 8 years of dog ownership, we have never gone on a walk. At least since Sage was a puppy 7 years ago. But that got old real quick. Thankfully none of my dogs are high energy, except the small one, and he's content running circles around the backyard. Sorry, when its hot, I stay inside. When its cold, I stay inside. If we had an obesity problem we would get more exercise, but everyone is lean, to the point of being too thin, and healthy.
* I don't brush their teeth. They don't like it, I don't like it, so I don't do it. The knuckle bones they chew seem to do the trick well though
*I also use my bathroom toilet as a water bowl. I have tried keeping a water bowl in the bathroom for overnight but it just ends up getting mucky too quick from dog hair and slobber and my hair when I blow it dry, and just by simply flushing they get clean water!
*My golden loves chocolate covered pretzels. And she gets a few every time I eat them. She's still alive.

*


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

Oh one more. I also use Pantene conditioner on my dogs. I use regular dog shampoo but the pantene conditioner makes them so soft and smell fabulous for a very long time.Not a lot, just a thin film spread on my hands and then I rub them all over, then rinse. Try it, it works.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

They say confession is good for the soul....

1) I totally don't brush my dog's teeth. Never will.

2) I let her play with tennis balls - extensively - so those same teeth are getting quite flat in front. 

3) "Is there a SQUIRREL???!!" 'Nuff said. :

4) I also leave her outside stores if I'm running in for a few minutes. In most cases, I can actually see her when I'm inside. The only one where I can't is the drug store - so I'm always going back to the front window to make sure she's okay. Why do I do this, you ask? Because I love walking with her. And she loves walking. 

5) I take my dog out off leash all the time. It's silly - she could walk out of my garage and get smucked by someone else driving into the common driveway. I also let her walk on the sidewalk holding her own leash because I know she will stop at corners when I say "wait." But what if she didn't...? That's probably my greatest confession, since it is tantamount to putting her life in danger. But she loves carrying her own leash - she walks with such pride!!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

1. If no one is around I will play/train with my dog off-leash in a city park (shh! don't tell anyone).

2. I let my dog jump on me and I reward it--within my terms though.


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## macchelle (Dec 28, 2008)

Okay, I'll play.

1. All my dogs get to lick the ice cream bowls when we are done. This started with my grandmother and her dogs. Doesn't matter if there is chocolate or not, they get to lick.
2. Molly and Mosby get french fries when we bring home fast food. (Molly usually gets more than Mosby because she is very polite about it.)
3. I do not walk my dogs in the summer at all. I cannot stand the heat and refuse to spend any time outside if I can avoid it. However, the rest of the year I try to make up for it. 
4. I really need to get Mosby into training class so that he can learn manners around other dogs. Ugh. He's so good until he see's a dog that is not Molly. But I hate the hours of training classes and don't want to spend the money either. 

I am sure there are more, LOL.


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## Archie's Dad (Jul 17, 2010)

Have I accidentally ended up at The Onion? Letting your Golden drink from a toilet bowl! :roflmao::roflmao:

I've only been a dog owner for a little under three months now, but there is one thing I feel a bit guilty about. Archie shows his affection by licking me a lot, and since I usually walk around barefoot inside the house, he likes to start at my feet and work his way up from there. I don't always stop him from doing so. Having your dog lick your face tickles, unlike the feet, legs,arms, etc. I think he actually prefers feet...


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

1- I'm also guilty of announcing the presence of squirrels.

2. I confessed this to Melissa and Sarah this weekend, but I will (GENTLY) push a dog into the other to start them playing. LOL. I usually only do this if they are driving me nuts by getting into stuff. (It makes the one dog think the other is picking a play. LOL)

3. I have used the kennel as time out. Mainly for Mojo. When he was in his biting stage as a young puppy I swear we tried EVERYTHING. Nothing worked. So... when he mouthed us, we would calmly pick him up and put him in his kennel for a minute or two. He learned EXTREMELY quickly not to mouth. We did the same when they would counter surf. Worked wonders. 

4. The longest they go in their kennel without potty is 8 hours, and that's at night. Sometimes, though, if we're too tired... we'll sleep in and postpone it an hour or two. (UNLESS one of them barks. Then we will get up and let them out.)

5. When Mojo hears a noise and starts barking, or is Gary is unlocking the door and coming in or WHATEVER... I always praise him. I'd rather him alert me. He doesn't have a barking problem at all, he'll only bark if he's commanded to ("What's your name!?" or "Speak") or if he hears something.

6. I'm probably the most overprotective owner on this board. Just ask Melissa and Stephanie. I can't help it, I'm so paranoid something bad will happen to them. I won't let them chew on stuffies (they can toss them around and play with them that way) but when they start gnawing on it it goes away. 

7. Mojo had some major food-guarding issues when he was younger. We tried to train him out of it, but seemed to make it worse. We ended up giving up and stopped bothering him. (Now he can eat right beside Missy, and he could with Maxie. So... I guess it's okay. LOL)

8. I've been known to go a day or two without brushing them. I'll forget... I always feel really bad.


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

Foot licking is a highly praised sport around here 



Archie's Dad said:


> Have I accidentally ended up at The Onion? Letting your Golden drink from a toilet bowl! :roflmao::roflmao:
> 
> I've only been a dog owner for a little under three months now, but there is one thing I feel a bit guilty about. Archie shows his affection by licking me a lot, and since I usually walk around barefoot inside the house, he likes to start at my feet and work his way up from there. I don't always stop him from doing so. Having your dog lick your face tickles, unlike the feet, legs,arms, etc. I think he actually prefers feet...


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Hmmm.... is it bad if some of these "dirty little secrets" seem like no big deal to me?! Does that make me an even *worse* owner?!?


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## musicgirl (Jul 26, 2009)

I always used to get sooo angry at my parents and brother for giving Teddy table scraps. I never did it. Now that he's getting older, I've given in and feed him stuff from the table.
Some times when I'm lazy I'll just let Teddy outside in our backyard for his "walk" (shameful)..but I do try to make that up to him by taking him down to the river


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## SophieP (May 7, 2010)

mdoats said:


> Hmmm.... is it bad if some of these "dirty little secrets" seem like no big deal to me?! Does that make me an even *worse* owner?!?


Agreed! No brushing for *a day or two, *no tooth brushing, playing in the park off leash and foot licking seem VERY tame to me! :

Cheers,
Sophie


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

Mssjnnfer said:


> 6.* I'm probably the most overprotective owner on this board. *Just ask Melissa and Stephanie. I can't help it, I'm so paranoid something bad will happen to them. I won't let them chew on stuffies (they can toss them around and play with them that way) but when they start gnawing on it it goes away.


NOBODY on this Earth is more overprotective than my boyfriend. He REFUSES to let Vito off leash in fear of something bad happening. Even in fenced in areas! :doh:

I hate Vito's greetings with strangers, but my boyfriend reinforce it all the time with ourselves. Quite the catch 22. 

Vito doesn't get walked everyday.  I always feel so guilty on those days.

He gets table scraps, and licks dishes in the dishwasher. 

We are also guilty of squirrel antagonizing, hahaha


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I only walk my dogs 5 days a week, sometimes 4 days a week. But in this recent heat wave, I haven't walked them at all. I took them for off-leash runs both Saturday and Sunday mornings to make up for the guilt I was feeling!


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I let Bender clear the table and will often bring a dog in before I sweep or deal with a spill. So they get milk, toast, you name it. Oh well.

I don't wash the bucket outside. I used to, however it gets filled several times a day and Storee is really, really insistant that it's not a bucket, but a pool, so it usually is dirty right away anyhow. 

I don't trim nails as often as I should.

After training for over two years for field, and just finding out a week before the first test that there's a ton of stuff I've been doing that I can't, and because it never takes a short time to train, Storee will be 'retired' from birds as of next week. I feel bad but it's taken a ton of time training wise because almost every time is 4-5 hours. I'd rather do agility and get her obedience done instead, which only takes me an hour at the most and often I can just work her around the house and yard instead of driving.

Lana


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

My confession goes beyond my present doggie:

1. I always walk Cocasse no matter how late I get in, or how bad the weather is or how much pain I am in that day. I do it because I think he is bored in the house but mostly to assuage the guilt of not walking my bridge boy enough and then wondering why he was going bonkers all the time from lack of exercise/stimulation.

2. Cocasse has way more toys/treats than my previous dogs did. I had young children then and money was much tighter but I don't remember my last 2 doggies having these many toys/treats. (Cocasse has two bags of toys waiting for him for his b-day and x-mas and I'm sure I'll be buying more.)

3. I've slacked off brushing his teeth. He hates it and so do I.

4. I've given up trying to push Cocasse to walk outside his comfort zone. It stresses him out and frustrates me to no end.

5. I do give him human food from my plate - mostly bits of toast from my plate and choice bits of meat. I'd give him fruit and veggies too but he won't eat them.

6. I let him lick my ice cream cone. We eat it together. LOL


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## Kally76 (Jun 14, 2010)

I secretly torture my dogs with the vacuum cleaner. I just can't help it. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen.!!!!


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Finn isn't allowed on the big couch, but when DH isn't home I don't make him get off.
This one is really bad. We let him play fetch with rocks. He loves them and doesn't play with other objects outside like he does with rocks.
I don't always let him out to go outside when he stands at the door.
DH gives him treats without working for them sometimes.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Forgot to add that I play with Ranger's whiskers all the time even though he doesn't like it. Sometimes even when he's sound asleep so he moves his head and stops nose-whistling in my ear. But I still feel bad!


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

Well.......I don't feel so bad about leaving my dog in the SUV for 5 minutes(with the a/c running) after reading some of these confessions.


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## booklady (Mar 3, 2009)

My dogs lick the plates and bowls after my meals.

We share sandwiches - they get the crusts, I eat the middle.

The third dog on our pre-bed nightly, individual walk often only gets to walk to the street and back.

None of my dogs have current licenses. All are microchipped and have ID's. One still has a two-year-old county license - the only one he's never lost.

I don't stop them from going bonkers and racing to the door when the door bell rings. When I open the door a crack to see who is there, I still let the slathering herd go crazy - the people I know are aware that the tails are going nuts, those I don't know can just wonder and beat feet.


