Am I a bad dog owner?

[jc44]

Hello everybody!
Today I (F/18) had an argument with my mom about my dog and now I'm genuinely questioning if im a bad dog owner or not.
Here's a little bit about my baby: he's a 2 year old mix and we got him from the shelter when he was about 3 months old. Ever since we got him, hes been my whole world and i love him more than anything. My mom made it clear from the start that this is MY dog and that I'm the one thats training and taking care of him since I wanted him. So ever since i was 16 my live pretty much revolved around him. I walk him 3 to 4 times a day (every single walk is usually about an hour and we also train on those walks), I make sure that he meets up with his fur friends at least twice a week and that even if we're not walking or playing that he can roam around in the garden or get some mentally stimulating toy.
When he was still just a puppy, i had help from a trainer to help me teach him the basic, but after some time it just got too expensive. For a few months now ive been going to dog school with him once and sometimes twice a week (I'm attending university so sometimes i just manage to get there once instead of twice).
Now that you kind of get an idea on what i do with my dog, heres why my mom thinks im a bad owner: she thinks that he barley knows anything because I usually only take the same couple of walking routes with him. This is true, we dont really have a lot of different options here and I often do not have the time to drive to a different location with him. She also has an issue with me not taking him out with me to eat dinner. This is also true, but i myself barley go out to eat dinner, i dont even remember the last tome i went out, but I just dont see the point in my dog sitting somewhere else under the table, waiting for me to finish my food when we do the exact same thing at home. Another reason why im a bad dog owner according to my mom is because i rarely go on hikes with him. Yes, this is again, true, but this also has to do with lots of time issues.

Idk my moms words have been really getting to me and im actually really starting to doubt myself. Like my dog seems overall really happy, he frequently gets the zoomies, his fur is as shiny as ever and although hes obviously a grown dog now who is a bit calmer, he hasnt lost his playful puppy spirit.
Like I know that this whole post probably sounds so ridiculous but i just feel so guilty.
Im sorry to anyone reading, i just need to talk about this with somebody.

 

[masonp]

@jc44 No. You’re actually a great dog owner. I have two GSDs and I don’t get them as many walks as you and your dog.

We take them on hikes when we can and nearly all restaurants in my city aren’t dog friendly (save for outdoor seating in summer).

Your mom is being too harsh and frankly nitpicking your dog raising. You’re doing a great job.

I define bad dog owners as:

1. People who crate their dogs all day.
2. Who don’t train their dogs
3. Who don’t socialize their dogs
4. People who don’t play or spend time with their dogs.

You don’t fall into any of their categories. Be confident that you’re doing a good job, your mom is being a judgey bitch frankly. Sorry not sorry.

You’re at the age where you realize (and this might be the start) that your parents aren’t always right and have their own issues that affect their judgement and their behavior.

 

[jc44]

@masonp Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how uplifting this comment has been. I really appreciate it. I technically know that my mom has lots of issues that she unconsciously takes out on me, so ive learned to always take what she says with a grain of salt...or a whole package of salt in most cases. But I'm the most vulnerable when it comes to my dog and the way i treat my dog because i obviously just want the best for him, so i can get extremely insecure about stuff like that.
But after reading through all the comments I can finally put this conversation past me, because hearing the opinions from others has really opened my eyes.
So again, thank you so much.

 

[niaa]

@jc44 Dogs don’t think of things the way we do. They explore the world primarily through smell. Even if they’re walking the same routes, the smells and sounds change between each walk. You could do different routes to add variety, but the same routes aren’t boring to him the way they are to your mom.

 

[jc44]

@niaa Thank you so much! I never thought about it that way, i sometimes forget that dogs experience a whole different world from hearing and smelling instead of just exploring with their eyes!

 

[raymondg]

@jc44 Sounds like your mom doesn’t know anything about dogs

 

[jc44]

@raymondg As a matter of fact, she really doesn't.
Although it sometimes was quite stressful taking care of him all on my own, in hindsight, I'm so glad my mom didn't get involved in raising him, because i really do not wanna know how he would've turned out if she did.

 

[clarinetscore]

@jc44 You're doing great. I bet there is an underlying issue that your mom has. Maybe even nothing to do with the dog. If this keeps bothering you suggest you and she get counseling together. It would be interesting to see her defend her bullshit to an outsider.

 

[jc44]

@clarinetscore I actually had a great laugh at your comment, thinking about it now it is actually quite ridiculous, I dont even know where she gets all of these nonsense ideas from on how my dog should be handled.
Thank you so much, you made me feel so much better about this whole conversation!!

 

[froze]

@jc44 You're awesome! She would REALLY hate most dog owners. Take him out to eat? He's a dog, not a SO? I'd love to take my dudes everywhere, mostly it's just not appropriate and also one is very vocal lol I take my Littles out 4x/day for 15-20, sometimes longer if it's warm. I've done little training, and my barker is mildly Reactive so I should instead of living around it, but alas. Hiking? Dude gets 3-4 hours of walking. I'd say the majority of dogs don't get anywhere near that amount of time on walks every day. Why introduce sticks and rocks and climbing? Weird. He might get bored from the same walking area, but you stimulate his mind in other ways. Your moms opinion sucks. I doubt she is a dog owner who one ups you in these ways.

 

[jc44]

@froze That is actually so well said. Maybe you should have a chat with my mom xD. Ok but on a serious note, thank you so much for this message, this really means a lot to me!

 

[elaineb97]

@jc44 Please do not take your dog out to eat. Your dog doesn't want to be there and have to sit nicely and not eat anything. That's torture for a dog.

It sounds like you are a fantastic dog owner and that you have a very happy dog.

Also, dog's like routine on their walks. If I try to deviate from our normal route my one rebels and is like, WTF are you doing? That is not the way.

 

[jc44]

@elaineb97 Thank you so much! This really gave me lots of confidence in my "parenting"!!