Is he abusing my dog?

[kellbell]

Hey there,

 

Yes, I agree that he is abusing your doggie. The bottom line here is that your boyfriend's behavior is making you feel uncomfortable. It is hurting you. And now, your doggie snapped at you, a behavior that is very uncharacteristic of your dog. That speaks volumes.

 

I do feel however your dog needs some training as well. Both dogs. I know PetSmart does doggie training. But I am not sure if it is free. It is worth checking into.

 

I have a kitty and I love him like he is my kid. And if anyone touched him or mistreated him in anyway, he/she would be out the door. Cruelty to animals to me is HUGE RED FLAG!!!

[kellbell]

"I hope everyone isn't getting me wrong here. He doesn't kick him or punch him upside the head or anything like that."

 

True, he is not being that extreme but it still hurts you, it makes you uncomfortable and now Riley is acting like he has not in the past. That is something to keep in mind.

[Scout]

I hope everyone isn't getting me wrong here. He doesn't kick him or punch him upside the head or anything like that. That's a big difference and I would have already probably kicked the bf's *ss for it.

 

Why are you now making excuses for what he's doing? In your post, you questioned yourself if your dog was being abused; based on what you described, yes, he is. I pray to God you won't wait until it escalates to kicks and punches. Slaps, choking, and emotional cruelty are already quite sufficient in the abuse department.

 

Who knows what he does to the poor dog when you're not around. I'm telling you, your dog is demonstrating some serious signs that something is wrong.

 

-shakes head-

[fnlyfrei]

Yes agent...totally...this same jerk treated waitresses horribly, did not like or respect his own mother...and on one occasion made the female bartender so mad she wouldn't wait on us...and he thought he was funny. You can imagine how he treated me. My NEW man, my fiance'...spoils my cat...(she has an immense crush on him) and my dog brings him toys to throw. They both meet him at the door like they are happy to see him. I think animals are very perceptive judges of character. Children are too.

[Meow18]

I understand that your boyfriend isn't a horrible person, but his behavior should not be justified, no matter how extreme or not.

 

I would talk to your boyfriend about his behavior towards your dog. Let him know that it is not acceptable and it's not the way you want him treating your dog ever. And why should your dog have to sleep in the cold basement all alone? Because he snores? Doesn't your boyfriend snore sometimes too?

 

But anyways, I would bring up the idea of dog training. And training his dog. Maybe say that you think it would be fun for you both to do together and you can both learn how to train dogs and teach them right from wrong.

[SummerGirl38]

Honestly I'm not trying to make excuses Scout. I am only trying to describe in a little bit more detail what is being done, which is basically snapping that choker collar tight and maybe some butt smacking..

 

I don't want to portray my bf as some kind of monster here though either. He is a very gentle man (to me anyway).

 

I just don't think he has patience when it comes to an animal. Maybe the way he was brought up, don't know, don't care, either way, I basically just wanted to see if anyone else out there has a SO that disciplines this way.

[fnlyfrei]

I snore....

[LONESOUL]

I'm sure this is hard to accept SG, but it is abuse.

 

He'd never touch my dog again. (he'd never touch me again either but...)

[Scout]

I basically just wanted to see if anyone else out there has a SO that disciplines this way.

 

Why? Because if we answered we had, that would make it ok, then? Hon, you have to trust your instincts on this. And I believe when you started this post, your instincts were right on. Compare your last two posts with your first. It's like you're alarmed to learn that yes, many posters think he is abusing your dog, so now you're trying to minimize what he did. He pulled the collar while the poor little dog was sick to it's stomach. He is hitting the dog hard enough to make it yelp out in pain. Your dog is relegated to a lonely basement now. Your dog is acting out aggressively now, something he never did before.

 

If we all answered our SO did the same, would it justify what is happening to your little Riley?

[the yang to the worlds yin]

I basically just wanted to see if anyone else out there has a SO that disciplines this way.

 

Mine will lock them in a room for half an hour as a way of grounding them, but thats the worst he'll do.

[kellbell]

"...SO that disciplines this way"

 

No way. My boyfriend has two kitties and he never lays a hand on them and they can be very bad. They had torn up his sweaters, destroyed some of his plants, tore up some of the mini blinds in the kitty room but he never laid a hand on them. Yes, they get scolded and when they are caught in the act, they get squirted with water and get "sent to their room" for a while. And their room is warm, has their pillows, food, water, toys, scratching post and litter box.