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Is there anyone out there who gets license now days?


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

FinnTastic said:


> Is there anyone out there who gets license now days?



:wavey: Me...thanks to my loud mouth hubby who talked our condo building into making it a requirement.


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

HAHAHAHAHAHA ....silly husbands!!!!


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## bla89 (Jun 3, 2010)

When ever I have anything in a bowl I let Evan and now Ziva lick it clean, mostly pudding and yogart, but their is the occasional ice cream and milk

I rarely give my kids walks even when i know it would be healthy for them and I

I let my dogs run around the yard next to my apartment without leashes. Their is rarely a time where I use the leashes, but the times I do use it is when we go on cars rides out in public.

Their is a tennis ball at paws reach for my kiddos and I never take it away from them. If they want to play they play with it.

I let Evan on my furniture and let him sleep with me in my bed.

These are the confessions that I can remember


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## max935 (Jul 28, 2009)

The worst one here is encouraging Jesse to chase any birds she sees because it makes it so much easier to tire her out when no other dogs are at the park. Problem is that she wont come back when she's mid-chase....

Not brushing often enough (only when she gets really dirty or when the shedding is driving me crazy)

I didn't even know you were meant to brush dogs teeth!! Maybe something to look into....


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

FinnTastic said:


> Is there anyone out there who gets license now days?


Me! :wavey: I'm too paranoid about getting caught without it - the fine is too high! 

When I lived in Montreal, I used to buy TWO licenses - one for the city of Montreal, and one for the city of Westmount next door - because it had the best mountaintop, woodsy, off-leash walking area. And they routinely checked for licenses! It was well worth the extra $25, or whatever it was...


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

FinnTastic said:


> Is there anyone out there who gets license now days?


 
I do! Ranger's a freaking houdini and I'm worried he'll get loose and not have his tags. It's only $25 to get your license if your dog is fixed but the fine is way more PLUS the city now charges for holding your dog. So it makes sense in this city to get one - especially when we're out and about all the time.


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## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

Hmmmmm! Id have to say that i probably treat Joey too much (with kibble) and always 'training'. Also that i dont always pick up his poop in the backyard everytime he goes :$ I'll get it throughout the week, but not always right away! Also that i 'turn my head' when i see Joey attempting to jump on the couch. I wanna cuddle  But that will be stoping because mom is all NO  haha.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

How about--

1) Seriously contemplating strangling my dog some days (ok ok just kidding--maybe--
2) Letting her bring sticks in the house and then shredding them on the carpet.

However, Scout has a completely different list of what makes me a bad dog owner :~)
1) Doing nails weekly, shoot, period.
2) Baths--dogs are meant to be stinky and dirty


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

FinnTastic said:


> Is there anyone out there who gets license now days?


I registered Molson. Our first vet wouldn't treat him without a city registration, and it was only $45 for a lifetime registration since he is microchipped.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Despite having the highest standards for my dogs in the obedience ring, I don't have many standards for everyday manners. Unless I tell them not to my dogs will pull on a leash, jump on people, bolt out a door, and counter surf. 

I do not walk my dogs. They have a big fenced in yard to run around with each other in. They run the fence line with the neighbor's dog. Actually I took Annabel on a walk last month and I had several people ask if I was new to the neighborhood. I had to tell them no, I've lived here 4 years, it's just my very first walk here.

Continuing on the "I don't walk my dogs" theme, when we are traveling I'll leash the dogs up, get them to the nearest patch of grass, and tell them if they don't go in two minutes they must not really have to go and we're going back in the hotel room.

My dogs are rarely up-to-date on their rabies shots. We're still on a required yearly shot here and I'm not comfortable giving it that often.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I'm with Jodie, do your thing, hurry up or hold it. They learn quickly to go that way though.

Walks here are often out in the park out back with a ball being tossed, or on leash to the store where they get tied up out front while we go in. Small town though, there's almost always someone out front having a smoke on that strip mall so they're watched (plus I'm sure they know who the dogs belong to). 

My guys also don't have great house manners, at least not perfect ones. They are a bit pushy and rude, Storee usually drives me insane when she's in the house (she doesn't settle, she keeps searching for something to do/party/carry/jump on), Ticket is ok but if the cat moves watch out, he's gotta herd. Bender in her old age is counter surfing and bussing tables, just wish she'd take the dishes to the counter or leave them on the table instead of knocking them all off the table (ikea plastic kids stuff ROCKS).

Grooming is a bit lax, though I did trim Bender's feet yesterday and the other two don't look 'ungroomed' because of their lack of coat. Curly is a statement. 

And I would love to be able to swim my dogs all winter in the city, take them for more adjustments and so on but not in the budget. They get popcorn and movie nights instead.

ETA: No license here either. The dogs generally go out the dog door to the dog run and back into the house, if it's anything different I'm out with them. They do escape but we're looking for them before they've gone too far and I'd likely bang on every door if I couldn't find them quickly. Plus there's only one dogcatcher here for the entire county so the odds of them being picked up because we're not searching is slim, they've been chipped and tattooed as well. To top it off I seem to find all the stray/loose dogs in town anyway.

Lana


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

i don't license my dogs. i've never seen anyone coming through my neighborhood checking, and if my dogs happened to get lost or end up at the pound, I would walk in, tell them all hi, and pick up my dog. When you work in rescue it kind of happens that way  And my dogs don't wear collars, so they wouldn't have their tag anyway. And if they made me do it, i'd just shell out the $3 my county makes people pay if you live outside city limits (compared to the whopping $6 a dog if you're within city limits).
I try my hardest to trim the dogs nails in a timely fashion, but sometimes (like right now) I'd rather just sit on the couch and watch TV. It'll get done sometime this week, I'm sure.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Our license is tied into our rabies vaccines. That's one of the big reasons they won't go to three years here, they want everyone to also get yearly license.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Holy Cow to all you who don't regularly walk your dogs. Scout would drive me up the wall--but I guess if you have a second dog maybe that helps...


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

GoldenSail said:


> Holy Cow to all you who don't regularly walk your dogs. Scout would drive me up the wall--but I guess if you have a second dog maybe that helps...


bumpers and tennis balls help too...let the dog wear himself out while I only make my arm tired.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

GoldenSail said:


> Holy Cow to all you who don't regularly walk your dogs. Scout would drive me up the wall--but I guess if you have a second dog maybe that helps...


enrichment toys go a long way. And a bit of training. Mine are great about being calm. We're on crate rest with my young dog... the vet laughed at the recommendation, but it's not a challenge at all.

I actually don't know how people exercise their dogs leash walk only (even though I did that for years and years and still do for 2 of mine) and without off lead field/woods time. Yard play, longlines and leash walks aren't the same as bounding through the pastures.

So I guess that leads to more... we do off lead on other's property/woods. Sometimes I let him chase animals rather than call him back right away... and many times we'll go out walking instead of doing training time.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

RedDogs said:


> Yard play, longlines and leash walks aren't the same as bounding through the pastures.


I agree and this is usually what my walks are like. And while kongs and toys and such help, the benefit, at least with my dog, is very minimal in comparison with good hard tongue hanging out of the mouth exercise.


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## 2DogsN3Cats (May 25, 2010)

Im going to feel sooo guilty after posting my 'confessions'...

-I love Max more than Franklin...I never wanted a little dog BF did and while I still love Franklin...I love my Maxie boy more hes my baby.

-Neither dog gets walked, we got outside and play in the morning and after it cools down. We have a huge yard and Max can reach all of it plus the soybean field on his lead. 

-Neither dog is UTD on their rabies nor do they have licenses. One I worry to death about them getting sick from vaccines, also they are not around any strange dogs EVER and they are rarely around any of the 'family' dogs.

-Im guilty of hoarding them to myself...I dont take them around other dogs or people too often because one girl Im kinda friends with wants to steal Max and most other people find Franklin too lap happy cuz at home he is glued to someones side constantly.

-I dont brush their teeth either...Im not about to find out how mad they will get if I try either...They bite harder than I can bite them back.

-I use human conditioner on them..Franklin stinks after a bath without it and it makes brushing Max out easier.

-I make them each their own piece of BBQ chicken when BF and I have it for dinner, they also get leftover mashed potatoes, whatever veggie we have, and gravy all mixed together.

-I free fed them...Im horrible at trying to schedule feedings especially since we are used to being able to pick up and go if we want to do something so free feeding is easier for us..And since neither dogs are gluttons theres no reason to change it.

-I let them bark at people..I live in the boonies and prefer to know every single time someone pulls into my driveway especially since BF has over 100K worth of tools and classic cars to be rebuilt back at his garage. Someone pulls in they better watch out cuz we mean business out here 

-I just gave Max my good comforter off my bed so he didnt have to sleep on the hard floor....he even has my old nap time blankie that he uses as his wubbie, he suckles it and plays with it.

-I normally end up laughing when Max chews something up instead of getting mad because theres not point in telling him no because its already done and overwith and the correction time is long past. So I just laugh about it..(only when BF isnt around)


Im sure there are more but I SWEAR I love my boys and Im not a bad parent....Im just lax on rules and all that stuff but they are truely happy healthy boys. And they will get their shots before they get fixed..since they have to have them in order to get fixed.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Okay, I'll play along.

--The worst thing I do is not restraining him in the car. I know I should have gotten him used to it when he was younger, but I didn't. And now, if I tried to put one of those seatbelt harnesses on him, he'd freak out and I'd play hell getting him back in the car the next time. 
BUT, he doesn't go in the car very often and he rides perfectly in the backseat when he does. We never drive very far (like, 20 minutes max) and we never get on highways or freeways when he's with us -- we stick to the 35 mph city streets.

-- I'm another one who doesn't brush teeth. He really doesn't like it, so I don't push it on him. His teeth are nice and clean, and he has plenty of appropriate things to gnaw on, to keep them that way, so I don't see it as a big issue. If/when the day comes when he needs a good cleaning, we'll have it done.

-- Table food. He gets the last bite of whatever I'm eating (as long as it isn't on the "Big No-No" list and is safe for him to eat.) He also gets to lick the plate occasionally after dinner, depending on what we've had. I don't know - I don't really see that as a "bad" thing, though.

