Let's See Your Dogs!!

It took me I think a week and a half before I came up with Ash. I also have always sucked at sticking with a name and had a terrier named "puppy" for quite some time.

 

Whenever I got Dex the shelter said he was part hound and part pointer. I came with the name Dex since it relates to both those breeds. Pointers...point. Humans point with their inDEX finger. Hound dogs investigate....DEXter morgan (from TV) also investigates. I thought it was clever

 

Ashton Kutcher is such a bold name for your pup! And it's perfect too.

 

Easy dude. She was on her bed once for that length of time. It's not a general practice nor did I say anything close to that. Usually she's outside. I'm just sying that my dog rocks and has never made a mess in the house or chewed up any of my stuff. There's usually always someone home and she's usually outside in the fenced yard. I'm just making the point that you don't have to lock your dog in a crate while you're not home if you train him/her to treat the bed like a crate. It's pretty easy to transition from crate to bed if you do it in steps. If you prefer to have your dog on the couch all the time and up in bed spooning with you at night go for it. My dog has boundaries when she's in the house. She's on her bed unless we call for her to come hang out with us in another room. Is that ridiculous enough to warrant a double question mark?

 

Well, to be fair, you did say it's "usually 10 hours at the most," which to me indicates that every day while you're at work, the dog sits on a dog bed the entire day, which is for some reason better than sitting in a crate all day.

Look, I know that there are a ton of advocates for crate training (or bed training, whatever you want to call it), and as I said earlier, I do think it has its purposes. But I'm sorry, confining a dog to a space the size of it's body for 8, 10, 16 hours without the ability to move or go to the bathroom is NOT a good thing. Would you want to be told that you have to stay in your bed every day, without the option to leave to get a drink, use the bathroom, or even move around? I sure wouldn't. So why do we brag about "training" our dogs to do this, and act like we're doing the dog some big service? You're not giving the dog any kind of quality of life in that kind of situation (not saying you personally do this daily, you may not). Why even have a dog if it's just going to be in a crate its entire life? I'm not trying to rag on you personally, it's just the whole "crate/bed training is the best/safest thing for your dog" argument is a giant pet peeve of mine. I've seen dogs ruined by it. You say your dog is awesome, and I wholeheartedly believe you, but to your point - our lab is either outside in the backyard or alone in the house when we are gone, and she's never gone to the bathroom or destroyed anything either. So there ARE other options and training methods. To me, crate training is just the easy way out. So to answer your original question - yes, to me, your comment did warrant multiple quesiton marks, because your comment shocked and saddened me.

 

I really don't think this is worth arguing over. Everybody's lifestyle is different. No two dogs are alike. We would all love to have are furry friends running freely but it just doesn't work that way.
We all love and care for our pets and that is more than a lot of animals receive. I don't like to crate Archer either, but it's something that has to be done until he can be trusted. Basically when he's out of the chewing phase, I see no problem letting him have run of the house. He's getting there for sure, left him alone for 3 hours on Monday, he pulled a towel off the bathroom rack but that was it.

I can't leave him outside. The fence is secure for sure, but I share the back yard fence with a few rambunctious kids who like to get him barking. Then somebody complains about the barking, then the city gets involved and the fines start. Can't kick the kids in the ass, so the dog must remain inside while I'm gone. Suburbia sucks.

on a side note, I see no difference in a dog sitting on a pet bed vs sitting on the easy chair. That's what Archer does when I'm home working, snoozes in the chair. The times I've left him alone, he's in that chair when I get home. Dogs need a "safe" location to call their own. Some folks let their dogs on the furniture, some don't, I respect both ways.

The dog I had before Archer would sleep in her kennel (door removed) while I was gone. She felt safe in there.

 

I agree with you 100%. I had no intention of starting a big debate, and won't say anything else. Like I said, crates have their place, they are not inherently bad.

 

My little hell raiser.

 

Good looking Taco...Better looking Pup

 

Not to continue the debate, but you have seen the bad. When you watch your dog run to their crate when asked, then you have seen the good. I'm
sorry, but I am proud when I see that. I know that we've given her a safe place, that she feels comfortable. I hope to give her the option of the whole house, but ours can't be trusted at this point. I'd rather give her a crate that she is content with, then come home to a dead dog because she didn't know better. If it takes two months or two years, her safety is my priority. Our goal is the house, but until then, her crate is her sanctuary. With the Fourth around the corner, I can bet she runs in there on her free will. They are not inherently bad, they are their nature. To stay on topic, repost but ...

 

My little bugs, Tavish & Maisy (affectionately known as Toothache & Migraine):



... and some larvae:



What can I say?!

 

dawww, who is the third one?

 

Thought ya'll might enjoy this, quite a bit ago I put my GoPro on a stick and played some fetch at the beach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYkWzjFtFbc

 

I agree with you more than I disagree with you but dogs are treated like toddlers way too much nowadays. I know the kind of people you are talking about who ignore their dogs and don't do their part to incorporate their dogs into their lives or fulfill their responsibilities. I'm just a little pissed that you implied I'm one of those people. My dog gets more attention and company and exercise than anyone's I know. Just because I don't let her up in our bed doesn't make me a bad dog owner even if you think a dog pacing around a house all day is a happy dog. When we do leave her alone, which is rare, she stays very contedly in our fenced back yard or if the weather is really bad, comfortably on her bed in the house.

 

Let's see your dogs. Not argue about who takes better care of theirs...

We are all dog people who have in one way or another saved a life by owning a pet and keeping them from being a stray and ultimately and sadly put down by a shelter.

Share the love!

 

Busted!

 

back to some puppy love:

 

Right you are. Back to the pics.

 

Pics? I am in! Here is one from the other week.

_DSC4859(1) by Gage McKeag, on Flickr