What makes a bad owner?

I believe that a good dog owner is one that never stops trying to learn about their dog.  The breed, the species and their own individual dog.  I can't stand people that say things like, "I've always had dogs and this is the way I've always done it." 

In my mother's opinion, dogs belong outside.  End of story.  Maybe let in a little weenie dog but big dogs like mine belong in the yard, not on the couch.  My dads a little better, but he's still set in his ways.  If I ever had to rehome my dogs they would not go to my parents because they are unwilling to change. 

My sister is unwilling to learn.  I've talked till I'm blue in the face about nutrition and exercise and it just goes in one ear and out the other.  "Candace, he only gets fed once a day."  Ya but its an entire ice cream bucket full and its Pedigree.  He's fat as a hog and has huge clumps of fur hanging off him, but NOOoooO he's just fluffy.  And he's getting old... cause 4 is old for a dog.  "Cinders ate Pedigree her whole life and she lived to be 16."  Therefore Pedigree is a wonder food and all dogs should eat it.[:'(]

My friend Jen is wonderful.  We have long debates all the time about dogs, nutrition, exercise and everything else.  And we're not out just to prove the other wrong, but to really find out what is best.  (btw I don't think she'll be getting that husky from the hippie breeders[])

So my answer would be, a bad pet owner is one that is not willing to learn more about their dog and really take their best interest to heart.

I think a good dog owner agrees with me and does everything I do, and a bad dog owner doesn't agree with me and does things I don't approve of.

 
Amen to that.  Unfortunately how true that statement is.
 

ORIGINAL: crazy_pixie_

I think a good owner is someone who loves their dog and does everything possible to make sure they are taken care of.  Just because someone can afford to feed the most exspensive food or pay a groomer doesn't necessarily make a good owner.  It is the love that really makes a good owner, and the lack of it that makes a bad.  Some people are lacking education in the ideal ways of taking care of their dogs, but they love them with all they have.

 
I totally agree with you on this.

How about owners that don't pick up their dogs' poop. 

I think the topic is a wee bit hubristic

Well nobody's forcing you to read/reply to it then, sheesh! [8D]

I see a lot of "everyone let's bash this bad/stupid dog owner I ran into at the dog park/vet/store today" threads and sometimes they kind of rub me the wrong way. Are these owners we mock so freely really that bad? I'm curious as to what folks here think the "cutoff" is for a "bad" (as in "OMG I'm going to post about this on the forums" bad) versus just plain "not ideal" (as in "that dog only has about 90% recall") dog owner. Sorry if the OP sounded snooty, I didn't mean it that way.

I'm a little put off bu some of these responses.I really like CM- we just got a golden puppy and are trying to do tall the "right" stuff- he seems to really know how to get through to dogs and it all makes sense to me.So of the above responses read as very pompous-maybe I am misinterpreting, but how is being calm,assertive and consistent not good?

It's just an opinion that I happen to have. He says some things I agree with, and he says and does others I do not. As I said in my original post, things like that don't make a BAD owner- just things *I* wouldn't suggest. I don't want to start a CM fight. The short version is that I don't think dogs do nearly anything because of "dominance" and it is all too often named as the cause when there is any type of issue.

gizmo1
 
  It is good that you are watching Cesar's show and it is good that you have learned things that are helping you with your new puppy. Keep watching it. It's a good show. Don't be put off by the people who will bash the show either. My advice is to remember that he is not the Dog Guru or Dog God, he is a guy who loves dogs and works well with them. Use your own judgement on what you use and what you don't use. Read dog training books and take your puppy to a puppy class.
No one group or method has all the anwsers.
 

I do think there's a certain amount of flexibility. Something that disturbs me is when a person puts their dog's safety at risk. Generally these people do care about their dogs and have happy dogs but they take amazing risks with not very well trained dogs off leash. I think that is what a lot of these stupid owner rants are about. I once knew a woman who had a master's degree and was genuinely sad when her dog was hit by a car. We find out later that she felt tired after work and didn't want to exercise the dog, so she'd just open the dog and let it run around the neighborhood until it decided to come home for dinner. That's a stupid owner.
 
Generally though, I agree with your list. It doesn't bother me to see a dog that's not perfect on leash or when I go to someone else's home (mine aren't either). I figure if the dog is safe, it is up to each individual owner what behavior they want to live with. While I don't agree with Pedigree etc., as long as the dog isn't suffering from skin conditions etc., it isn't abuse. The dog is happy and if they don't live quite as long, they aren't aware of their mortality as a number of years and it is really the owner that suffers. Do we then criticize the person who doesn't have several thousands of dollars to treat cancer with a poor prognosis for an actual permanent cure?

Here's another.

A bad owner is an owner that dont take charge of their dogs. Dogs by nature
love to follow their leaders and at home the owner is their leader. So giving them
simple task and being bossy with them helps keep them "dog".

That's what I think and do. Anyone alike ???

That's what I think and do. Anyone alike ???

No...