-- And I still smoke. I know I have to quit, but it's not that easy. I try to keep it away from him (going outside to smoke, or at least holding it under the exhaust fan above the stove) but that's not good enough and I know I need to get my act together, there.

That's really all I can think of. Other than that, I'd say I'm a pretty good owner.


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## Adriennelane (Feb 13, 2008)

We don't brush their teeth. Bart tried once, it wasn't pretty. We let groomers do that.
We let them bark when playing too much.
They get too many table scraps.
They haven't been regularly walked in ages because it's just too hot and humid for all of us. I quit for the summer when they both seemed to not enjoy it all due to the head and humidity.
I like them better than most people.
We encourage them to chase birds by yelling, "Bird!" when we see one.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I stopped pointing out birds and squirrels after Ranger caught and killed an innocent pigeon on our walk...poor thing was being brave and walking a short distance away from us and I said, "is that...BIRD?" and Ranger got him. If I hadn't said anything, pigeon would be alive. I know it's "just" a pigeon but I don't like being responsible for the death of any animal.

So, I'm sure Ranger thinks I'm a horrible owner because I make sure he wears his jingly tags all the time so the squirrels and birds hear him coming. Plus, I give Ranger baths about two or three times a month and clean his ears once a week which also adds to his "Bad Owner List".

Ooooh, actually I thought of something awful I do that might get me flamed...I not only use a choke chain on Ranger, but I leave it on him almost 24/7. The only time it comes off is if I'm leaving him by himself. Otherwise, it's always on. In my defense, it's properly fitted so it's NOT dangling but I know it's still unsafe. I've started taking it off and just leaving his rolled leather one because his ruff isn't growing back the way it should (from when his coat went all brittle in December/Jan/Feb and it rubbed off.


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## DianaM (Feb 18, 2010)

-If Gracie is in her sleepy phase and is sick of the floor, she will try to get up on the couch. She can't quite do it on her own yet but she will reach up with her front paws and look at me with those adorable sleepy eyes and I will help her up the rest of the way. I can't resist!

-I only just brushed her teeth for the first time this weekend and I don't think most of the toothpaste made it past her tongue but I still considrered it done.

-Even though I have heard how bad dog parks can be, I cannot wait until Friday because Gracie will be done with her shots and we can finally register her! The park is only 5 minutes away and will be so helpful since we don't have a fenced yard. A lady at puppy school recommended we go to tennis courts instead but we tried that and I think Gracie prefers to run on grass.

And to answer the dog license question, we will be getting hers because you need one to use the dog park which is open only to city residents.


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

I'm kind of amazed by the number of people who don't walk their dogs. Rookie would go out of his mind if he wasn't walked every day. Most days he's walked twice a day. We walk in rain, sleet, snow, and hot summer weather. If it's particularly hot, I try to limit the walk to 20 minutes, and then we take a longer walk once the sun goes down. He makes my life _miserable_ if he doesn't get a good walk in. I've tried substituting the walk with a game of fetch in the yard, but it doesn't do it for him and I usually just end up having to take him for a walk after the game of fetch.

Oh, and Rookie has never been registered with the city either.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

esSJay said:


> I registered Molson. Our first vet wouldn't treat him without a city registration, and it was only $45 for a lifetime registration since he is microchipped.


Whoa - hey. I would actually go that route if it is available over here! 

I just detest the idea of paying a nearly $30 tax for my dog every single year. And that's essentially what the license is. It should be enough I have a rabies tag for my dog and proof that he's up to date on everything.

* My idea of brushing my dog's teeth is giving him bones and toys to chew on and only feeding him dry food. <- And plenty of people have praised his shiny whites.  

* I put a prong collar on my golden to force him to walk through his fears all last week. There is a shooting range near my house and he connected the gunshots with thunder and started balking at walks. We don't have that problem anymore. 

* I let my dog drink from springs and river banks when we are hiking somewhere. This because I never remember to bring our own water. 

******** And reading through the previous pages, I now know why our collie prefers to drink out of the toilet instead of the three or four water bowls around the house. I wondered if he was just objecting to our well water and/or the distilled water we buy, but now I know... Eewk.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

I've got another one...I once gave Maggie so many meatballs that her poop smelled like garlicky meatballs for 2 days.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

maggiesmommy said:


> I've got another one...I once gave Maggie so many meatballs that her poop smelled like garlicky meatballs for 2 days.


Ha! I guess that's the ultimate punishment for being a "bad" owner!


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## mm03gn (Sep 24, 2008)

- I share most of my snacks with them...and I let them lick my plate if what I was eating will not upset their tummies.
- I really don't groom them very often...and I usually have to cut mats out of Bailey's butt-feathers because I have been lazy :doh: (NOT to be confused with the HACK JOB that Kevin performs on her)
- We don't brush their teeth
- If it's raining, they don't get a walk that day. They actually seem to know this...so they don't bug us on rainy days
- If Kevin has to be gone at dinner time, and he asks me to feed the dogs - 95% of the time I forget and they don't eat until 10pm. They NEVER remind me or even seem to care... I feel awful though...


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

Sweet Girl said:


> Ha! I guess that's the ultimate punishment for being a "bad" owner!


and for being responsible enough to clean up after my dog.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

mdoats said:


> I'm kind of amazed by the number of people who don't walk their dogs. Rookie would go out of his mind if he wasn't walked every day.


Yup - I'm a member of that club, too. The only time my dog doesn't get a good workout is if I'm really sick - so that's rare. Snow, sleet, teeming rain, she always gets SOME form of exercise. And there's no hiding it - if it's been a day or two without a big run, you will hear me say to her, "you are full of beans!" It's like she's jumping out of her skin if she doesn't get to run or swim at least once a day for a good amount of time. 

And she's nearly 10!


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

I know many here do not like, or use, dog doors for their dogs but I many times let mine have access to my locked fenced in backyard by use of a dog door in the rear of my house. I will even let them have access to this for workdays when I can not make it home for lunch and know that my dogs can get outside if need be.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

mdoats said:


> I'm kind of amazed by the number of people who don't walk their dogs. Rookie would go out of his mind if he wasn't walked every day. Most days he's walked twice a day. We walk in rain, sleet, snow, and hot summer weather. If it's particularly hot, I try to limit the walk to 20 minutes, and then we take a longer walk once the sun goes down. He makes my life _miserable_ if he doesn't get a good walk in. I've tried substituting the walk with a game of fetch in the yard, but it doesn't do it for him and I usually just end up having to take him for a walk after the game of fetch.


Same here! Riley LOVES his walks and I wouldn't be able to stand the pathetic, pleading looks I'd get if I tried to skip one. 
If it's going to be a hot day, we're out at the crack of dawn to get our good couple miles in before it gets too warm and muggy. In the winter, it's a goose down coat and ski pants for me, Musher's Secret for him and off we go.
And his favorite of all is walking in the rain. I end up looking and feeling like a drenched rat, but he thinks it's just _fabulous_, so we go!


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## 2DogsN3Cats (May 25, 2010)

Ranger- dont feel horrible. I also keep choke collar on both my boys all the time. Franklins is just his manly bling bling, bf picked it out for him so he had a necklace to wear. Otherwise he would never have a collar on. Max came with a choke chain, and because I dont really trust the strength of regular collars on him if he would lunge at something I kept the choke collar. I will replace it soon though because this one is dingy from him being at my moms and them never bathing him. I swear his first bath the choke collar got as much dirt off it as he did. NASTY!!! I want him to have a nice shiney necklace like Franklin...Id love to get him a leather studded collar but the way he bumps into me Id end up hurt LOL


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

I don't think there is anything wrong with a properly fitted choke-chain that only stays on when you're home. That's the way my first two Goldens were.

For me, that started when I had my first Golden, Rusty, professionally trained. I was going in the hospital for 2 weeks back in the late 80's, so I figured it was a good time. I think he was two at the time (I got him when he was 1). He was a very big, powerful dog.

He was trained by the same company that trained all of San Diego's Police Dogs at the time. He didn't get drug sniffing or arm biting training of course 

They did a really good job with him, but I was told he was going to forever be a choke-chain dog. He was too big and powerful for standard colors. So, that's how it started with me.





Ranger said:


> I stopped pointing out birds and squirrels after Ranger caught and killed an innocent pigeon on our walk...poor thing was being brave and walking a short distance away from us and I said, "is that...BIRD?" and Ranger got him. If I hadn't said anything, pigeon would be alive. I know it's "just" a pigeon but I don't like being responsible for the death of any animal.
> 
> So, I'm sure Ranger thinks I'm a horrible owner because I make sure he wears his jingly tags all the time so the squirrels and birds hear him coming. Plus, I give Ranger baths about two or three times a month and clean his ears once a week which also adds to his "Bad Owner List".
> 
> Ooooh, actually I thought of something awful I do that might get me flamed...I not only use a choke chain on Ranger, but I leave it on him almost 24/7. The only time it comes off is if I'm leaving him by himself. Otherwise, it's always on. In my defense, it's properly fitted so it's NOT dangling but I know it's still unsafe. I've started taking it off and just leaving his rolled leather one because his ruff isn't growing back the way it should (from when his coat went all brittle in December/Jan/Feb and it rubbed off.


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

This is normal life for my guys. They always have access to the fenced, locked kennel by their dog door whenever they want.

If they do manage to get over the 4 foot fence, there is another 6 foot wood perimeter fence to keep them in. They are in double lock-down 



Rob's GRs said:


> I know many here do not like, or use, dog doors for their dogs but I many times let mine have access to my locked fenced in backyard by use of a dog door in the rear of my house. I will even let them have access to this for workdays when I can not make it home for lunch and know that my dogs can get outside if need be.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

The dogs are nuts even though they DO get walked everyday... I can't (don't want to) imagine what they would be like if I didn't. 

Unfortunately it's so hot right now (I just can't handle the heat) that I have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to walk them. And then when Gary gets home around midnight-ish we walk them again. 

