I’ve been leaving a lot of blog comments this week about my dog-owning pet peeves, which led me to formulate the list.
I try not to be overly critical of my fellow humans, really I do. I’ve learned to let go of a lot of things that used to really bother me. Some things are just so egregious that I can’t help it, though.
My short list of things dog-things that make me crazy, in order from least to most annoying:
5. Putting poop into the poop bag, and then leaving it on the trail anyway. Sometimes we have all run out without a bag. Sometimes you have two bags, and the dog poops three times. Sometimes we really do come back for that on the way out of the park. But if you put it in the bag, put it all the way in the trash. Don’t just leave it there as a stinky, plastic-wrapped time capsule.
4. People who deliberately make faces at Silas while he is in the car barking at them. I’m desperately trying to train him through this, and you wouldn’t believe how many people egg him on.
3. Improper use of a flexi-lead. They do have a time and a place. Like, a person in a wheelchair who owns a Yorkie. I see an alarming number of people (especially small women) who use them with their very large dogs to keep the dog from pulling them over. Not the answer, people. Not the answer.
2. Improper use of aversive training equipment. I’m never a fan of the pinch collar. But if you’re going to use one, it had better be well fitted, with a backup collar and a separate leash attachment. I can’t tell you how many badly fitted pinch collars I saw at the pet fair. (Why carry a dog to the pet fair if it still “needs” a pinch collar?) Which leads me seamlessly to the biggest peeve of them all:
1. People who don’t listen to their dog. If your dog is at the end of his leash having a panic attack, I don’t judge. I’ve been there. Stuff comes up unexpectedly. If your dog is at the end of his leash having a panic attack, while you chitchat calmly with the neighbor, talk on the phone, or shop at the pet fair, I’m giving you the evil eye.
What are your doggie peeves?
My Imperfect Dog 
Good ones! A couple I can think of…
People who bring dogs with aggressive tendencies to off leash places and give you no warning at all.
People who repeat commands over and over when the dog is clearly in another galaxy.
People who let their dog repeatedly hump mine and either half-heartedly tell them to stop or tell me my dog should just deal with it.
People who tell me to put my dog on a leash(in an off leash area) when they are doing absolutely nothing wrong just because they are “pit bulls.”
Guess that’s more than a couple…oops!
LikeLike
On humping: we had a young couple tell us that they didn’t care that six month old Silas was humping their similarly aged male puppy. They seemed to think it was weird and prudish that we were intervening. I was all “Umm? This is not me being too uptight for gay dog sex. This is a behavior that will get my dog in trouble later on, with a different dog.”
LikeLike
Right?! I guess some people think it’s funny, but it can lead to nervousness or nasty fights. I guess Norman gives off some sort of vibe because he always gets humped and he gets this worried look on his face but never tells the dog off. It’s so sad because it always ends a play session.
I’ve lost patience for waiting or asking owners to deal with it so I’ll pull the dog off him and stand in its way until it leaves or sits down, etc. One owner asked me how I got his dog to stop so easily and before I could answer the dog was off doing it again and the owner chased him around, hitting him on the head with a frisbee while shouting “no!” And the dog payed him no mind…
LikeLike
I’m with you on 5 although I did do that ONCE and forgot. Since then I just suck it up and carry it around for the whole hike.
People who have their dogs off-leash next to a really busy street. All it takes is one smell your dog just has to investigate in the street and your dog will be toast. If you are going to go off-leash, at least be someplace safe.
People who insist their dog is “friendly” even though their dog is now growling at my dog.
People who let their dogs loose in the neighborhood to poop on my front yard. People who walk their dogs and let them poop on my front yard and don’t clean it up. I have one dog that I clean up after – I don’t feel it my responsibility to clean up other dog’s messes.
People that call their dogs to them and then punish them when the dog arrives. Don’t be surprised when your dog doesn’t come next time you call moron.
Ok, that’s probably enough. Hehehe – I probably have enough pet peeves to fill a book!
LikeLike
People who go to the dog park reeking so strongly of bacon treats, even *I* can smell them. DISCRETION, PEOPLE. Your baconness DOES disturb the equilibrium!
LikeLike
But if you don’t wrap up the poop in a plastic bag, how will you ensure it lasts forever?
My pet peeve is people who yak on their cell phones while walking the dog and jerk him forward every time he wants to sniff. Okay, that’s two. But why talk your dog if you’re not going to walk your dog?
LikeLike
Most of the above bothers me. The humping I’m unsure of. I’ve heard different reasons for humping and I’m still not entirely sure I understand why dogs do it. Delilah NEVER humps Sampson although he will try with her, usually in the car, but there are certain dogs we’ve met that she keeps going back to. In my mind I would like to let the other dog tell her that it’s inappropriate but I find most dog owners get freaked out about that, so I will try and redirect her. Still I’d like to know with certainty why she’s doing it.
LikeLike