 

They get time out a lot. But no force, no hitting, nothing like that.

[Dako]

I could never tolerate someone who abuses animals.

If inhumane behavior isn't a dealbreaker, what is?

[CarnelianButterfly]

They get time out a lot. But no force, no hitting, nothing like that.

Mine gets time out too. She gets told to go to her room if she's being really nasty to our other cat, so does the other cat when he's bad, thats almost the first thing they get taught. Its a not a happy time for them because they cant be with us. They're now trained to the point that I can clap my hands at them and they go to their room.

[kellbell]

"I can clap my hands at them and they go to their room."

 

Oh that is hilarious! I love kitties. hehe...

[jengh]

^^^hahha, thats sooo cut.e i have mine trained... she doesnt knwo her name but comes to "Where's my babbbbyyyy!?!?!?!"

 

Okay, if anyone so much as looked at my cat wrong...... there would be serious hell to pay... animals are such innocent creatures... you dont want to get me started... i wrote a 15pg paper on animal cruelty in the food service....

[CarnelianButterfly]

"I can clap my hands at them and they go to their room."

 

Oh that is hilarious! I love kitties. hehe...

They know "out", like when they go some where (closet, pantry) they shouldn't. It doesn't take much at all.

[kellbell]

It just goes to show that animals can be trained, can know right from wrong, but it is up to the owners to teach that and be consistant. To me it is no different than parents teaching their kids right from wrong, what is acceptable and what is not.

[Bethany]

I reckon a lot to do with it is that your dog misbehaves through lack of training and your bf is trying to put it down in the 'pecking order' by beating it, which we all agree is wrong..

 

It is a common misconception that a dog never bites the hand that feeds it, or loves it, or cares for it, when in fact a dog never bites the hand that TRAINS it.

Your dog is showing no respect to you or your property so what you NEED to do is take control of the SITUATION here before he bites you or someone else for REAL next time. So be his owner, not his mother, and get him trained for everyone's sake (especially your dog's.

[Scout]

I work with a local dog rescue group, and the director is also a trainer. She uses ONLY positive reinforcement methods. As you can see, when you use harsh treatment instead, it manifests aggressive, fearful behavior.

[the yang to the worlds yin]

..

It is a common misconception that a dog never bites the hand that feeds it, or loves it, or cares for it, when in fact a dog never bites the hand that TRAINS it.

Your dog is showing no respect to you or your property so what you NEED to do is take control of the SITUATION here before he bites you or someone else for REAL next time. So be his owner, not his mother, and get him trained for everyone's sake (especially your dog's.

 

I thoroughly disagree. Dogs for the most part, don't attack unless they feel threatened or have been hurt, or are by nature or nuture, aggressive. Her dog is obviousely none of the such.

[jengh]

I completely agree with tyttwy... it's all in the way you raise the dog....

[SummerGirl38]

I feel like a horrible dog mommy, so I changed my Avatar so everyone can see the little demon dog I love so much.

 

Thanks again everyone, I feel horrible, but atleast I know how to handle it now.

[the yang to the worlds yin]

Oh she's so adoreable Summergirl!

[kellbell]

Awwwww, Riley is soooo cute!!! Don't feel horrible. You have to do two things...

 

1. Talk to your boyfriend and tell him his past behavior is unacceptable and you will not tolerate it.

 

2. Get your pooch to some dog training.

 

I wish you all the best.

[Bethany]

I thoroughly disagree. Dogs for the most part, don't attack unless they feel threatened or have been hurt, or are by nature or nuture, aggressive. Her dog is obviousely none of the such.

 

Dog's are territorial and if you let them become the 'boss' they will become the boss. It can start with a toy or perhaps it's dog bowl or the bed but leads to worse aggressive behaviour if not trained. Some dog's can take over the house, show aggression to their loving owners, who have never beat it, so much that they feel afraid of returning to the house. Her dog has ALREADY snapped at her and is showing aggression so I stand by my word.

 

I have a LARGE 90 pound German Shepherd which I trained all by myself with the help of some good books and a lot of hard work. He is awesome now, obedient and very intelligent. But all the love I have shown him over the years I showed as his owner, his trainer, not his mother.

 

Beagle are very intelligent, buy a good book on them.