Another thing that makes me a bad owner, though... Gary's been staying with his parents during the week so he doesn't have to drive so far to work, so he hasn't been coming home at night. I won't take them for their second walk on nights he isn't home. I'm TERRIFIED to walk around at night. There's no reason to be... nothing ever happens around here... I'm just paranoid Freddy Krueger or something will get me. (Seriously, I'm afraid of the dark.)


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

mdoats said:


> I'm kind of amazed by the number of people who don't walk their dogs. Rookie would go out of his mind if he wasn't walked every day. Most days he's walked twice a day. We walk in rain, sleet, snow, and hot summer weather. If it's particularly hot, I try to limit the walk to 20 minutes, and then we take a longer walk once the sun goes down. He makes my life _miserable_ if he doesn't get a good walk in. I've tried substituting the walk with a game of fetch in the yard, but it doesn't do it for him and I usually just end up having to take him for a walk after the game of fetch.
> 
> Oh, and Rookie has never been registered with the city either.


In the winter I always take him for walks when there's tons of snow, if it's pouring, or sleet outside. As long as it's not dangerous for both of us. I love when he gets a change to wear his winter/rain coat and especially his little winter boots, too! 

If Molson is really bugging for a walk on a day I don't feel like taking him, we play in the backyard or in our (formerly) empty basement until his zoomies subside. If he's still bugging me I'll walk him. On days when I actually feel like walking, sometimes he could care less. I'll get him excited and run over to the drawer where the leashes are kept, and he'll walk over, turn his nose up at it and go lay down again.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Oh, here's another one.

When I said I can't handle the heat, I meant it. I haaaaaaaaate it. It makes me feel ill.

So. When the dogs need to potty now... I take some treats out and make sure they only go outside to POTTY. I don't let them run around and play. 

They hardly get to play outside in the summer. When Gary's home he'll go out there with them (we never leave them alone in the backyard. Yes, it's fenced) and they will play for 10 minutes before they get overheated. 

They DO get to play inside a lot. I'm a bad HOMEowner because I throw balls in my house. LOL.


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## Kally76 (Jun 14, 2010)

I have a young daughter and my big boy (Ranger) always has on nail polish, make-up, hair bows, hats, and scarves. My girl (Roxie) won't let her dress her up. If he is having any type of an identity crisis I haven't noticed it yet.


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Here's my list! 

1.) It has been in the high 90's and 100's here for the past several weeks. Therefore, Charlie has been only been getting chased and played with in the backyard for about 10 minutes 3-4 times a day, and 1-2 days at doggie daycare, and practically NO walks longer than 10 minutes. I seriously am concerned that either one of us will have a heatstroke if we're out longer than that! 

2.) I let Charlie drink out of a Le-Bistro waterer (that I do empty and scrub every 4-5 days)... and he shares this with my cats. Someone please tell me if this is really dangerous. I honestly don't know if it is! 

3.) I don't mind if Charlie lies on the floor right beside me while I'm eating; although my friend Janice just hates this about when he comes over and we have a meal. 

4.) I don't 'rotate' Charlie's toys.... they're just all strewn about everywhere. 

5.) When I first got Charlie, I didn't think it was ok to let him get on the couch, but now I think it's cute for him to get up there and sit beside me.

6.) Charlie usually "goes to bed" around 9:30pm, but if i'm up late on a weekend, I'll wake him up at midnight or later right before I'm going to go to bed to make him go out and pee so I can sleep in! 

7.) I secretly want to share an ice-cream cone with him, but am afraid it will upset his stomach!! Maybe just a lick or two, eh?! 

This was fun! I'm sure I'll have more the longer I have Charlie around...


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

firedancer722 said:


> 2.) I let Charlie drink out of a Le-Bistro waterer (that I do empty and scrub every 4-5 days)... and he shares this with my cats. Someone please tell me if this is really dangerous. I honestly don't know if it is!


My cats drink out of the dog water bowl, so I don't see how your letting him drink out of their water bowl would hurt him. Heck, my dogs race each other back to the cat box because one cat consistently poops on the floor and they want to get there first so they can enjoy a tootsie roll!


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

fostermom said:


> My cats drink out of the dog water bowl, so I don't see how your letting him drink out of their water bowl would hurt him. Heck, my dogs race each other back to the cat box because one cat consistently poops on the floor and they want to get there first so they can enjoy a tootsie roll!


 
ROFL!!! Thanks for the reassurance!


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

firedancer722 said:


> 6.) Charlie usually "goes to bed" around 9:30pm, but if i'm up late on a weekend, I'll wake him up at midnight or later right before I'm going to go to bed to make him go out and pee so I can sleep in!


See, this is a perfect example of one of those things I would never have thought of as being bad! I do this all the time. To my mind, it's just practical.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

How about not letting your dog pee because he's goofing around so much? I let Ranger out around 10pm and if he thinks it's "playtime" and starts screwing around, I tell him "go pee" twice...and if he doesn't then he gets called inside with no bathroom break until 8-9am the next morning!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Kally76 said:


> I have a young daughter and my big boy (Ranger) always has on nail polish, make-up, hair bows, hats, and scarves. My girl (Roxie) won't let her dress her up. If he is having any type of an identity crisis I haven't noticed it yet.


Brady has had curlers in his hair, and MacKenzie has had her nails polished... and they have both been dressed in various outfits, along with the cats. I have three daughters.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Um, I've never succumbed to the urge but occasionally I think of doing Ranger's nails when I'm painting my own. He always comes over to "help" and it always crosses my mind how nice he'd look with hot pink nails next to his black fur...but if I ever did my dad would take Ranger as his own and claim I was abusing him. I can't wait to see my dad's face when he sees Ranger's new flower collar!

ETA: Ranger's dog walker has also asked me if Ranger is gay before due to all the girly things I do to him. I guess that goes under my bad owner list too. Also the fact that his nickname is Princess because he so enjoys being spoiled now!


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

This thread is fun. And we're all sooooo "bad!"

Let's see, I have a few...although I am a soooo over the top when it comes to guilting myself that I often go to the opposite extreme and am perhaps too hyper-concious about everything.

For example, Katie gets 4-5 walks a day. 2 of which are over an hour. If she does not get this daily she would drive me absolutely bonkers. She runs and chases everything in sight outside. She is nicknamed Krazy Kates and it is sooo true.

Ok things I feel guilty about:

I do not always follow the same rules as my husband does. He is consistent with not letting her pull on the leash, but I let her pull me. I feel like perhaps I should be walking to her pace!

I am bad on the vaccination thing too. I have her titers tested yearly, and until 1 year ago I could also test her rabies titer, but my vet will no longer let me do that (says they do not offer it anymore) so Katie is no up-to-date with her rabies vaccination. It just scares me too much.

I only put flea/heartworm protection on her every 6 weeks and only use 3/4 of the dosage.

I never brush her teeth, but she has appropriate chew toys and marrow bones etc, and her teeth are in fantastic condition.

I do not trim her nails often enough, but with all her walks she doesn't need them done often.

I give her too many treats. Period.

I too do not harness her in the car...I think it might be too late to start now, but I feel so guilty about that (I shiver to think anything bad could happen)

I make her go wild at the thought of squirrels too, but I love it and don't feel bad about it. Those darn things tease her soooo much and I genuinely don't think she will ever catch one!

I sometimes worry I did not socialize her well enough as a puppy, because she absolutely hates dog parks and most times she wants nothing to do with other dogs - although she does love other Goldens. I have to tell her to come say "hi" to a dog, because in most situations she will move to my other side to avoid meeting a dog. I just worry about what other people think in this situation (someone once called her a snob and I felt bad for her!)

Those are the things I feel most guilty about.
I like to think, like the rest of you out there, that we are all pretty good parents to our Goldens!!
I love my Katie to bits.

---
Kim


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

Thinking about this more, I think another thread with "in what ways are you over-the-top" Or "ways in which you take better care of your dog than you do yourself or others in your household!" I think my husband would chime in on that one!!
hehehe


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Sorry, I'm laughing about your dog being called a snob! At least she only snubs dogs! My old border collie would turn away when people came up to pet him. Not that he was mean...he was just so aloof!

I'm with you on the harness in the car. Ranger isn't harnessed but whenever I think about being in an accident, my stomach twists into knots. I think I'll look about getting one soon. Someone on here recommended a good brand for a Houdini dog.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

firedancer722 said:


> 4.) I don't 'rotate' Charlie's toys.... they're just all strewn about everywhere.


K. I don't even know what "rotating" toys means! I guess I'm baddest of the bad! :thanks:

Seriously, I consider it admirable that I pick up all the toys and put them back in the basket on a regular basis - and even wash them once a week!


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

Sorry to be a downer and hijack the thread but it's something that I think is SO important. For those letting their dogs go in their cars unrestrained. You wouldn't let a human child go unrestrained in the car, would you? What makes your dogs any less important?

I definitely recommend the K9 Champion Harness. It's worth every penny for that one time that you will actually need it. The longer you wait, it could be too late . Even something as common as getting rear ended on the highway can send your dog flying through the windshield and who knows if they will even survive that.  You could be the safest driver out there for your pet but you can't control all the crazies sharing the roads with us. :no:

It's not too late to start using one! When I got Molson's a few months ago, I also bought one for my mom's dog too. Skoker absolutely LOVES having his harness put on and my mom and step-dad have both said that they are SO happy that they have it now.

Not sure if everyone saw the thread by *IowaGold* a few months ago about t-boning a car that pulled out infront of her while she was going around 80kms/hr. I think both cars were totaled and thankfully her dogs were in their crates, which were so bent out of shape from the dogs flying forward on impact!! I don't even want to think about what would have happened if they were loose!

Please restrain your dogs, and I guarantee that twisted stomach will go away!


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

When Finn grabs something he isn't really suppose to have i.e underwear or paper, DH plays chase with him and he LOVES it.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

tonight, hubby trained Maggie to think that there is food in my bra....he even gives the command "check Mommy" and that icy cold nose goes waaaaayy further down my shirt than it needs to. Was not aware of this until tonight.


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

I think of myself as a bad owner when.......

I spend too much time on GRF talking about my dogs instead of spending that same time paying attention to them.

