I finally got a dog for the family. It is the worse decision of my life.

[Anonymous]

Hang in there, it gets better but very slowly.
A fence for our back yard was/is an expensive but very helpful training & management tool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, this is life with a dog, which is why I don't have one. I grew up with outdoor pets who earned their keep. They killed rodents and scared off snakes and were good for security. We fed them once or twice a day, took them to the vet once a year, and brushed the dog's coat every once in a while. That was about it. If the dog developed an expensive health issue that lowered their quality of you, you put the dog down.

Now people walk their dogs multiple times a day, pick up their sh*t, let them lives in their houses, pay for expensive doggy day care when they go out of town, pay absurd vet bills set by hedge funds, etc. It's insane.

It does sound like dog might benefit from training. But yeah they are a lot of work.

This shift goes along with the whole bs "gentle training" movement, wherein you're supposed to ask your dog nicely and bribe them instead of demanding they comply because their feelings are more important than the results.

The good ol' days, when only people who knew what they were doing owned dogs and the dogs served a purpose beyond "living stuffed animal for emotionally-stunted adults" were better. Make Dog-Ownership Great Again, or something.

We probably have zero in common, politically. But I 100% agree with this. Dogs these days are annoying in ways they never were, and I think it is because most people do treat them as their emotional support animal, and not as a working member of the house hold (farm animal, guard dog etc). I love dogs, but I find many of my friends dogs annoying, because I am supposed to just be okay with their bad behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP - I find my dog very annoying as well. He’s constantly in my way and under my feet. He’s 20 lbs as well and I walk him much longer than 20 minutes for at least 3 of his daily walks - more like 45-60 minutes (but when he was a puppy sometimes up to 90 minutes). That tires him out enough to take a nap and leave me in peace. The other 4 walks are shorter (10-30 mins). We send him to daycare on the weekends so we can enjoy life without spending the whole day walking the dog.

If you are walking your dog 7 times a day, you are doing it wrong. Consider tiring your dog's brain out. You can use every meal time as a time for enrichment and training. Dogs are like endurance athletes. The more physical activity you give them, the more they expect. You need to teach your dog to relax if your dog is needing 7 walks a day in order to nap.

[Anonymous]

Op, I hear you and understand.

I love my dog — she is also clingy— but I thrive on that. She calms me so much by sitting squished next to me on the sofa or putting her little head on my lap. When she was a puppy we got her on a schedule, which helps. She is now very predictable in her potty habits.

My DH’s grandmother lived with us for about a month and she is not a dog person at all. We all could tell she was annoyed by the dog’s very existence. She wasn’t mean to her, she just didn’t want anything to do with her and thought we were odd regarding how much attention we shower on the dog.

When we go away I even find it hard to fall asleep because I am so used to feeling this warm fluffy lump cradled next to me.

[Anonymous]

This post just makes me so sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Hang in there, it gets better but very slowly.
A fence for our back yard was/is an expensive but very helpful training & management tool

OP here. I forgot about this thread.... I am dying for a fence. I think that is a huge problem for me. Every time she is outside, someone has to be out there. She can not just be out there on her own because it is unsafe. So at 5am, I am out there rain, shine and cold. 9pm? I am out there rain, shine or cold. From the moment I wake up until I go to sleep, my day is revolved around her. I have a 50 ft leash and staked it to the ground but still, I do not feel comfortable enough to leave her out there unsupervised for even 5 minutes. Getting a fence is not an option though. Someone had mentioned to me about an electric collar but I do not know how it works and do not want to traumatize her. She is already so skittish and timid that it seems cruel to do so. Potty training has gotten much better. My entire house kept smelling like pee. I finally picked up out 8x10 carpet and realized that she has been peeing on it without our knowledge. There were pee stains all on the bottom. It was gross honestly. I threw it out. House smells better and her peeing in the house has eased up. Maybe an accident once a week... Yes, she still follows me everywhere. I sneeze and she runs over to check if I am ok. I stand up and she is at my feet. I have to get used to it. I shamefully take breaks in my car in the driveway. I like my me time. I do not want to rehome her. I am not treating her horribly. She is well taken care of. I like her. I may not love her. I think that is ok. We tried daycare once a week but it was horrible that we paused it. She just cried and trembled with the dogs and people. We will try later but it does not seem worth it right now.