I have to say i agree with everything on whippetsownme's post,a very honest reply IMO []

In my very own opinion,a bad/neglectful dog owner is someone who:

*Crates their dogs all day,and especially if they stuck in there all night aswell.IMO dogs are better off alone in rescue kennels with a bit of space,then alone and crated in a "loving" home.

*Never or hardly ever walks their dogs.Ideally dogs need off lead exercise outside of their yard twice a day.

*Feeds a crap food,even when they know it's crap,but refuses to change.

*keeps their dogs outside 24/7.

*Ties their dog to a tree/kennel or whatever for any length of time.If you dont have a fenced in secure yard,then dont get a dog!

*buy's a puppy,doesnt train it and then when it isnt a cute little puppy get's rid of it and buys another pup,then does the same thing when that gets too big.

*Has too many dogs to walk at one time.

There are many more,but these are the main ones,and most of the others are in whippetsownme post.

My biggest gripe is that when people crate their dogs for hours a day because they Need to work,they dont,however,NEED to have a dog [:@]

This is a simple question to me. I think a bad owner is an irresponsible owner. Someone who doesn't take responsibility for their pet's safety and wellbeing as well as that of those around them subjected to the behaviour of their pet. A bad owner to me can be someone who has a perfectly healthy and happy dog, but the dog is rude and pushy around other dogs and people. It's not just you and the dog that matters, it's the other people that have to deal with your dog as well.

I see dogs on the same responsibility level of children. If you're going to bring one into your home, you have to take proper care of it and when you're out and about with it, you have to teach it to be polite to everyone it meets. The last thing I want is people being bothered by my dog. Penny has this embarrasing habit of walking up to complete strangers when she's dripping wet and sitting on their foot/dry towel/dry clothes/against their leg. I'm a good owner if I call her away and apologise, but I'm a bad owner if I ignore it. Fortunately, Penny can charm the pants off most people, so they're usually more amused and enchanted with her rather than annoyed with her. Still, her behaviour is my behaviour when we're mingling in shared places.

I don't mind if a dog is cheaply fed, grubby, has behavioural issues, is fat, or has trouble understanding their owner, as long as their owner is doing their best to take responsibility for their dog.

Ouch!  So since I crate my dogs during the day on the odd occassion when all of us are away from home, and rearrange my schedule to come home during the day and give them some play time, I'm a bad owner?  I think that attitudes regarding crates are far different in the States than abroad.  And, sometimes I think that those who disdain crates think of them as tiny little boxes.  My crew has very large metal crates.....large enough for two dogs to comfortably share.  These crates have an entire room devoted to them...yes, my dogs have their own room.  And yep, it's in the FINISHED walk out basement where my son lives.  And while I am absolutely fine with everyone sleeping where ever they want, THEY (or at least four of the boys) WANT to sleep in their crates at night.  When anyone stands up at bedtime, all four make a beeline for the door to go to bed.  They LIKE having their own private space.
 
As to having too many dogs to walk at one time, well......I CAN walk all six at once, either on or off lead.  However, I choose not to.  Walking three at a time means that I am able to focus more on each dog and don't have to worry about the funny little nuances in behavior.  I always walk Shadow with Sheba and Tyler because he gets hyper when he walks with Thor or Thunder.  I've done a good deal of observation to see which dogs interact best with one another in both situtations.  And hey, I guess this REALLY makes me a bad owner, but sometimes I walk ONE dog at a time....just to give them some one on one mom time.
 
I know folks who do not have a fenced yard who are absolutely wonderful owners.  Some of them even live in apartments.  A fenced yard is not critical to being a good owner.  A commitment to the animal is.
 
And nope, none of us has to have a dog, but gosh, imagine the jump in shelter dogs if everyone had that attitude.

Glenda, I agree.......the thing about the crate has me scratching my head......when I feed my dogs, the 2 that sleep in crates line up to get in there, they know all good things happen in there, even peaceful sleep......and therefor I can get peaceful sleep ........after all I don't have to worry about what they might get into......the other three can be trusted.....

Oh dear.  Some people are bound to be offended by this thread.  I think I can see where Cita intended it to go, but that and where it is actually going seem to be 2 different things to me.
 
Well, according to some of you, I am a "bad owner".  [8|]  According to others, I'm not "ideal".  I do what I do for my own reasons and, provided I am doing the best I can for my dogs and they are happy and healthy then I don't have to answer to any other dog owners who do things differently to me and therefore think they are "better owners" than me.  I agree with Paula.  I thought Post # 11 was spot on.
 
I agree with corvus - its all about taking responsibility for your pet.  Sure, I don't like it when another dog comes up and harasses me or my dogs.  But it doesn't make that owner a "bad" owner.  Not bothering to apologise or attempt to regain control of the dog however when its clear we are annoyed.... now that Ps me off.  Feeding a cheap dog food doesnt make you a bad owner.  Maybe you cant afford premium prices.  But having a totally unhealthy dog and not doing anything to attempt to make it better,.... thats wrong IMO.  Just a couple of examples.