I know we all have a lot we could say for this one. There are so many things we could change about our dogs if we really wanted, and yet, part of owning a dog is tolerating the fact that they are dogs and they do dog things. There are many, many things about our dogs we choose to accept or can’t control. What are some behaviors you tolerate from your dog?

The list goes on and on for me. I’ve been working on Ace to change many things, but there are others I just tolerate. Here are a few:

This mutt walks while he poops! If I am holding the leash, he makes a ring of shit around me!

He is constantly flinging drool all over the walls and on other people. I should probably do a better job at cleaning up after him and apologizing.

He will always, always love to play fetch no matter what. I can expect to receive random pieces of trash, hair ties, crumbled up pieces of paper, sticks and toys shoved onto my lap for as long as Ace lives. But I will always challenge him by limiting the fetch playing and working with him to control himself around a tennis ball.

Ace will puke up water at least once a week. I could put him in his kennel after he drinks or give him tiny amounts of water at a time. I could spend a lot of time teaching him to drink slowly. Instead, I just accept there will be puke to clean up at least every few days. It doesn’t even faze me anymore.

What do you tolerate from your dog?

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Email your dog-related question to me at Lindsay@thatmutt.com, and I’ll post it for others to answer. Click here to read all my weekly question posts.

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16 Responses to “What do you tolerate from your dog?”

  1. Saint Lover Says:

    OMG have you been reading my mind or my diary? I “tolerate” all those behaviors from one or another of my dogs!

    Hera is a barker too… she barks at the park, in the house, in the pool, where ever. She does bark alot less at this new park, but only if we are in motion. The moment i sit down or stop walking for a minute or two she is loud and obnoxious.

  2. Apryl DeLancey Says:

    Wow, I’m not the only one that has a doo doo walker, eh? I can’t understand why Gus just won’t do it all in one spot. No, I’ve got to pick up after my dog-horse with like 16 bags and whatever other materials I can find! Oh, and talk about drool…Gus is the king of drool. I’ve taken to following him around with a towel. Most people don’t get too upset when he slimes them, fortunately for me!

  3. Lindsay Stordahl Says:

    Haha, I’m glad my dog is not the only one! It’s really embarrassing sometimes. And yep, sometimes I need a second bag. I can only imagine what it’s like with a bigger dog!

  4. vee Says:

    At one of Jakes obediance classes the teacher asked what behavior ticks our dogs had that we wanted corrected. I could only think of two, but that very night I realized how many mannerisms of Jake and Walter that I actually tolerate!

    One weird thing is Jake puts his paws in peoples faces when he wants attention. He jumps up on people to, I didn’t even realize he was doing this until the obediance trainer pointed out!
    Walter cries for attention, and throws any sort of obedience training he has out the window if he’s outside without a leash. The other weird thing Walter does is bullying Jake. Walter is 1/3 Jake’s size but Jake always puts up with it.

    Fortunately none of my dogs are poo walkers! LOL!

  5. Marie Says:

    Well, I don’t have the flinging drool around here, unless our friends Rottie is visiting, BUT with 6 dogs, we’ve got a never ending supply of annoying behaviors! LOL Twist does the “squat and walk” pooping, Rogue has the biggest mouth on the smallest body when it comes to barking, Penny scratches you with her nails when she can’t get your attention by any other means, Raven has perfected whining to be almost a language of it’s own, and Lucy…we won’t even go there…

    Maries last blog post..PS to “Today is a good day!”

  6. Bev Says:

    If I’m still watching television at 11:30 at night, my dog Bailey will sit within my sight-line and whine, moan, & groan INSISTING that it’s time to go to bed! She will not stop until all the lights are out and she’s tucked in with a cookie under her pillow! I also cannot leave tissues of any sort (used or unused) where she can get to them–they are a favorite treat! The TP cannot go on the wall holder, but must stay on the counter (unless I want my house TPed and my dog pooping toilet paper). All trash cans MUST be covered with immovable tops or tucked away behind a closed door.

    I don’t care! I love her anyway!

    Bevs last blog post..Did Barney bite a reporter? Or was he just the fall guy?

  7. Christy Says:

    I tolerate the rolling in mud. Well actually it’s dirt but Marley is wet so it turns to mud!

    I tolerate the barking when Dylan plays fetch because I worked so hard to build that drive that I consider his enthusiasm precious!

    I tolerate both of them insisting on attention…….I can’t help but think it’s adorable!

    Christys last blog post..Taking it off together Tuesday

  8. Ross Says:

    My dog pukes water. She will drink way too much and then come out to the living room and puke it up. She also will play fetch at anytime :) The worse thing I tolerate is Her constant barking when anyone walks by the house.
    But, shes my little buddy so I tolerate let her get away with more than I should. Plus I’m getting soft in as I get older :)

  9. Lindsay Stordahl Says:

    Haha, glad to hear my dog isn’t the only one that pukes up water. It’s so annoying sometimes!

  10. Biggie-Z Says:

    This is such a great post I think I’ll have to do a companion one. My old dog used to barf all the time, any time he got a little excited. It didn’t faze him at all, he’d just keep barking or jumping around like nothing had happened.

    Biggie’s barely-tolerable behaviors:
    1. Guarding
    2. Prey drive
    3. Socks and other clothes stealing
    4. Pawing at stuff (not people, thank goodness) to communicate
    5. Peeing in the house when his flock leaves unexpectedly

    Biggie-Zs last blog post..Pros and Cons of Having an Intelligent Dog

  11. Biggie-Z Says:

    oh wait – and one more – being LAZY. The only things he’s enthusiastic about are: guarding, chasing prey, and dinner/treats.

    Biggie-Zs last blog post..Pros and Cons of Having an Intelligent Dog

  12. Apryl DeLancey Says:

    Second bag? I can’t leave with less than four – just in case!

  13. Lindsay Stordahl Says:

    Haha! I think you need to start bringing those 80-gallon trash bags!

  14. the three dog blogger Says:

    Aaaarrggghhh. At the moment it is the shoe fetish that my dog Faye has. The amount of footwear available in the house is dwindling rapidly. That and her need to bark so loud I feel like my head will explode!

  15. tony Says:

    hahaha awesome blog. one of my greyhounds will pee while running. i jog, she trots. she will sort of squat run and pee. it’s the wierdest thing!!!!! but it’s easy to tolerate that.
    rock on
    tony

  16. Lindsay Stordahl Says:

    Ha! I’ve had a few dogs do that. And some will actually poop while running! Talk about gross! Haha.

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