Bob will be 3 this September and is still not neutered. The only reason Natasha was spayed was the introduction of Bob into the household. Two intact dogs was just too difficult to supervise. The real reason I feel we are bad for not having Bob neutered is not for politically correct reason. It is because Bob has one undescended testicle... it is a potential health issue.

Sometimes I am just too lazy to thoroughly towel Natasha dry after she has been in the pool. Usually this would be after the 2nd or 3rd swim of the day. This is really bad because I know she is prone to getting hot spots if I let her sit around wet/damp for hours. 

When my significant other is out of town the dogs get kibble without the extras... and their expressions tell me they know the difference. 

Tasha's teeth are nice and white. But I should be brushing Bob's teeth after every meal.


Other people might think I am a bad owner because I don't think it's bad to ......

We feed them in the same room and at the same time that we sit down to eat... we think of it as a family meal. Generally we garnish their meals with whatever we are having. Although they will sit and stare at us with hopeful expressions as they wait for us to finish, they don't steal food from plates left on the coffee table or raid the trash even when there is interesting rubbish in there. We think this is because we have conditioned them to anticipate receiving the last bite of any meal.They also pre-wash most plates before the dishes are put into the diswasher. And they pre-scrub all pots and pans. 

Our yard is not fenced in. We open the door and let the dogs out into the back yard and trust that they will stay in the yard and not wander away. So far (3 years) they haven't wandered off. 

Outside they are allowed to chew sticks. Indoors we give them rawhide to chew on.

We take them along on almost all errands. We leave them a bowl full of water and the windows open so they don't overheat. And we trust they will still be in the truck and waiting for us when we return. 

My car is a convertible. I trust that I have trained the dogs well enough that they will not ever jump out of the car when the top is down.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

This is fun! Glad to see I'm not the only 'bad' doggie mom.

1. Penny sometimes rests her chin on the table and stares at us when we eat. We think it's cute.

2. Whenever I eat, she always gets a little unless it's bad for her. She loves cheese and crackers.

3. I throw mini-marshmallows at her. She's never caught one!

4. I don't walk her very much.

5. I 'sic' her on squirrels. She knows she can't catch them, they know she's coming when the door latch clicks but we do enjoy the game.

6. She hates the dog 2 doors down. Sometimes I'll ask "Where's Greta?" She goes nuts, running from door to door growling, barking, salivating. She's never met Greta, just took a dislike from a distance.

There's so many more that my adult kids are jealous of her, that she's having more fun than they did!


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## eirepup (Apr 14, 2010)

Hmmm I supose I'll add my few bad owner habits;

Finn doesn't always get walked if its raining really heavily or if I'm really tired.

I also tie him up outside the shops if I'm just running in for a minute.

Finn has barely any toys, everytime I buy new ones they go missing and I don't replace them often because they dissapear so fast. 

Sometimes I let him up on the couch when its just me at home which might be confusing for him because my mom would never let him up (and kill me if she knew I do).

Thats all I can think of for now!


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## 2DogsN3Cats (May 25, 2010)

Thinking about the 'check mommy' trick...I taught the boys to "Go Get Daddy". BF is the worst person in the world to get out of bed in the morning..He will literally stay back there till 5 minutes before he has to leave get dressed brush his teeth and wolf down a smoke before they pick him up. So I taught Max and Franklin to jump on the bed on top of him to "Get Daddy"...I also do this too when he gets dropped off from work, as soon as they see the big red Roy Adams truck come down the driveway its barking mania and I get into it and start yelling "Get daddy go get daddy OMG daddys home" which makes them turn into psychotic basket cases when he walks thru the door. 

I share my Spicy Nacho Doritoes with Max. He loves spicy food like tacos and my doritos, I really should do that cuz it gives him really stinky farts.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I really worry when I read about the people who aren't vaccinating for rabies. I don't know what the laws are where everyone else lives, but around here if your dog has not been updated on their rabies vaccine (we have a three year protocol) and is exposed to a rabid animal, the dog has be be quarantined at a vet for 6 months or euthanized.

That would mean that an owner would have to pay approximately $3500 in boarding fees. Or you would have to euthanize your dog. To me, it's not worth it. I live in the city and a coworker had her in-laws watching her dogs while she was out of town. The FIL lives less than a mile from me and had a raccoon in his fenced in yard. The dogs went after it and it turned out to be rabid. One of the dogs had to be euthanized because he was 2 months out of date on his rabies vaccine. The FIL had to undergo treatment for rabies because he handled the dogs who had blood all over them.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Katie and Paddy's Mum said:


> I sometimes worry I did not socialize her well enough as a puppy, because she absolutely hates dog parks and most times she wants nothing to do with other dogs - although she does love other Goldens. I have to tell her to come say "hi" to a dog, because in most situations she will move to my other side to avoid meeting a dog. I just worry about what other people think in this situation (someone once called her a snob and I felt bad for her!)


Oh, you're SO not alone with this one! I can only imagine what some people think of Riley (and me!)
He had a bad experience with another dog and its owner over a year ago and he hasn't forgotten it. We're working very hard and have made some progress, but he's still very shy with new people (at first) and isn't too crazy about most other dogs.
I've had quite a few people assume that he's a rescue. I've also had a few people, who don't know the first thing about reading a dog's body language, assume that I'm a total snob and won't LET him meet their dog. They think he's interested when he's wary and they think he's being playful when he's in the 'you stay away from me' mode. So they think I'M the snob because I'm "keeping" him away. Whatever. I've finally learned that you can't worry about what other people think. I've caused a couple setbacks for Riley in my attempts to be nice and polite with other people. I'm over that now!


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

fostermom said:


> I really worry when I read about the people who aren't vaccinating for rabies. I don't know what the laws are where everyone else lives, but around here if your dog has not been updated on their rabies vaccine (we have a three year protocol) and is exposed to a rabid animal, the dog has be be quarantined at a vet for 6 months or euthanized.


That worries me, too.
And I don't understand how it's even a choice NOT to vaccinate for rabies. Where I live, you're required by law to do so. Do vets allow you to decline the vaccine? Don't they report you if you DO decline?


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## Loboto-Me (Nov 13, 2008)

FlyingQuizini said:


> My dogs jump on people unless I'm right there micro-managing them. I never bothered to teach polite at-our-house greetings when they were puppies. Definitely changing that with the next pups in my life.
> 
> We don't walk everyday. Thankfully they're old enough to not go stir-crazy when this happens, but I still feel guilty.


Guilty of both of these

Sophie doesn't jump up on people, but Duke, he's incorrigible, must micromanage.

Also guilty of stopping with the important training once we got Duke, it was just too much, therefore they're not half as trained as they should be.

When we have chips, hubster and I usually give them 4 or 5 of them

They've started digging a hole in our yard, and I let them (hoping they'll dig a gateway to Australia for a cheap trip)


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

LifeOfRiley said:


> That worries me, too.
> And I don't understand how it's even a choice NOT to vaccinate for rabies. Where I live, you're required by law to do so. Do vets allow you to decline the vaccine? Don't they report you if you DO decline?


 
Here a dog that bites someone or is exposed to a rabid animal is treated the same whether they are current on rabies vaccine or not. I was told that the only case of rabies in a dog here in the last 25 years was on a dog that was current, so that's why they don't make exceptions for dogs that are current on vaccines.

If we had 3 year vaccines here it would be different, but I am not comfortable giving my dogs a rabies vaccine every year. Especially when the vets here will tell you that it is not needed, but the local government just doesn't want to lose out on the money it gets from yearly vaccines (licensing fees are automatically tacked on to rabies vaccines here).


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Loisiana said:


> Here a dog that bites someone or is exposed to a rabid animal is treated the same whether they are current on rabies vaccine or not. I was told that the only case of rabies in a dog here in the last 25 years was on a dog that was current, so that's why they don't make exceptions for dogs that are current on vaccines.
> 
> If we had 3 year vaccines here it would be different, but I am not comfortable giving my dogs a rabies vaccine every year. Especially when the vets here will tell you that it is not needed, but the local government just doesn't want to lose out on the money it gets from yearly vaccines (licensing fees are automatically tacked on to rabies vaccines here).


Ah, okay - that does make more sense to me, now. I don't know if I'd be comfortable with the annual vaccine, either. 
The laws are different up here. We have the 3-year protocol and our licenses are completely separate.
To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what our laws are concerning bites. I do know that you're allowed to quarantine your dog in-home, but I'm not sure that it's required if you have the rabies certificate.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Unfortunately I got to learn the bite laws here when I was bitten trying to break up a dog fight. Dog was up to date with rabies vaccine and still had to go through quarantine.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Loisiana said:


> Unfortunately I got to learn the bite laws here when I was bitten trying to break up a dog fight. Dog was up to date with rabies vaccine and still had to go through quarantine.


The quarantine period for a dog who bites and is up to date on their rabies vaccine is 10 days and they can be quarantined in the owner's home. If the dog isn't up to date on rabies and tangles with a rabid animal, it's 6 months and has to be at a vet's office.


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## Caesar's Buddy (May 25, 2010)

Sweet Girl said:


> They say confession is good for the soul....
> 
> 1) I totally don't brush my dog's teeth. Never will.
> 
> ...


I used to let Caesar carry his own leash 100% of the time when we ran and later in life when we walked. He loved it and thought he was so cool. People would stop and talk to him all the time and he was known as the Golden who walked himself. 

He loved it so much, that when I took him into the Vet that one last time, he carried it all the way into the procedure room. It broke my heart, but it let him have dignity all the way to the end.....


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

fostermom said:


> The quarantine period for a dog who bites and is up to date on their rabies vaccine is 10 days and they can be quarantined in the owner's home. If the dog isn't up to date on rabies and tangles with a rabid animal, it's 6 months and has to be at a vet's office.


Here it was 30 days, regardless of vaccination status


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

Kally76 said:


> I have a young daughter and my big boy (Ranger) always has on nail polish, make-up, hair bows, hats, and scarves. My girl (Roxie) won't let her dress her up. If he is having any type of an identity crisis I haven't noticed it yet.


LOL - thats a hoot. We must see pics!!!!


