“I hate my dog” (How to understand your feelings)
By
PsychReel
In this brief guide, we will discuss the statement “I hate my dog”, and what other problems people may face with their pets.
“I hate my dog!”
If you find yourself thinking “I hate my dog” all the time, instead of just when he is being a brat or has ruined your favorite shoe, you might want to consider finding him an alternate place to live rather than trying to force a relationship that simply isn’t there.
It can be hard to admit something like “I hate my dog”, as it is so ingrained in us to love our children and our pets, but sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where nothing else cuts it anymore and in such a situation it is better to admit that you hate your dog rather than keep trying to deal with it and make both of you miserable in the process.
Sometimes you may also be a victim of the common mentality that getting a dog will be incredibly fun and rewarding and it will look like the movies, but sometimes people don’t realize how much work and sacrifice is involved in getting a dog, and how many new problems are created by it.
Some people may love dogs till they actually get one, or worse yet, till they get one that is possibly not as well-behaved as the ones they have seen in other homes or on tv, and they may find this extremely annoying and hard to deal with.
It also happens that someone you love may get a dog because they love them, and they may think that the love for a dog is beyond everything and you will come around eventually as well, but they may not realize that it is not something people get over, and it may lead to them hating the dog, who is not even at fault in that situation.
If you hate your dog because a loved one got him thinking you will come around to the idea, you may want to help them understand what this is like for you, what your concerns are, and how you feel like the dog is becoming an obstacle in your life or maybe even in your relationship.
Sometimes you may also feel that you hate your dog because you didn’t anticipate as much problem as you are facing now because maybe you are not able to train them adequately or something like that, but in that case, before you unintentionally start taking it out on the dog, you might want to find alternatives for him.
Some people also feel that they hate their dog because dogs can have their own personalities and quirks, and sometimes they can be temperamental in a way that their owners may feel like they hate them.
The fact of the matter is that dogs need just as much time, attention, and experiences that a child or a significant other may need, and if you are not able to be that devoted to sharing all these things with him it may be time to find him, someone who can, there is nothing wrong with that.
“My dog is making me miserable”
Admitting that your dog is making you miserable can be hard, but it is not possible to solve a problem whose presence you have not acknowledged, and therefore just because you feel that your dog is making you miserable does not mean that you cannot do anything about it.
A user on a popular internet forum about dogs says:
“Yet somehow, I just don’t feel the same way about her- I don’t feel like my house is my
at home anymore, I find her constant need for attention extremely irritating. I can’t bring myself to talk to her and make a fuss of her like my partner does. He works away at least one night a week, every week, and I dread it when he’s not here. I have been extremely down, many times since we got her, which really is unlike me. My partner says I’m being selfish as I can’t take into consideration how happy she makes him and that I am stopping myself from liking her, he’s made it very clear that she isn’t going anywhere. In fairness, she hasn’t done anything to warrant getting rid of her, I’m aware of the fact. I am clearly just not a dog person.”
Many times dog owners may force themselves into a situation that they are unable to deal with because either they didn’t realize how much work it was going to be or they got caught into a situation where another family member got the dog that they never wanted.
Either way, seeing your family be comfortable and affectionate with the dog while you are struggling with how miserable his presence is making you can be very challenging.
It can be hard to have a dog that makes you miserable with their behavior or just their need for attention, which is normal, but not everyone may be built for it.
If you feel that your dog is making you miserable, you need to address the problem by talking to your family about it and trying to figure out if there is any way that your routine could be changed or if it might be possible to find the dog a new home.
Another thing you need to do is to figure out if it is in fact the dog that is making you miserable or if there is an underlying problem that is making you depressed and cranky, which may be coming out in how you feel about the dog.
“My dog is making me depressed”
Saying that “my dog is making me depressed”, may just be externalizing a problem that is largely internal, to begin with, and focusing your depression on your dog may just be a stopgap that is keeping you from admitting your own feelings to yourself.
Symptoms of depression may appear for any reason, and having challenging responsibilities like a dog that needs constant care and attention, maybe something that adds to a pre-existing struggle inside the person.
