OH just doesn't understand!

bagginslover

Thank you amibovvered

I did realise you'd gone off at a bit of a tangent tankgirl, but you weren't judging so I didn't mind. You did make some good points too- my own explanations only related to the situation last night looking over them. I still prefer not to use negative reinforcement methods with my boy as he is very sensitive (partly breed, partly due to his poor background), and he's shown me time and time again that positive methods alone work best. Not to say they work for everyone of course, it's blinking hard to stick to when he's been proper 'naughty' but well worth it in the end

CFC

bagginslover wrote: »

He's 4/5 years old (not 100% sure as a rescue) and we have had him since february this year He goes for 4 walks a day, isn't interested in playing at all (never has been) and sleeps the rest of the time when he isn't eating (VERY normal for his breed). When we are out he is left with a stuffed kong, which is more often than not ignored.

If you read my other posts, you wouldalso have noticed that I'd said he is recovering from an illness, and this is a side effect of his medication. He is on strong steroids causing increased thirst and appetite, thisis why he went after the bird seed-he is contantly hungry (yet he looks starved as the steriod also a muscle and fat waster). We are getting up in the night to let him out, and come home from work for an extra toileting session on top of his normal lunch time walk. (luckily we work togther and our bosses are understanding).

I realise that this is our fault, I have said so many times in this thread,and so I don't appreciate being preached to. My dog is happy, and (nearly, after £4500 worth of treatment) healthy, this was an unfortuate acident that was handled badly by my OH, NOT by me!

He isn't badly behaved at all, and as you say this was an accident,and I have given you no other info to go on, I don't know why you would think that he is, he is the best behaved dog I know, and thats not just owners pride talking. he walks on a slack lead, sits to have his lead put on/off and be given food with out being asked, comes on command (almost a miracle with sighthounds), and understands more commands than many dogs. He has barked 3 times since we have owned him, doesn't whine or howl, he is as perfect as he could be, despite his less than perfect background, what more do you want? None of that however was the topic of this thread, have I answered your questions?

Your OH wants a slap. Grumbling about cleaning it up is one thing, making a huge deal out of it is another. A dog on steroids is going to have accidents unless you are treating it like a puppy in terms of going out whether it wants to or not. My previous dog when on steroids actually wee'd on the floor in front of me, seemed like pints of it all on the carpet, he was upstairs and just couldn't get out of the door fast enough - he wasn't used to the fullness of his bladder etc so his normal anticipations were all askew. He didn't even !!!! his leg. He looked miserable, poor soul.

Remind your husband what it's like to have a gyppy tummy and no access to a toilet, especially when he was a child, and ask him if he thinks that shouting at the dog and punishing it is kind. He needs encouraging to use his imagination.

bagginslover

Thanks CFC, I think thats what I'll do (relate it to him, not the slap, lol!).

Its funny, every time I go to the loo (OK not every time, but regularly ), OH decides he needs to go, and is far more desperate than I possibly could have been, and proceeds to tell me I should have asked first if he needed to go! We have 2 loos, and he never asks if I need to go before he does (because we have 2 loos!!). I do realise how very childish that makes him sound, He isn't really, well, not most of the time any way!!

I think he has a 'thing' about toiletting in general, I'm the one who has to pick up after the dog when we walk together, and he will watch the dog go in the garden, then tell me off for not picking it up! He claims to be a 'nervous poo-er' what ever that means (also a raging hypochondriac!) but finds farting hilarious as long as its his own. I think its just him, and his reactions are learned from his father (if he hits his thumb with a hammer the whole street knows it was the hammers fault! They are both the the same in this way, anything that breaks or doesn't work is 'a peice of !!!!' and its never their fault). I'm just going to have to teach him new reactions

CFC

Good luck with that one Baggins, sounds like he needs a lot more training than the dog LOL

hethmar

dirtysexymonkey wrote: »

youve led a sheltered life!:rotfl:

Thank god for that