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## Golden_Lover (May 10, 2009)

Oh my funny stuff! Where do I start? :--crazy:


I also let Charlie stick is long tongue in the neck of the beer bottles, I think it's hilarious, obviously more for my amusement, but he likes it...he comes to me as soon as I crack one open and waits patiently as I slug it down! He doesn't like it in his bowl he wants to stick his tongue in the bottle, weird dog.
He also gets table scraps, but nothing with salt or seasonings on it. I make him work for it but doing a command though.
I am too paranoid about someone stealing him to tie him up outside of a store so I wouldn't do that.
I give him ice cream and Popsicles but umm yeah we haven't shared a cone yet...:
When my husband's socks and underwear get holes in them and he won't throw them away, I give them to Charlie to rip up...hee hee
I'm not much of a cat person, especially if they are getting on my table or counters, so I will shoo them off and have Charlie chase them outside and over the fence! :bowl:
I also alert him when there are spiders or other creepy crawlies and he obediently kills them for me! Good Dog! :


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Loisiana said:


> Here it was 30 days, regardless of vaccination status



Sorry, I left off the word "here" in my response. That one little word can change the whole meaning. LOL


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I wish I could get Ranger to kill the spiders I find in the basement! I always point them out to him and he gives me a look, like "please kill it before it eats us" so it's ME killing them! 

And to those who are going to say, "oh you should release it outside" or "what's a spider ever done to you?", I submit the following pics as evidence as to WHY they are not allowed to live. Our agreement is they can live here rent-free so long as they stay out of sight. Breaking that agreement means death. Here are some of the recent squatters:



Yes, that is GROUT next to the spider...that's how huge this monster was!


Ranger telling me to save him - it's alittle dark, sorry!


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

ACK!!! SOME WARNING, PLEASE!!! LOL... Even seeing a picture like that freaks me out! 

I feel all spiders should die. "They eat mosquitoes, though." Yeah, well, we still have a lot of mosquitoes. They aren't doing their jobs. They must die. 



Ranger said:


> I wish I could get Ranger to kill the spiders I find in the basement! I always point them out to him and he gives me a look, like "please kill it before it eats us" so it's ME killing them!
> 
> And to those who are going to say, "oh you should release it outside" or "what's a spider ever done to you?", I submit the following pics as evidence as to WHY they are not allowed to live. Our agreement is they can live here rent-free so long as they stay out of sight. Breaking that agreement means death. Here are some of the recent squatters:
> 
> ...


LMFAOOOO, I *LOVE* how Ranger is sitting next to a Spiderman rug!!! That is so awesome!


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

If you want to hear a bunch of 12-14 year old boys freak out like a little girl put a spider in a classroom.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

I am the spider catcher in my house...hubby and Maggie are PETRIFIED...I was elected because I had a tarantula in college...Mittens was her name...


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

OMG!!!    Those spider pics about gave me a heart attack!!!!!!!! 

I definitely have arachnaphobia (sp)! I almost have my cat, Siddha, trained to kill a spider while I hide in another room... or outside the house. LOL


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Mssjnnfer said:


> ...LMFAOOOO, I *LOVE* how Ranger is sitting next to a Spiderman rug!!! That is so awesome!


Oh, the irony eh?! The first spider was hanging right over the door by that mat! I didn't even think of that - glad you picked it up on it!

I was spider killer when living with my ex-bf too! He was terrified of them - I don't like them, but at least I can kill them!

As for mosquitoes...give me bats anyday over spiders!


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

esSJay said:


> Sorry to be a downer and hijack the thread but it's something that I think is SO important. For those letting their dogs go in their cars unrestrained. You wouldn't let a human child go unrestrained in the car, would you? What makes your dogs any less important?
> 
> I definitely recommend the K9 Champion Harness. It's worth every penny for that one time that you will actually need it. The longer you wait, it could be too late . Even something as common as getting rear ended on the highway can send your dog flying through the windshield and who knows if they will even survive that.  You could be the safest driver out there for your pet but you can't control all the crazies sharing the roads with us. :no:
> 
> ...


 
I am glad you put forth this warning. Maybe subconsciously I wanted someone to reprimand me so that I would take action.
And you'll be happy to know that i bought a harness on my way home from my meetings this morning! 
So that is one HUGE thing not to feel guilty about! 

Phew!

---
Kim


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## esSJay (Apr 13, 2009)

Katie and Paddy's Mum said:


> I am glad you put forth this warning. Maybe subconsciously I wanted someone to reprimand me so that I would take action.
> And you'll be happy to know that i bought a harness on my way home from my meetings this morning!
> So that is one HUGE thing not to feel guilty about!
> 
> ...


Yay!!  Hopefully you won't ever actually "need" it, but if you do, Katie will surely thank you!


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

fostermom said:


> I really worry when I read about the people who aren't vaccinating for rabies. I don't know what the laws are where everyone else lives, but around here if your dog has not been updated on their rabies vaccine (we have a three year protocol) and is exposed to a rabid animal, the dog has be be quarantined at a vet for 6 months or euthanized.
> 
> That would mean that an owner would have to pay approximately $3500 in boarding fees. Or you would have to euthanize your dog. To me, it's not worth it. I live in the city and a coworker had her in-laws watching her dogs while she was out of town. The FIL lives less than a mile from me and had a raccoon in his fenced in yard. The dogs went after it and it turned out to be rabid. One of the dogs had to be euthanized because he was 2 months out of date on his rabies vaccine. The FIL had to undergo treatment for rabies because he handled the dogs who had blood all over them.


I will explain my rationale in this particular case. My vet (not sure if it is all in my area) only has the yearly vaccination option for rabies as opposed to a 3-year option (which I would glad submit to!). I feel vaccinating for rabies on a yearly basis is a little overkill...so yearly I have also done titer testing for the rabies to make sure she has sufficient antibodies. That used to be enough to exempt you from the shot yearly (it cost 4x as much to have the titer as it did to vaccinate so I was taking her health into consideration). My last visit to the vet, he said they are no longer accepting proof of titer in place of vaccination. So since it had only been a year since her last shot, he said she was likely protected so I could wait until her next exam.
I feel guilty because I do not have the titer results, but my vet told me that he last titer was strong enough that she would have immunity. 

Hence my choice in this situation. But I understand now I will either have to do it yearly (vaccinate) or do it every 3-years, which would be my preference. But my understanding is that I would be breaking the law if I made that choice. It's tough, but I think vaccinating yearly is over-kill.

I just weigh my options. 
I hope that makes sense and doesn't sound like I am trying to justify what could rightly be considered wrong.

---
Kim


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Can you just find a vet elsewhere who does the 3-years shot? 

FWIW - our vet switched over to only doing it every 3 years. This actually without telling anyone. This because there was a study that showed the shots remain in the dog's system longer than a year. 

A lot of people suggested I go the titre (titer?) route, but I just couldn't. I take my dog hiking and everywhere else with me. I want him safe.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

Love how this thread is so long! haha.

Sometimes we'll let Cosmo get in our cat's face...just to see the result 



 
Plus, when we boarded a guide dog we sometimes broke the rules by giving her treats. Also, letting her hop up on the couch during her last few weeks with us. Nothing that would put her handler in danger but we gave her some "extra" love sometimes.


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

Megora said:


> Can you just find a vet elsewhere who does the 3-years shot?
> 
> FWIW - our vet switched over to only doing it every 3 years. This actually without telling anyone. This because there was a study that showed the shots remain in the dog's system longer than a year.
> 
> A lot of people suggested I go the titre (titer?) route, but I just couldn't. I take my dog hiking and everywhere else with me. I want him safe.


Yes I will have to ask, alternately I will have to talk to my vet about my concerns and hopefully it will impress him enough to go with the 3-year route!


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## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

jackie_hubert said:


> Love how this thread is so long! haha.
> 
> Sometimes we'll let Cosmo get in our cat's face...just to see the result http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naI-YkupO5g
> 
> Plus, when we boarded a guide dog we sometimes broke the rules by giving her treats. Also, letting her hop up on the couch during her last few weeks with us. Nothing that would put her handler in danger but we gave her some "extra" love sometimes.


 
haha that's a great video. Cosmo is sure the boxer dodging those claws


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## Darcy's mom (Jan 11, 2010)

I sneak Darcy human food when her other mom is not around.
Let her sleep on the bed, couch and anywhere else she wants.
Give into her big brown eyes.
Make her drive in the car to the mountains, lakes and play date.
Buy her new toys all the time


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Caesar's Buddy said:


> I used to let Caesar carry his own leash 100% of the time when we ran and later in life when we walked. He loved it and thought he was so cool. People would stop and talk to him all the time and he was known as the Golden who walked himself.
> 
> He loved it so much, that when I took him into the Vet that one last time, he carried it all the way into the procedure room. It broke my heart, but it let him have dignity all the way to the end.....


Aaaaaw. Sweet thing, eh? I can so relate. It already breaks my heart when I see her walking in front of me holding it - such pride she has. That's nice that your Caesar got to carry it that one last time.

What gets me most is when my dog drops the leash, she very slowly and patiently gathers it all up in her mouth so none of it drags. It's crazy cool - people watch her and are like, how did you teach her to do that??? I didn't. She just figured it out. 

She also stops every little bit when she's walking ahead and looks back to make sure I'm still there and haven't run into the road or anything that would demand she make me hold on to her. She's a very responsible human owner.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I let the town policeman at Ferry Beach give Finny Dunkin' Donut Munchkins from the window of his squad car. 

I am a criminal of breaking the leash law at various times/venues since the goldens have good recall, and I think voice control should be good enough in forests, fields, and state parks when they're not bothering anyone, lol. I don't have the sympathy I should for people who dislike/fear dogs, and I have actually hidden from the Range Pond Ranger by having all the dogs go down off trail behind a huge tree. It is ridiculous and bad behavior on my part.

I let Tally sit on my lap like he is an 8 week old puppy.


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

I am amazed at how many people don't walk their dogs! I was out with them yesterday for 7 hours on a stupidly long hike. Granted that isn't our everyday walk but while Diesel is a bit tired today Willow is still boucing off the walls! Without walks they would drive me crazy.

I feel it must be so boring for dogs to spend their lives in the same 4 walls and run around the same garden everyday. Just my opinion of course but I couldn't do that to my dog.

My bad owner confessions 

I don't like meeting people on walks and will try to avoid them. I love walking miles and seeing nobody! But I have noticed that Diesel is getting grumpier when we do meet other dogs so I guess more social stuff is needed.

I wind up my two by pointing out the windows and yelling 'cats!' 

I blow in Diesel's ear which he hates but it makes him rub his head on the floor and talk to me as if he is complaining!

I like sharing food with Willow. I'm trying to find something she won't eat!


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## 2DogsN3Cats (May 25, 2010)

Ljilly28 said:


> I let the town policeman at Ferry Beach give Finny Dunkin' Donut Munchkins from the window of his squad car.


 
When I was on probation our p.o would come to our house instead of having us do office visits and he used to sneak the dogs and cats beef jerky. He was always really nice to our pets especially the cats. I used to get mad because he would make fun of Franklin for being a dapple and say we needed to give him a bath and clean off the chocolate milk spills and other comments about him being an ankle biter..All because when he was a puppy Franklin wanted to play and grabbed ahold of his pant leg and started playing tug..LOL


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

These responses have been great!
- I let the dogs lick the beer bottle. They love it.
- I secretly enjoy the fact that my people loving one year old strains at her leash each time we pass our dog fearing (who has passed the fear on to his children) neighbor. He always has a look of disgust on his face.
- I enjoy the game of "Bird!" or "Squirrel!"
- They race out to the planters on the patio to scarf up the cat poo. I no longer try to stop them.
- Even though they get walked twice a day the walks probably aren't long enough.
- I don't brush their teeth. What is the point when they are eating cat poo??
- We play chase my hand on the bed. I hide my hand behind my DH's pillow and she chomps on the pillow to get to my hand. This is sometimes done with cat poo breath.....


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

Lisa_and_Willow. said:


> I don't like meeting people on walks and will try to avoid them. I love walking miles and seeing nobody! But I have noticed that Diesel is getting grumpier when we do meet other dogs so I guess more social stuff is needed.



Me, either...I will actually turn Maggie around and walk away from groups of people so I won't be forced to converse.


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

jenlaur said:


> - We play chase my hand on the bed. I hide my hand behind my DH's pillow and she chomps on the pillow to get to my hand. This is sometimes done with cat poo breath.....


I play this with Willow! Although thankfully we don't have the cat poo breath!

She also likes it when I hide toys under there.


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## max935 (Jul 28, 2009)

Just thought of possible "bad owner" behaviour - I recently bought some a bubble blower thing for my daughter. Because she's 12 weeks old she probably won't be interested in it for a while!! So, I've been playing with it with Jesse, who absolutely loves to chase and eat all the bubbles!! Problem is that it's detergent stuff and I am sure that it's not good for her to eat. She makes a face every time she eats a bubble so I know it can't taste good and probably isn't good for her.....(hopefully it's not too bad)


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

max935 said:


> Just thought of possible "bad owner" behaviour - I recently bought some a bubble blower thing for my daughter. Because she's 12 weeks old she probably won't be interested in it for a while!! So, I've been playing with it with Jesse, who absolutely loves to chase and eat all the bubbles!! Problem is that it's detergent stuff and I am sure that it's not good for her to eat. She makes a face every time she eats a bubble so I know it can't taste good and probably isn't good for her.....(hopefully it's not too bad)


I use those regularly for our cat. Did you know you can buy flavoured bubbles at the pet store? I hear they can leave stains/film though so I haven't tried them yet...


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## max935 (Jul 28, 2009)

Thanks Jackie - I have never seen the ones at the pet store, but might keep an eye out. Although if your cat seems to be able to handle the normal ones then hopefully Jese should be fine too (no ill effects yet anyway!)


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## alijeanrn (May 7, 2010)

Ha ha, this is a great thread (have to admit, I didn't read all the answers though)! I think Sadie looks so cute when we are out for a walk and she gets really excited about a bunny, cat, etc. so I call them to her attention and act like I'm excited to see them too. Another thing I'm guilty of is encouraging her to "attack" the vacuum. She barks at it, jumps around, runs away, then comes back for more, and I tell her "get it Sadie!" Sometimes bad behavior is so cute, and they are having so much fun, you just have to encourage it!


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## turtle66 (Feb 19, 2010)

Tee Hee alijeanrn - I am the totally opposite with the vacuum cleaner and I feel guilty, too.
I *always* have treats in my hands when I use the vacuum cleaner, so Lilly LOVES the vacuum cleaner and is always coming in immediately when she does her it and won't get off to be next to me and the vacuum cleaner until I stop. She is even sometimes in my way!!! And still - I give her treats while I doing my thing and she just is following us (me and the hoover....)...so training wise I did too much: She is not just neutral, she LOVES it and really demands the treats when she does hear the sound...


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## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

I dont know if this makes me a bad owner because I dont do it on purpose but there are times when I'll be fixing a sandwhich in the kitchen and Jona will lay down literally right behind me and sometimes I dont see him so when I turn around I will kick him or step on his tail or sometimes when we are out walking I'll just be walking and kind of doze off and he'll get right in front of me and I'll like step on his paw or something


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## eirepup (Apr 14, 2010)

GoldenJona said:


> I dont know if this makes me a bad owner because I dont do it on purpose but there are times when I'll be fixing a sandwhich in the kitchen and Jona will lay down literally right behind me and sometimes I dont see him so when I turn around I will kick him or step on his tail or sometimes when we are out walking I'll just be walking and kind of doze off and he'll get right in front of me and I'll like step on his paw or something


I have somethng similiar I often bump into Finn when he's under my feet in the kitchen which doesn't seem to bother him and he also has a bad habit of lying behind doors so if anyone opens them quickly he gets hit with them he's never been hurt by it though.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

GoldenJona said:


> I dont know if this makes me a bad owner because I dont do it on purpose but there are times when I'll be fixing a sandwhich in the kitchen and Jona will lay down literally right behind me and sometimes I dont see him so when I turn around I will kick him or step on his tail or sometimes when we are out walking I'll just be walking and kind of doze off and he'll get right in front of me and I'll like step on his paw or something


I had to bump this thread up - I've been doing the exact same thing lately! I'm not sure if Ranger is just not caring as much as he used to or if I'm getting clumsier but I've already stepped on his tail once today (trying to step over him and he wagged his tail and I caught it with my foot!) and kicked him in the face when I was getting on the couch! Poor guy. To be honest, he doesn't seem to care too much.

I have another really bad thing I have to confess to: I routinely play slap Ranger's muzzle until he nips at my hands. I know it's not good to encourage a dog to be nippy and I can tell he IS getting nippier because of this, but I love how excited he gets when I do it and I can't seem to stop myself.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I let Jack on the couch. My husband hates it and now Jack thinks he's king of the couch on occasion. My fault! But I still let him on the couch. 

I also call Jack like a million different names: Jack, Jackitty, Jackitty Jack, Poopie, Poopsie, Buddy, Puppy, Pup, etc etc. He still seems to know his name though...miraculously.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

Wow...can't believe I missed this thread until today (must have been holidaying). 

I, like some others, am surprised at how many don't walk their dogs everyday. We don't have a choice as our dogs have clocks built into their brains and they know exactly when to start acting up!!!! Everyday regardless of the weather...twice on the weekends or when we're home on holidays.....we enjoy it as much as they do. However, as long as the dogs are getting some form of exercise, that's the main thing.

What makes me a bad owner.......

I don't brush my dogs' teeth (but have looked at toothbrushes many times)

I don't do their nails as often as I should (but will start now that I have a dremel)

I probably give them far too many treats (but they're all at a good weight)

I don't let Austin chase rabbits when he spots one (bad mommy)

I let Lincoln dictate to me our training times (he's ADHD I'm sure)

I let Reno have his way when we're out walking (he's 10 and stubborn)

I don't have homemade stew on hand every day 

I don't take them for a car ride every day

I give them pieces of cheese every day after they've had their supper (bad habit)

I give them a banana after every breakfast...another bad habit

I only give them about 20 kisses and hugs a day ....instead of 50

I let them sleep on the bed

That's about all I can think of at this time.....I think we're pretty good dog owners and do our best to ensure that they are happy and healthy! :wavey:


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## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> I let Jack on the couch. My husband hates it and now Jack thinks he's king of the couch on occasion. My fault! But I still let him on the couch.
> 
> I also call Jack like a million different names: Jack, Jackitty, Jackitty Jack, Poopie, Poopsie, Buddy, Puppy, Pup, etc etc. He still seems to know his name though...miraculously.


 
I started letting Jona on the couch also, even though my mom was completely against it, but being on the couch keeps him a bit calmer. Now he thinks he can just jump up whenever he wants (which is allll my fault) and now when we have guests over we're going to have to either warn them or distract Jona or he will just jump right on them and try to lay with them or play on the couch.

I also dont brush his teeth (and never really intend to)

I also USE to mess around with his muzzle but since he's a puppy I stopped because he became nippier when I did this.


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## MillysMom (Nov 5, 2008)

I sometimes give Milly bites of my dinner while I'm eating it. Usually veggies. I toss the food across the room so she doesn't do the eating at the table. I know this is terrible.

Sometimes, I tie Milly up on a lunge line while I'm riding - sometimes tied in the barn, sometimes tied to a jump or a fence or a tree. She always has on a harness for that.

I sometimes leave her locked up in the horse stalls while I'm at the barn, and one time the hotel we were staying at a horse show changed their pet policy since the last time I stayed there... and poor Milly had to spend the night in a stall at the show. I felt terrible leaving her there all alone, but at least we had Knight Watch checking on the horses every few hours.

When I first got Milly I took her to a toga party. She loved the attention, but looking back on it that probably wasn't the smartest move. She and I wore matching togas, hers made out of a pillow case. That's one of many things I regret doing in college.

I also let her on the furniture, and she's not supposed to be there.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

MillysMom said:


> When I first got Milly I took her to a toga party. She loved the attention, but looking back on it that probably wasn't the smartest move. She and I wore matching togas, hers made out of a pillow case. That's one of many things I regret doing in college.