In most cases, it has actually been found that getting a pet, especially getting a dog, can help with depression, perhaps because playing with a dog can be a good form of releasing serotonin, or maybe just because they satisfy our needs for affection and comfort.
According to Psychology Today:
“Eighteen of the 30 studies found that, as a group, there were no differences in rates of depression between pet owners and non-owners.
Five studies reported that pet owners were more likely to be depressed than non-owners.
A couple of studies obtained mixed results. One reported that unmarried women with pets were less depressed than no-pet counterparts, but the reverse was true of unmarried men. And a 1999 study found no general differences in depression rates of homosexual and bisexual men, but that human immunodeficiency virus-positive men with pets who had few, if any, friends were less depressed.
Only 5 of the 30 studies found that, as a group, pet owners suffered less from depression than people who did not live with a companion animal.”
I hate my dog: Reddit Tips
There are many subreddits on Reddit that are devoted to caring for pets and helping raise dogs and other pets, and there are many threads about the sentiment that “I hate my dog”.
Here is a list of some of the curated tips from real-life Reddit users who might know what you can do if you feel like you hate your dog:
“Maybe obedience training or hiring someone to help your fiancé train the dog if he insists on keeping it? And if the dog isn’t going to be well-behaved and fit in your household, maybe having an outsider come in and tell your fiancé that would help him come to terms with the fact that the dog just isn’t working.”
A user helps someone whose fiance got a dog that they are now not able to deal with:
“But of course I’m sorry you’re going through this, OP. My dad is a dog nutter so I (sort of) get your frustration. It really sucks when a loved one shows more care over a freaking dog’s right to cause mayhem than the safety of the other pets and the sanity of the people they live with.
All that being said, if getting rid of her (or him) really isn’t possible, at least talk him into seriously training her. All her behaviors (except maybe wanting to eat the cat, depending on her age, history, and breed) are trainable or manageable. You can go to r/dogs (better) or r/Dogtraining (with a throwaway, haha) and ask them about it or look for the resources they have on their sidebars/past discussions.
Or just go straight for a veterinary behaviorist, which would be better due to the cat issue. If you are in the US you can find one here: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/ (they can be pretty expensive from what I’ve read, though!).”
This user gives some relevant wisdom about dog trainers who only care about what they sound like:
“Watch out with the term “behaviorist.” A lot of unqualified trainers use it to sound fancy. You need a force-free professional with b.mod qualifications, and I would also really advise a veterinary behaviorist, in case medication is indicated here. If you do end up deciding you can’t live with this dog, which is a very valid and personal decision, a b.mod professional can help advise about the safety of a transition. There are a lot of comments in this thread making big assumptions about this dog, your family, and the outcome, and telling you what to do. No one who hasn’t met your dog+ family can give you valid advice on an outcome. Best of luck.”
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we discussed the statement “I hate my dog”, and what other problems people may face with their pets.
It is not common for people to claim that they hate their dog outright, but sometimes life takes unexpected turns or you might get a pet that is just getting on your nerves for some reason, and you may find yourself exclaiming “I hate my dog!”.
The best thing to do in such a scenario is to take a step back and reassess the situation and see if it can be salvaged.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
If you have any questions or comments about this topic, make sure you reach out to us.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): I hate my Dog
Can dogs sense if you hate them?
Yes, some research indicates that dogs can sense if you hate them, and they may also be able to tell the difference between happy and angry faces, and even show jealousy.
It may also be possible that dogs can tell that someone is untrustworthy and it has also been seen that when the dog has decided a person is unreliable, it stops following the cues they give.
Is it normal to hate your dog?
It is normal to hate your dog sometimes, as the relationship you have with your dog is just as much a relationship like the one you might have with your children or your partner, and dogs can act in a very annoying way sometimes too.
However, if you find that you hate your dog in general and feel you are not capable of meeting his needs properly, then you need to make the tough decision of finding him a new home.
What do you do when you no longer want your dog?
If you no longer want your dog, you can try to find him a new home, foster arrangement, or rescue group that can take him, but be sure to not give him away to local shelters rescue groups that are overpopulated, as these dogs tend to get put to sleep if they cannot get adopted.
Citations
https://www.glamour.com/story/i-hate-my-dog