[Anonymous]

I miss my huge, loveable and clingy dog. However, pets are a huge commitment.

[Anonymous]

Op, it does get better. Can you pee train her in the house? We have a system in our bathroom and dog uses it a few times a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Hang in there, it gets better but very slowly.
A fence for our back yard was/is an expensive but very helpful training & management tool

OP here. I forgot about this thread.... I am dying for a fence. I think that is a huge problem for me. Every time she is outside, someone has to be out there. She can not just be out there on her own because it is unsafe. So at 5am, I am out there rain, shine and cold. 9pm? I am out there rain, shine or cold. From the moment I wake up until I go to sleep, my day is revolved around her. I have a 50 ft leash and staked it to the ground but still, I do not feel comfortable enough to leave her out there unsupervised for even 5 minutes. Getting a fence is not an option though. Someone had mentioned to me about an electric collar but I do not know how it works and do not want to traumatize her. She is already so skittish and timid that it seems cruel to do so. Potty training has gotten much better. My entire house kept smelling like pee. I finally picked up out 8x10 carpet and realized that she has been peeing on it without our knowledge. There were pee stains all on the bottom. It was gross honestly. I threw it out. House smells better and her peeing in the house has eased up. Maybe an accident once a week... Yes, she still follows me everywhere. I sneeze and she runs over to check if I am ok. I stand up and she is at my feet. I have to get used to it. I shamefully take breaks in my car in the driveway. I like my me time. I do not want to rehome her. I am not treating her horribly. She is well taken care of. I like her. I may not love her. I think that is ok. We tried daycare once a week but it was horrible that we paused it. She just cried and trembled with the dogs and people. We will try later but it does not seem worth it right now.

I’m glad it’s better. She sounds like a sweet dog. I get your fence envy - it’s a life saver for us. But honestly OP, I wouldn’t worry about putting her out alone on a chain. Also if an electric fence is an option they are highly effective. Personally for a small mostly inside dog, I’d do a chain. See how it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, it does get better. Can you pee train her in the house? We have a system in our bathroom and dog uses it a few times a day.

NP. What kind of system for your bathroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We all wanted a dog and we finally got one. It was the worse decision of my life. Why do people have dogs as pets? She is very…. Pointless? She just walks around and follows me all the damn time. I have to plan my entire day around her shitting, peeing, etc. I feel like a slave to this animal. I planned on calling off work tomorrow. I need a break! However, the thought of being home with this dog all day, after the weekend, is a no go. The family helps but I am her go to person. She is 9 months. Does it get better? Doggy daycare needed? Longer walks so she leaves me the hell alone after? She isn’t even a hyper dog. She is just always freaking there. I would much rather have 5 more kids to one dog. How do I try to like my dog? It’s been two months and I just view her as annoying. I am ok with you telling me I am a harsh person if I am but please also tell me what I can do to help her and me.

Ok - so, we don’t have a dog, however, when I was growing up, we got a puppy and my mom was a SAHM. Our dog was sweet, well behaved, and trained well but was also a regular golden retriever dog who needed walks, attention, etc. I remember very specifically my mom having a sit down with the family and saying she wanted to re home the dog because he was just too much during the day. My siblings and I were horrified but she was dead serious. I think my dad convinced her to keep the dog for us. My mom did grow to love the dog once he got a little older - I think around 2 or 3 years old he calmed down a lot- and then my mom really loved him for the next decade. Young dogs are a lot of work I think- mg mother was a very patient person and she was just sick of it too, like you are, right around the 9mo old mark!

[Anonymous]

What I think has been missed in this thread is that this is a shelter dog who is anxious and undersocialized. Dog daycare is scary. Meeting other dogs is scary. The dog has chosen OP as their “person” and is OP’s shadow.
I’ve had a dog like this and it’s incredibly draining and I’m a dog person who has always had dogs.
OP; training and anxiety medications can help your dog. The more confidence, the less clingy. If you can do as a PP recommended and socialize your dog with an older, calm dog off leash and in a calm space, that will help your dog learn how to be a confident dog.
In the meantime, it’s okay for you to acknowledge this stinks. The transition from a shelter dog to a dog in a home is not a quick one.