LOL, that's awesome! I hope you have photos of Milly in her toga (and post them here!)!


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## MilosMommy (May 24, 2010)

I love this thread, it's good for people to confess!

Milo hardly ever goes on walks.. it's been way too hot here, but even when it isn't I don't walk him much. I hate when people ask us a million questions about him and want to sit there and pet him and stuff.. I just wanna walk and go!

I never brush him! He hates it so much!

I try to brush his teeth, but he freaks, so it rarely happens.

He is 7 months old and has only had a maximum of 3 baths. He is just so soft and not stinky so why bother?

I don't play in the yard with him as much as I should.. mainly because he won't play fetch correctly and I get mad.

Every time I open the freezer he gets a piece of ice. If we are at someone elses house he thinks he will still get it.

Milo doesn't have a collar on at all times.

I never crated him until now. And now he hates the crate with a passion.

And lastly, I babied him and took him any place I could with me, and now he hates to be home alone. My worst mistake ever.

HOWEVER, we do have a license for Milo. My boyfriend works for the sheriffs department and is very *by the book*


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## bbuzz (Aug 8, 2010)

OK here we go! My long list of evil



1) Often will save a bit of my meals for her and will cook a little bit extra some nights so she can have some scraps with her dinner
2) Take her to the shop (rock climbing, surfing, kayaking etc) and leave her sitting outside without lead (she has very very good stay, even when my better half appears on way home from work she will wag tail but not move)
3) We never lock her up at home. I and all our neighbors think this is ok, but can see why some people would have issue. She has been trained that a line on the driveway signifies the front and back yard and she will never ever cross this. Even when a stranger knocks on door, she just barks (as favor our neighbors have even tried to get her to come with treats, but she wouldn’t cross the line).
4) I never walk her on a lead, but she does walk on a heal.
5) I occasionally let her come on the bed for a cuddle
6) She is meant to sleep in living room, but since she has bed in our room I sometimes get suckered in and let her sleep in our room.
7) I let her lick out dishes, pots etc
8) I try not to, but sometimes I greet her before my boyfriend (if he would get to the door faster this would not be issue!)
9) I have created a rabbit killer ( we now have a rule when if she catch’s another rabbit I will bring it home and my better half will prepare it for her)
10) Sometimes she does not get her breakfast or dinner till late
11) I kind of enjoy it when other people’s dogs are not behaving and sash is! Especially when we go for beach walk and to café, as we walk past the people with sash on leadless heal and walking perfectly and their dogs are barking and pulling on leads to get at her. 
Ok I think I shall stop now as I am sounding and feeling like a very bad owner!! :doh:


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## bbuzz (Aug 8, 2010)

Oh I just though of another really bad one. We dog sit for a friend's dog, she thinks he is well behaved and he really is not, well in relation to our standard.

When I am walking him I use a halty on him (sash previous owners had bought it for her, god knows why). He pulls on lead and it is so much easier with halty. The problem is I know she doesn't like haltys and will not use it on her dog. 

I figure to bad, if he would walk nicely or come back when let off a lead then i would not have to use it. Plus i shattered two veterbrae in 2004 and refuse to have a sore back all because he has limited manners or ability.

Now that is a real confession!


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

bbuzz said:


> Oh I just though of another really bad one. We dog sit for a friend's dog, she thinks he is well behaved and he really is not, well in relation to our standard.
> 
> When I am walking him I use a halty on him (sash previous owners had bought it for her, god knows why). He pulls on lead and it is so much easier with halty. The problem is I know she doesn't like haltys and will not use it on her dog.
> 
> ...


Perhaps you could train him to be as perfect without the lead as your dog?


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

Alfie's Girl said:


> I break off tiny bits of cheese to give my boy...for no other reason than I LOVE HIM! He LOVES cheese just like me!


oh MY! Lacey LOVES cheese, too! I'll take out a plastic-wrapped slice, and as soon as she hears me opening it, she's sitting by my feet drooling! LOL


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

Oh and another one! Whenever I have eggs for breakfast I always let Lacey lick the plate. The last guy I dated absolutely HATED that I did that. Said he'd never eat off those plates again! (Obviously NOT a dog-person, and needless to say, we're not dating now!)


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## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> I also call Jack like a million different names: Jack, Jackitty, Jackitty Jack, Poopie, Poopsie, Buddy, Puppy, Pup, etc etc. He still seems to know his name though...miraculously.


Oh boy, i too have given Joey SOO many differnt names. Hes my Pooper, pooper scooper, muffin man, mustache man, monkey man, jojo, and sometimes, only when he did somthing bad, joseph.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

sometimes when the boys get the zoomies - I say "daddy is home or daddy has treats" so they stop running around me and go bother the hubby. So I lie to them to get them to go.

When they have tufts of fur coming out I'll pull it off and blow it into the air just to see this look of "what the heck, you just pulled a tuft of hair off me and thats just wrong" and they watch it float down and bark at me. No worries it's just the stuff that is coming off. I also to annoy them and will act like I'm pulling it off - and I'm not - and fake eat it just to wind them up and get that funny face. Really the funny faces just tickle me to the bone.

Sometimes if Scout is being really "puppy like" I wind Noah up and send them both down to bug my husband.

If they are in zoomie mode I sometimes say "whats that" and ask them to go check. Stops the zoomie but again a lie.

I sneak them treats and love to eat ice cream with them.


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## luvgolds (May 20, 2009)

- I haven't spent barely any time training Buddy like I did Harley. I'm basically relying on Harley to train Buddy, which I must say has gone pretty well. The first time I went to train Buddy the 'leave it' command, he already knew what it was!
- When I want them to go inside and stop rough-housing I say let's get breakfast or let's get dinner depending on the time of day. Poor guys still fall for it! Yes, I feel bad, but it does get them inside. Sometimes I'll give them a treat to keep them guessing.
- Harley has major crazy episodes when people come for a visit. Whining, barking, jumping, wanting attention. We have a lot of people coming and going, and it has not gotten too much better no matter what we do. When I come home, he's stopped going crazy over me though. While that's a good thing because it is progress, sometimes I'm sad he doesn't make a big to-do over me, so I wind him up and get him crying, barking, and dancing around me like he does everyone else.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I have another one...

Ranger is so happy with his raw meals that he now does a funny little "happy dance" in anticipation of getting the chunk of raw meat. Soooo...I sometimes prolong giving him the meat so he dances for a longer amount of time.


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## perdie (Oct 30, 2008)

A fine for leaving your dog outside a store????thats harsh!

I let Jamie get up on my bed, I invite him up and can tell him when to get off but when im out he sneaks up and stays there til i get home hehehe

I kinda plan my life around him which can be quite stressful

I stroke on demand tut tut tut, he nudges me or places himself in a perfect stroking position under my hand

I let him have left overs 

Im a really bad owner!


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

I gave them their own website and let them "blog".


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

Ranger said:


> I have another one...
> 
> Ranger is so happy with his raw meals that he now does a funny little "happy dance" in anticipation of getting the chunk of raw meat. Soooo...I sometimes prolong giving him the meat so he dances for a longer amount of time.


 
What a mean mommy you are.....so cruel!!!!


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## West (Jul 9, 2010)

I sometimes use my cat, Sunny, as a living toy to get Cooper to get out of the bathroom and chase him :S He looooves the bathroom and breaking havoc there, so I gently push the cat into the living room and Cooper follows. He never gets him or harms him in any way, he just wants to play, but Sunny gives me some mean looks afterwards.


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## ChiPack (Jan 22, 2010)

This is a tough question...I'm sure there's all sorts of things we do that are beyond perfect! 

I let Reagan lick my cereal bowl clean. 

When Wembley was here, I would give her a bite of my sandwich. Not tearing it off, but actually giving her a bite like a person would. 

Sometimes I let the dogs eat off of my FORK for a little nibble (yes, I am disgusting *hides*). 

This might qualify me as more of a bad wife than a dog owner, but on one of the occasions my sister was visiting, my husband tipped back quite a few beers. Now, we have a king sized bed, and sometimes my sister will sleep with us, with me in the middle (she and I are really close). My husband was still up, and my sister and I went to bed. He ended up sleeping on the DOG bed, curled up in the corner. Granted, it's a nice dog bed and probably more comfortable than the couch, but the dogs slept on the bed with my sister and I instead of with him. I heard him come into the room, but I didn't bother waking him from the dog bed because he seemed comfy.


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## eirepup (Apr 14, 2010)

I thought of two more that kind of make me a bad owner by giving my dog bad habits. 

I sometimes let Finn attack my feet and try to get my slippers off which often ends up in him chewing on my slippers with feet still inside. Not the best habit to have :.

And Finn thinks grooming is a big game and tries to bite the brush so I let him chew on my free hand and arm to make brushing easier. He is very gentle and mostly just tries to pull my hand around with his teeth but he can get a bit carried away .


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## z&mom (Oct 7, 2006)

I share my snacks with them, and insist my DH does at well.
I only yell at K when he bullies Z, other times he gets away with everything such as rummaging the bin, counter surfing, ripping clothes off the rack, chewing on my glasses/iphone.
I allow Z to pull me everywhere when we go for walks. She is well behaved, trained and she hardly pulls on the leash, but she sure likes to take her time to sniff around and decides which direction we should go.
I allow them on people's furniture.
...... oh my, this is not the end of the list... I am a bad owner.


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

ChiPack said:


> This might qualify me as more of a bad wife than a dog owner, but on one of the occasions my sister was visiting, my husband tipped back quite a few beers. Now, we have a king sized bed, and sometimes my sister will sleep with us, with me in the middle (she and I are really close). My husband was still up, and my sister and I went to bed. He ended up sleeping on the DOG bed, curled up in the corner. Granted, it's a nice dog bed and probably more comfortable than the couch, but the dogs slept on the bed with my sister and I instead of with him. I heard him come into the room, but I didn't bother waking him from the dog bed because he seemed comfy.


Thank you for the laugh this morning. 

I then went on to you blog and you had me crying over the song for Wembly.....better go get more coffee!


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