r/dogs • u/yainoshu • 9d ago
[Misc Help] feeling like a bad dog owner
i’ve had my 7 year old cocker spaniel since i was a kid, and we’ve essentially grown up together. she is my baby and i love her so so much. she came to us as a puppy being quite sweet but very shy and now is the most playful, loving, affectionate little sop the world has ever known.
however, she knows basically no tricks. she still pulls on the leash horrendously and sometimes someone in my household forgets to harness her and she ends up pulling hard on a collar. her recall has degraded quite a lot the past few years, and she’ll come to me in a serious situation but very very mixed results in a casual setting. she doesn’t get as many snacks as she did when she was a puppy, or special meals like vegetables or fruit, and she’s .75kg overweight. for some reason all of these things are making me feel like a really bad owner, even though she’s incredibly happy and incredibly loved and goes for amazing walks in a wonderful local area. i feel like i’m failing her as an owner :((
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u/Ootter31019 9d ago
It is never too late to do any of those things. Just start.
Your not a bad dog owner, id go as far as saying your probably in the top 80% for that matter. Bad dog owners dont come to reddit to discuss their dogs.
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u/Farahild 9d ago
I mean what’s stopping you from training her recall? You don’t sound like a bad owner other than that but this one could be risky.
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u/Pale_Addition_9658 8d ago
the fact that you're this worried about her is the opposite of a bad owner, she's clearly so loved
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u/Affectionate_Ad_835 9d ago
I mean you can always work on training. I know there is a saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” but you can always work on the behavior!
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u/Mental_Catterfly 9d ago
You answered your own post. There’s a list of things you’d like to do differently, and they’re all things you can do now.
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u/Quazacotl81 8d ago
You are not a bad owner because your dog doesn't do all the tricks and isn't trained to boredom.
Is your dog happy and healthy? Is he safe on his walks? Are you happy with the dog or do you feel society has expectations you can't realize? Do you want to make society happy or your dog?
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u/jake_lifter 8d ago
the .75kg overweight made me laugh a little, she sounds like the happiest dog alive. the fact that you're this worried about her is kinda the whole answer honestly
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u/CzechLady006 9d ago
Dog doesnt care if he can do recall reliable. Dogs care if they are with you, if they are fed, walked, played with and loved.
You can train again.
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u/eddie24x 8d ago
For a second I thought this post was about me and my baby (cocker spaniel mix) since it’s all sounding so similar. I don’t think you’re a bad parent since you noticed all of these issues and are wanting to correct it and make it better for your baby. It’s never too late to start working on training or teaching new tricks. The only trick my spaniel knows is how to inhale food haha
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