I got a kick out of thsi part of L.Swanston's post that said.

 Quote:

In my house, nobody is very interested in dog training; that's MY thing. My husband is supportive and will follow my instructions, but when I'm not looking, he will also allow the dogs to do things that I don't (he likes to be the fun one). It's not that he's a bad guy, he's just more relaxed in his approach to pet ownership. He would not have dogs if I didn't want them, not because he doesn't like them, but because he knows he's not responsible enough. It's funny, too, because even though I'm the disciplinarian, the dogs prefer my company anyway! It's because they like the structure that I provide, and by working with them on obedience, I have formed a bond with them that the rest of my family hasn't. I'm the Alpha Bitch! LOL!

This is soooooo like my house, I thought it would make a good thread for us. I wonder how many of us are in this same boat... My wife likes dogs but will not become involved in training, it's MY thing just like L. over there.... she too is the "Fun one" giving him all sorts of goodies when I aint lookin hahaha. It's a blessing on one side and a problem on the other... the blessing part is there are'nt any Rank issues between my wife and I towards the dog, so he is not confused who the Alpha is. The bummer part is when I am not up to it.. she won't walk the dog or any of that... so I gota get my lazy butt up and walk him anyway...

My wife tells me "I hate that dog" all the time but when I aint lookin she is huggin him up, kissing him all over and telling him how handsome he is, just the other night I talked her into a walk about town with Zeus and I went into the store, I gave her the leash and when I got back she was heeling up and down the sidewalk and said to me "Dam you have done good! He heeled down a block and back and ignored everyone" I just had to laugh... I thought to myslef "Like the results but hate the training eh?"

I would love to hear some good stories about your life with spouses who hate dogs... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I'm 100% certain that my wife would not have dogs if not for me. I spend 10 times as much time teaching my wife how to deal with them than I do training the dogs themselves. She tolerates them and treats them well...but make no mistake, they are my dogs and ultimately my problem. The way I see it though, I love those dogs and its a wonderful "problem" to have. I'd be interested to see if Vancamp has any warm fuzzy feelings to add to this thread.

Wanna know the way to a man's heart?

... ask his dog!

Well, my husband is not a particularily doggy person as he is a little bit afraid of them. The dogs are definitely my thing and he is content to
follow directions and be supportive. I've dragged him into all the inevitable jobs that go with dogs - fencing, hauling gravel, construction jobs, chopping up frozen beavers and I even convinced him into going winter camping.
The best thing he has ever done for me though was
when I cleaned out the dog freezer and forgot to replace a 50lb block of liver (now this was July mind you ). He wrestled his stomach into submission and dragged it off to the tree line and buried it for me - now that's true love if there ever was <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Same thing here.. The dogs are my responsibility. When I brought home my Malinois, she actually cried. Life is god damn tough...but she does enjoy handing out treats before the dogs have earned them. Oh..well...I could sit in front of the T.V., drink beer, burp, fart and watch the game all weekend. Now I've got my 8 yr. old & 4 yr. old sons watching me do decoy work. Majority rules!

I guess i'm in the same boat as some of you. I asked my husband to let me get a GSD pup. I haven't had a dog in over 5 years now!! So what does he get me instead? An 11 year old Lhasa Apso *cry*. I guess i'll have to keep being patient. I'm not exactly ready for a dog yet anyway,but when I do get one, I doubt my husband will have anything to do with it.

Ten years ago my wife brought home an alarmingly cute 8-week-old male GSD with some East German blood (she had grown up in the Eastern bloc and wanted a dog that reminded her of the border patrol dogs stationed in her hometown :rolleyes: ). Neither of us had ever owned a dog before. I could have killed her.

To make a very long story very short, we owe a dramatic turn in our lives to that singular event. It got us into Schutzhund, herding, and serious obedience work. Neither of us would think of going back now... with four serious working dogs between us.

And the old guy is still alive, God bless him...

Pete Felknor

That's touching Pete *Sniffle* God bless that old guy, give him a pat for us.

Another tearjerker ("sniff, sniff"). All my life I wanted a dog. When I was 11 for my birthday I was asked to go into the spare bedroom. I got very EXCITED. A puppy! Nope. A canary. I cried. 10 years later I got my first full-time job and stated "I'm getting a dog!". My parents were dead set against it. They had never had pets. After a year or more of research, Max came home. My father came to all my puppy classes. My mother and grandmother fed him from the table, when he was little he rode between my mother's feet on her motorized scooter. When she died last year he moped for a long time. My father takes him inside the bank, all over the place. Even the golf driving range (the girls in the shop love him). The same guy who said NO rolls around on the floor with him and naps with him on the lazy-boy. The whole family used the commands I learned in classes and ultimately I proved that I could handle a dog.

He changed my life. I will never again be without a dog. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Me? I'm lucky...my GF is as dog crazy as I am...maybe more. Between us we have four GSD's and two JRT's. Not much time for anything but dog training and dog "wrangling".

However...there is a downside. When you have two strongly opinonated dawg people disagree over a training issue and they have to go home together...well...you can figure it out.

Still, I wouldn't change it for the world. It's so nice to have someone who understands that even though you really didn't NEED that new pup, you just HAD to have it.

Besides, both of us realize that anyone who did not want to live with the dog-thing would have to hit the road in either household!