I do not like dogs

There are currently two dogs in the house that I am living in. A huskie belonging to the current girlfriend of my youngest brother, and a small dog who is being minded by my mother until Friday, for some friends of hers. I am finding this extremely annoying.

For one thing, we have to keep all entrances to the house, front and back, locked and barricaded in order to keep them from getting out. The huskie did get out earlier, and apparently has a history of such. The huskie also howls and yelps intermittently outside my bedroom window, which is more than annoying...it's literally painful.

The small dog, however, is the real irritant. It is so psychologically fragile, and I feel like a bully when it appears to be utterly terrified of me, when I haven't done anything in my own mind at least to justify that response. When I opened the back door to come in, it was at the door, and I told it to go and lie down in its' basket. It did that, but then it started to shake violently, and looked at me with a terrified expression as though it was expecting me to murder it. I have no intention of being physically abusive towards it at all.

I have always preferred cats, and the main reason why is because they are both more psychologically/emotionally robust, and more intelligent. You can tell a cat to do something, or even get verbally upset with it if it does the wrong thing, without it becoming traumatised and looking at you as though it is expecting you to kill it. Cats are also not codependent; they do not howl or cry if their owners are away from them for a few hours. Dogs seem to require their owners' presence constantly, and are apparently unable to emotionally tolerate seperation for more than 30 minutes or so.

I am looking forward to when the small dog leaves. I do not like being around anyone who is visibly afraid of me. I am 6 feet 3 inches in height, and I think that has a lot to do with it; but truthfully I have tended to find it more traumatic to be around people or animals if I can tell that they are afraid of me, than they do themselves. I have no intention of physically injuring the dog at all, and I do not like it that it seems to expect me to do so.

reply to post by petrus4


I think you are missing part of the story to this dog. My first point is if the dog appears to be afraid of strangers it would have either been beaten badly before by a stranger, maybe an intruder of some sort. Secondly the dogs may have been trained poorly, I see no reason to have any dog inside and if they howl for their owner maybe they need some discipline as all the dogs I have owned would not howl after a little bit of training.

Here's something you can try, walk upto the dog, i mean crawl upto it at its height level and keep talking to it, do not touch it, do not invade its space, simply chill out next to it. The dog obviously see's your size and is overwhelmed by that. By placing your mass beside it and not touching in a matter of minutes it will relax the next several hours will be more than fun for you. Remember dogs are not casts as females are not males, we are similar but we comprehend and analyze things differently, same applies to dogs and cats.

As an owner of two dogs and also one cat the difference in mentality that is required to chill with both animals is freaky to say the least. The cat knows that i rely and the home requires them for security but the cat assumes that it has everything under control, hope that makes sense.

Originally posted by BigBruddah
reply to post by petrus4

 

I think you are missing part of the story to this dog.

My mother said its' current owners got it from a shelter.

I just find it very difficult to be around any living thing that displays extreme dependency. I've told people before that probably the only thing that could potentially induce a psychotic break in me, is the sound of a baby crying.

I'm not logistically/economically independent myself, so the one thing that can cause me to become seriously unstable, is the idea of anyone else being dependent on me. When I was younger, my parents once had a budgerigar that they forgot to feed for a day, and when I found out I became completely hysterical.

My husband and I also prefer cats. It isn't that I don't like dogs...In fact, if they are somebody else's pet, I like them a great deal. But we personally don't like the neediness that most dogs exhibit. I have had quite a few dogs in the past, and they were a great deal more work than a cat.

Even a tiny kitten understands that he needs to go potty in a litter box, no training necessary. A puppy is more destructive, and poops and pees where ever it decides to. They need a great deal more attention and "housebreaking" Plus, because they are animals that exist in groups, they cannot handle being alone.

Not to mention them getting out and running wild. I used to have 4 dogs out in the country, and the rancher next door had cattle. My dogs would pack up and try and take down a cow. I got tired of the rancher threatening to sue and shoot my dogs. I ended up giving them away.

I suppose it comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer the company of dogs, others cats. I can do without the lawn bombs, chewed up shoes and barking in the middle of the night. Some people like dogs as a warning system for intruders....My cats perform that function too....they growl when they hear somebody come up our road. For me, it's cats all the way.

cats are more intelligentlets see ya cat fetch a ball.,,,act on command,,,,defend you..............mabe u put out bad vibes and the dogs pick up on it

Not sure, but part of this could be you misunderstanding the doggie.

Most smaller breeds (almost all the short-haired varieties) tend to shake in their baskets before they nod off, and often it seems to be sheer excitement.

Doggies can get cold too if their hair is short or shaven too short.

If it's more serious, the vet should sort it out.

Some people shake too, and they're often quite healthy, and it's the reaction of people to that trembling that is often the problem.

The doggie already obeys your commands (which is more than a lot of people can say) and maybe you should give it some time to get used to each other.

The bigger dog getting out and so forth sounds more concerning, and I hope it's an appropriate breed for the property.

I find smaller dogs cause few problems and are an excellent alarm system.
Bigger dogs here nowadays sometimes get knocked out and stolen for ransom, breeding and dog-fights.

Originally posted by halfoldman
The doggie already obeys your commands (which is more than a lot of people can say) and maybe you should give it some time to get used to each other.

He is a good dog. He's quiet, and obedient as mentioned. I just don't like the idea of him being scared of me. I'm going to have to try to be a bit gentler with him, perhaps. I think he possibly was abused by a previous owner.

reply to post by petrus4

How is his relationship with the bigger dog, and what gender(s) are they?
It might not matter, but fear and continual anxiety might not be the same.
Usually fear entails submissive behavior, urinating or even lashing out (defensive barking and biting).
Shaking may point to problems, but from what I've searched fear isn't generally listed.
Maybe they need to go for daily walks with a pack leader to work off some energy.

There are certain breeds that are less likely to be annoying.I love enormous dogs like Great Danes,Mastiffs and Irish Wolfhounds,especially Danes.Female dogs always seems to be better behaved,ive definitely found that to be true-not half as likely to do destructive and stupid things.Danes just seem to have " the sense God gave 'em" as the Irish would say.Golden Retrievers and Labradors too, also Fox Terriers and Jack Russels.We have had Danes and Fox Terriers for many years,and they have never given us a day of trouble.Some of the mixed-breeds we have had,were..annoying,to say the least.Im crazy about cats,always have been,but dogs just have something special-i call it the canine "god particle".So much loyalty,so much unconditional love.I cannot imagine my life without both dog and cat family members.

Animals in a way are kind of like children. They scare easy and once something bad to them has happened they do not forget. I agree with the other comments users have left. Getting down on their level (kind of like children) makes them feel more comfortable. I have a pit lab mix he's a scary mean looking dog but he's really a big puss. He howls and whines when I leave it's because these creatures do not have anything but us. Kind of like children. As for thinking cats are smarter than dogs.. well that's a matter of opinion for every dog and cat owner. I've had cats and dogs alike that have been dumber than a box of rocks and cats and dogs that understand my every word. It's all a matter of opinion. They call a dog mans best friend because in the end (in my opinion) dogs are more loyal than cats.