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question for non-dog people

My main problem with dogs is mostly due to irresponsible dog owners. Most owners do not take the time to train and discipline their dogs or keep them well groomed. What ends up being left is a filthy and annoying animal I don't want touching me. When they are properly trained and groomed I am happy to pet them or toss a ball as an immediate reward for good manners.

A dog should not
- Bark
- Push into people
- Jump up and paw at them with their front paws
- Lick people unless invited (I've seen too many dogs eat ****** to want one to lick me)
- Nuzzle (annoying and wet nose, eww)
- Remain unbathed (get your dog washed they can't keep themselves clean like a cat can)
- Beg for attention
- Whine
- Tear up doors

I'm a cat person. They keep themselves groomed and odor free. For the most part cats want nothing to do with you and don't expect constant attention. If you go to a strangers house and the cat comes up to you. It is more of a privilege because something about you made them comfortable and intriguing enough to grace you with their presence.

If it is your cat they will want to spend some time around you. But don't spaz out if they are separated from you for five minutes or all day for that matter.

Fortunately or unfortunately for me I am very good with animals. Which I do believe they can sense. As dogs seem more intent on getting my approval than other people they just met and many cats that usually hide from strangers will come up to me pretty quick.

Even if I just met a person if a dog does violate any of my personal space rules. I am quick to tell it no. Usually the owner takes the hint and corrects the animal or remove it. Some are too dense to even realize at this point their dogs behavior is unacceptable or are completely clueless about discipline.

Again none of this is the dogs fault. They don't know any better and are just being themselves. Most of the licking and such is their natural way of showing deference. It's up to their master to civilize them. How would you want people you don't know doing the behaviors described above to you? Excepting of course smokin' hot babes🙄.

snberk103 said:
I don't so much have a problem with dogs, as with dog owners.

...

We know you love your dog, and it's like a member of your family. And therefore we really bend over backwards to accommodate your 4 legged family member. But... it is very disruptive to our lives as well. It's a good thing we like you... because if it was just the dog...
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I would advise telling them the dog is not welcome. That it is placing a huge strain on your friendship when they bring it over. It is unreasonable for a friend to needlessly put an obviously big stress in your life and take to consideration of your emotions when all they have to do is leave the dog at home for a few hours.
 
i think the problem has multiple aspects:

1. dog owners: let's face it for every good dog owner there is one bad dog owner and at least 5 my-dog-has-zero-training owners

my favourite example one of our neighbours who, after he moved in during the summer, let his,not really small, dog sleep outside at the front door unattended with no fence ...with the house 25 meters away from the street
and what happened in september ? all 3 schools around our home street started and 1000+ kids used the street multiple times a day ... within a week the dog had to be put down because of his behaviour, after multiple visits by the police ...

2. dogs, naturally, have a "us vs. them" and hirachy mechanics built inside their brain and sometimes behave very differently between the own family and outsiders, (even more so when the owner isn't looking 😉 )

3. many dogs(not all obviously) are at sizes where they actually can be dangerous to the health of a grown human or a kid ... most other home pets aren't
would people be sceptical of a cat if it was the same size as a golden retriever ? you bet they would be
 
I hold nothing against dog-owners or dogs. I'm just not a dog person.

The one thing about dogs that really gets to me is that they lack the sense of personal space. My best friend has two dogs: one is very laid back and never barks or yelps, the other is the canine equivalent to a mexican jumping bean.
Both are on the small side.

The laid back one I have no problems with. He just hangs out, spends some time on the lap, and is super chill. However, his other dog is ALWAYS up in my face barking, jumping, and wanting attention. It's not aggressive behavior, and I don't mind it for the first five minutes. I know he's just being playful, but after 15min enough is enough.

I prefer cats. They are more independent and in my opinion, require less work to maintain.
 
obeygiant said:
I wouldn't mind a dog, but a cat is so much less maintenance.
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Yes, in pairs they pretty much amuse themselves while your are away.

But leaving a dog alone all day is bordering on cruelty in my eyes. Dogs are pack animals, who crave social interaction with their pack, and you are the alpha male/female.

If you can't accommodate this, you should not have a dog(s).
 
I am a dog person but some dog people but the ever living snot out of me. The over the top pet parents really make me just want to kick them. (the people, not the dogs).

Now I have a dog that is quite agressive, but she is a rescue and has gotten quite a bit better. But I know this and dont allow her to get into situations where she could hurt someone. When we are out I am always aware of who or what is near. Even if people are insistant on petting her I really do everything I can to let them know that they will lose a finger.

At the house it works out because she just doesnt go near anyone she doesnt know. barks a few times to let you know that you are in her house then she is off to fart or chase a shadow of a bug.
 
I hate dogs, always have. Many bad experiences when I was a kid (and even into my teens) have kinda instilled a flight response when I even sense a dog. Whenever I hear any type of metal chain, I instantly freak out kinda like a deer in headlights 😱 <---this face describes it perfectly. I'm 21 years old and I will run away from a dog. It's a phobia and no matter how many dogs I see, big or small, puppy or adult if it's in the dog family I do not want to even see it.

Kinda sucks actually my neighborhood is full of dogs.
 
I am not a dog person in any way whatsoever, though I still live with my family, who owns one. I don't like dogs licking on people, barking at everybody, and jumping on people, and not knowing how to use a litterbox but that's just my preference... it's more that (some) dog owners are inconsiderate of the fact that not everybody is fine with the same things they are that are included with owning a dog. Judging by how difficult it is to get people to pick up after their animals, most people just have to let them get away with it though.


(I'm a cat person. I own two and they're adorable 🙂 )
 
I think you guys are hitting the nail on the head. Many dog people tend to want to force their dog love on others. Now in my own house, the dog lives there, you come over, deal with it. But out of the house which is usually just for walks and park trips, I keep the dog away from others and caution them on her being agressive. I dont bring her to events or to other peoples homes and when out of the home, she is not out of my sight. And contrary to many people who own dogs, I always clean up after her. I hate that others dont.
 
I had two of my dogs get really angry at each other once while I was petting them and sink their nails into my leg. Painful and unexpected. Ruined my liking of dogs.

Our current dog (we've had him for three years now) is just crazy. He begs, he whines, he likes chasing rabbits, he likes barking at everything that moves and even other dogs, and we have tried everything we could to to calm him down with no success. Other than that, he likes being petted and laying on your lap, so I guess that's okay. The vet warned us about him bring very aggressive though.

I'm also a cat person. Although after 20 years we no longer have a cat as of a few months ago. They're much easier to care for, and don't stress you out as much.
 
I'm a non-dog liking person by force, I actually really like dogs but am allergic so I don't like the side effects of being around environments where there's a lot of dog hair. The only thing I think is odd about some dog owners is how they talk to their dogs like they're people and with weird voices.
 
Zwhaler said:
I'm a non-dog liking person by force, I actually really like dogs but am allergic so I don't like the side effects of being around environments where there's a lot of dog hair. The only thing I think is odd about some dog owners is how they talk to their dogs like they're people and with weird voices.
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and they call themselves mommy and daddy.
 
velocityg4 said:
....

I would advise telling them the dog is not welcome. That it is placing a huge strain on your friendship when they bring it over. It is unreasonable for a friend to needlessly put an obviously big stress in your life and take to consideration of your emotions when all they have to do is leave the dog at home for a few hours.
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It's not that easy. It's not a huge strain... not even a sizeable one, really, in the big scheme of things. They come over for the weekend, we love them dearly, they don't have a good alternative to bringing their dog, and it's a long trip to come and visit us. So ... when they come we make the accommodation.
 
twietee said:
To be honest, that's quite easy and identical with almost all the dogs I played with and regardless how young/old or of what breed they are. Get a ball. Throw it. 😀
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I personally love dogs. I live in a building with a very high rate of dog companionship, my balcony overlooks one dog park and a leash free dog park is across the street. I know the names of more dogs in my building than neighbours. But I understand that not everybody is enthusiastic about dogs, and if they aren't, why should it be incumbent on them to make accommodations? Dog ownership should be a privilege, not something that's inflicted on others.
 
quasinormal said:
the regular Staffie is one of the most friendly dogs I can imagine.
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To their owners perhaps. But because of the predisposition of these breeds, they're are involved in a disproportionate amount of attacks on other dogs.

I've been attacked twice by Staffie's once whilst walking a Dalmatian, and once a Weimaraner… both times the Staffie's M.O. was the same, take the dog down, and go for the neck. And in both cases the only thing more predictable than that, was the general stupidity of the owners of these so called status dogs.

Are they all bad? Of course not. Though personally, I think they're only marginally less evil than cats. 😉
 
twietee said:
To be honest, that's quite easy and identical with almost all the dogs I played with and regardless how young/old or of what breed they are. Get a ball. Throw it. 😀
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Iscariot said:
I personally love dogs. I live in a building with a very high rate of dog companionship, my balcony overlooks one dog park and a leash free dog park is across the street. I know the names of more dogs in my building than neighbours. But I understand that not everybody is enthusiastic about dogs, and if they aren't, why should it be incumbent on them to make accommodations? Dog ownership should be a privilege, not something that's inflicted on others.
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I don't really understand why you quoted me, but your 'tar looks like one, too. In case you didn't noticed. 😉

Oops, sorry iscariot. nvm. Your surrounding sounds like lots of fun.
 
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I am a dog person, always have been and always will be.

I do draw the line at certain behaviors though.
1. I can't stand a dog licking my face unless I allow it to
2. Big dogs jumping on you unless told to
3. Big dogs "forcing" themselves near you

I currently have a 13 year old, 15lb West Highland White Terrier. She is a doll, has been trained and listens well enough. The only thing that annoys me about her at this point is her desire to bark more than is needed. I don't mind her barking a few times to let me know someone is home, at the door, the phone is ringing, etc... but my dog carries on a tad to long.

I have never been a big dog person as I prefer the lap dog sizes.


It does not help that I am severely allergic to cats. Give me 30 minutes in a house that has a cat or has had one in it regularly in the last year and I should be able to figure it out.
 
I've lives most of my life with other people's pets, including dogs. I have a great deal of experience with them. As far as pets go, they're one of the better ones to have - but I will never allow one into my house.

I don't like barking. Granted, some dogs bark all the time and some bark almost never.

I don't like hair all over the place - all over the carpet, in my furniture, etc.

Dogs smell. I know you don't think your dog smells, but it does. I know because I can smell it. Just because you're used to it and can't smell it anymore doesn't mean the smell has gone away. (P.S. - your house smells, too.)

I will never own another dog for other reasons, as well - traveling out of town becomes a pain, and there are times a dog needs to be walked that I just don't feel like walking it. But those reasons have more to do with my own wants than the dog's shortcomings.

In the end, dogs are very loyal companions, but they aren't people. And they're a thousand times better than cats. 🙂
 
Is has been said that some people don't like cats simply because they can't "control" them.

A cat? Seriously.

I believe that some of these people also have unresolved issues. 🙄
 
iGav said:
To their owners perhaps. But because of the predisposition of these breeds, they're are involved in a disproportionate amount of attacks on other dogs.

I've been attacked twice by Staffie's once whilst walking a Dalmatian, and once a Weimaraner… both times the Staffie's M.O. was the same, take the dog down, and go for the neck. And in both cases the only thing more predictable than that, was the general stupidity of the owners of these so called status dogs.

Are they all bad? Of course not. Though personally, I think they're only marginally less evil than cats. 😉
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I dare say that you are right and it's something I didn't think of when I posted. I've never had any problems with English Staffies walking dogs myself though. A female English Staffie can be nearly as small as a toy breed anyway.

My brother used to have a Jack Russell who was rather neurotic and would nearly always attack other large dogs. Never toy dogs or medium sized, he always went for the biggest ones like German shepards, although he did love yapping back at yappy toy dogs if there was a fence between them.

I used to have a male Seal Point Siamese cat as a child. It was very smart, independent and didn't take any crap from the neighbourhood dogs. They were frightened of it because it nearly always stood its ground when attacked and refused to be bluffed. After the initial feint from the dog, Moto (his name), would calmly walk towards the confused dog which inevitably sent it running.
 
twietee said:
I also find it always very bewildering to see people talk to their animals as if they where human beings (screaming, pandering, smalltalk. etc.). That always comes across very nasty imho and happens very often. Forgot who said that, but dogs will never start speaking French with you, so one shouldn't pretend as if they would do some day.
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They won't start speaking, but talking to a dog (or cat even) helps them better understand what you want. I'm actually a bit surprised that you haven't realized that giving an animal commands (sit!, stay!, roll over!) is talking to your animal. And they learn your words and communication and tone of voice.

I like dogs (had 3 boxers over 18 years), but I think cats make superior pets. What I dislike about dogs are wen they are untrained and jump, run, pee, bark, etc... uncontrollably.
 
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