Adopting an older dog - any tips?
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So.... how is a dog any different? (Apart from the fact you can leave it unattended sometimes). You have to walk it every day, Clean up after it, pick up its !!!!!! (at least a kid goes to the toilet after 2 years!) Your house will stink (Please don't anyone reply saying 'I have a dog and my house doesn't stink' because I would bet money that it does. My mother in law says this to me and I don't have the heart to tell her that I can actually smell the dog as soon as I walk in the house, despite her OCD cleaning)
Then when you have guests, the bloody thing jumps up and slavers and humps your leg, when you eat its sat there begging (dogs are scavengers, they will eat a full meal and be on the prowl for more food constantly). If I'm at someone's house I ask them to put dog in another room or I'm leaving, because I cannot stand someone's dog jumping up at me with its stinky slobbery gob and dirty paws!
Then there's stress when you go on holiday, finding a suitable kennels and then they may ask for more vaccinations.
And what do they give you back? At least a child grows up! You spend years walking the stinky thing in -5* in January when you've done a long day in the office, and for what? Yuck, they're gross and filthy and hard work and my son will not be having one!
I'd advise a goldfish!
They might be hard work, but they are very rewarding. I'm a lot fitter since I got my dogs, I love walking them, rain or shine,there great companions for me being a SAHM, and my cats are just so entertaining. I also think its great for kids to share responsibility for pets, my kids help with grooming, feeding and walking.
BTW Bagpuss, I've had my weimy over a year now and hes never been bathed, I just use babywipes to wipe away anything he might care to roll in, he smells lovely :rotfl: Cocker needs bathed now and again, but I much prefer the natural doggie smell, its not offensive at all, well not to me and my family, if any visitors find it offensive, well thats there problem, but no one has ever commented on it so far, and I have a few family members who are sooo houseproud, I know they would tell me if I had a problem.
Sue
Lightbulb moment march 2006
Debt free october2017 :j
Finally sleeping easy in my bed :A
Well, does it matter if a house smells of p1ss or !!!!!! or puke? Does it matter if it's knee deep in rubbish? Does it matter if it just plain stinks? Well no, it doesn't matter, but I personally prefer not to live like a pig.
I don't mind a dog at someone's house if its sat down and not jumping up at me, or slobbering over me or scratching for some of what I'm eating! But inevitably, thats what dogs by nature do, and I make no apologies for not liking it!
I'm not highly strung, I just can't see what I would have to gain by having a dog, all it would do is increase my weekly workload by having to walk it, clean it, pick up its crap....it wouldn't bring me enjoyment it would get under my feet and p1ss me off when its cold and windy and rainy and I've got to take it out when Coronation Street is on!
This is not the sign of a bad dog .. or an ordinary dog. This is an unruly, untrained dog and only the owners are to blame.
There is no such thing as a bad dog - just bad owners. Often, inexperienced folk who have no idea how to groom a dog into good behaviour, from an early age. And certainly no idea how to correct bad habits. My dog is only 16 months old and lies under the table when we eat - but then he has NEVER been fed from the table and NEVER allowed to "counter-surf".
If you have never encountered, let alone own, a well-behaved dog, I actually understand how you feel. Nothing winds me up more than another person's "bad dog" (actually - I can relate to the dog, but not to the owners).
If you have a sweet, biddable, well-behaved dog, you have no end of offers from neighbours to take the dog. We are very lucky as a local girl & her boyfriend (both well known to us) move in. She cleans like crazy too and the house is always far better when we return, than when we left :rotfl:
They give you back complete loyalty and absolute unconditional love. No, they don't grow up - they don't turn into surly teenagers or twenty-somethings who know it all
They sense when you want a cuddle and, if invited, will lie next to you with their heads in your lap, gazing at you, trying to make you feel loved.
It's worth bearing in mind that dogs are simply conditioned (trained, if you like) to behave the way they do. If you want a loveable adoring companion, then treat your dog that way (but be firm, when a puppy) and it will love you forever.
And they give you, what, exactly?
When I say “move” it means “get out of the way” not simply move to a place where you are still in my path.
The dish with the paw prints is yours and contains your food. The other dish is mine and contains my food. Please note that placing a paw print in the middle of my dish of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairs were not designed by Formula 1 and are not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me up doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue to sleep on the sofa to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs sleeping. They can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine and try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. In addition, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine attendance is not mandatory.
The proper order is to kiss me and then go smell the other dog's bum. I cannot stress this enough. It would be such a simple change for you.
To pacify you, I have posted the following message on our front door.....
Rules for Non-pet owners who visit and like to complain about our dog:
1. He lives here. You don't.
2. If you don't want his hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
3. OF COURSE he smells like a dog – what did you expect?
4. Yes, he has disgusting habits. So do I - and you for that matter. Your point is?
5. It is in a dog's nature to try and sniff your crotch. Feel free to sniff his.
6. I like my dog better than I like most people.
7. To you it's an animal. To me he is an adopted son who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
8. Dogs are better than kids. They eat less, don't ask for money all the time, and are easier to train. They usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't drink or smoke, don't worry about buying the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, don't need a gazillion pounds to get through Uni and if they get pregnant, you can sell the results!
:rotfl:
I saw my in laws driving up the road, FIL driving, MIL sat in the back. Why? Why on earth would she sit in the back when its just the two of them?!?! Yeah you guessed it, the bleeding dog wanted to sit on the front seat so she demoted herself to the back of the Micra!
Actually, they don't. A dog that behaves this way is completely untrained and has been allowed to assume the "alpha male" position in the household. Dogs live in packs and need a leader. In a domestic situation, the order is ... owner; partner; children; guests; every other human; and finally "dog". A dog that is an alpha male has simply been allowed by it's owner to assume that position.
And neither should you. But you should also choose your friends more carefully, as they have created the monster dogs you've encountered.
Good grief, has the importance of Coronation Street surpassed that of living things? Not got a video? No interest in what's happening in the real world (btw - Coronation Street, Eastenders, The Bill ........ it's not reeeallll!!!)
They have let this dog become the Alpha Male. You're absolutely right ... this dog is in charge. But, it's not the dog's fault - they live by instinct only and will want to be in charge. They will be in charge, if you let them.
I blame your in-laws ....
And the shameful thing is, that this could be the sweetest little dog in the World, but they have created a terrorist.
I have every sympathy with you - really I do. But I'd ditch the in-laws, keep the dog and retrain it :rotfl: :rotfl: