Comments on: Don’t Let Anyone Judge You as a Bad Dog Owner – Good for the Dog; Good for You

By: lauren

lauren — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:56:14 +0000

i’m so glad i just read this post–though i wish had read it sooner. yesterday, i got into an argument on the street with a man twice my age. he came from around a corner with two dogs, and we didn’t have enough time for anything other than desmond to go right over threshold and start freaking out. it’s not easy for me, physically, to pull him away from a scene like that but it’s my only real option, as he’s unreachable once he’s over threshold. now, this man, instead of being at all helpful by simply walking away or standing still, starts yelling at me that desmond should be on a choke chain instead of a harness; that it’s the harness that’s the problem–all while walking him and his dogs toward us. i’ve been living on the edge of sanity for months now, and this was the first time i took desmond on a walk by myself in a very long time (but desmond has had some improvement in recent weeks, so i felt like giving it a whirl). needless to say, i lost my cool, and there i was, standing on a busy street at 6:30 in the morning screaming at a stranger.

By: Donna

Donna — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:48:35 +0000

The older I get, the more I try not to be judgmental of others….but I do worry about others judging me. It’s humane nature, I think, and it’s a hard to not worry about it. At least, if you’re a worrier by nature. 🙂 Maybe I need to take lessons from you and Honey…

I’d also love to hear more about you coming home to two burglars hiding in the house….!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:12:09 +0000

Thank you so much for this post. I always feel like I’m being judged when my dog starts barking like crazy at other people, pulls, jumps up to greet friends, etc. This post makes me feel better about it and that I’m NOT a bad dog owner!

By: Greyhounds CAN Sit

Greyhounds CAN Sit — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:08:58 +0000

Stellar post Pamela. It never hurts to walk a mile in the other person’s (or dog’s) shoes/paws.

By: Sue at Talking Dogs

Sue at Talking Dogs — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:55:25 +0000

Such good advice for life in general. Totally agree – I think most people’s favorite hobby is judging other people. I’m guilty of it, too, but trying to be more aware of my own judgey pants. Now, if I could just convince Jeffie that that Brown truck and the FedEx guy are not out to kill us all…

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:49:10 +0000

Wow, what great advice Pamela. As you articulate so well, for me the biggest reason not to judge is that it feels better, lighter, happier and more relaxing not to. Sometimes I just can’t help it though–the woman I saw over the weekend, walking her friendly, happy pit mix on a prong collar which she yanked viciously every time the dog showed curiosity about something, and snapping “She’s a therapy dog” at everyone who wanted to pet this cutie, comes to mind. But even in a situation like that, not judging opens the door to possibilities–if I could have found the right way to communicate with this person, who can say that I might not have found a way to change the way she worked with this dog?

As for my own dogs, I am definitely sensitive to judgement when they behave in all the embarrassing ways they behave. Fortunately the things that make me look better (?–or at least like a wingnut with a plan, rather than a hapless, weak, overwhelmed dog owner and failed dog trainer), like whipping out the hot dogs and loudly, happily praising any calm behavior, are also the things that are good for my dogs.

By: BJ Pup

BJ Pup — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:48:39 +0000

When BJ digs in to refuse to go toward the house, I laugh at him before people can laugh. Then people laugh with me and I give a quick explanation – “He doesn’t want to go home.” People relate to that.

By: Caren Gittleman

Caren Gittleman — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:48:36 +0000

This describes Dakota and I to a tee!!! “I could pull treats out and bribe her to go forward (and I have when I’m in a hurry which contributes to the problem). But I want to figure this out through communicating better with Honey.

So I’m learning to ignore the people who laugh when they see me trying to coax a dog to move whose paws are glued to the sidewalk. If I have to sit on the sidewalk until she approaches me, I’ll do that too.

Because a stranger walking by might judge my failure for a few seconds. But my relationship with Honey is for life.

And my learning to ignore the judgments of other people is good for Honey and it’s good for me”

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have gone through this. I also let Dakota pick his route, if I don’t…forget it, he won’t walk. Even when he DOES pick the route when he decides he has had enough, he has had ENOUGH!
I have done the coaxing with treats MANY times and felt so embarrassed with people watching me.
THANK YOU for this post and I CANNOT WAIT TO MEET HONEY! (and of course, YOU!)

By: Mike Webster

Mike Webster — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:30:31 +0000

From the Husband (aka Mr. McJudgy):

Gee, after years of being married to both at the same time, you’d think that my wife could tell the difference between a moron and a distracted driver.

(I will not, however, admit to “homicidal.” Or, at least, not until proven in a court of law.)

By: Dawn

Dawn — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:06:08 +0000

Thank you for this. Pierson really embarrassed me a few weeks ago. I joined a new dog walking group where people with leash-reactive dogs get together to work on our dog’s behavior. Well, Pierson got away from me and went after another dog. I was mortified!!! Luckily, he didn’t do anything other than chase. I apologized profusely, fully expecting to get yelled at and kicked out of the group. Thankfully, the other dog’s mom was very understanding. I try to return the same courtesy to others should mishaps with our dogs occur.