The More Laidback Chazzer

[Greenmagick]

I am laid back...I dont compete with the dogs, dont do a lot of active things, etc. Most days we all (kids included) just romp around in the yard and lately its been too hot for even that.

I can get lazy on food...I feed raw but will sometimes get a bag of TOTW or Acana if I forget to order or defrost, but I wont go lower than that.

 

[Shai]

You can compete with dogs and still be laid back in terms of general dog ownership

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

But yeah, when we don't have extra money, we've fed purina, or nutrish by rachel ray. I think it's like NEVER exposing your kids to germs until they go to school. Then they get sick.

This may be off topic but that's a terrible analogy. I've been doing rescue for as long as I can remember and being exposed to different foods is nothing like being exposed to germs.

I own 5 sport dogs, I start work tomorrow at a training facility so I am pretty sure I can't join the lazy crowd. It suits me, my significant other, and I couldn't own my type of dogs without being an obsessive owner, they'd destroy my home.

 

[Greenmagick]

This may be off topic but that's a terrible analogy. I've been doing rescue for as long as I can remember and being exposed to different foods is nothing like being exposed to germs.

This...exposing to germs is very important because it helps build the immune sytem.

Exposing to low quality foods damages the gut or at best is neutral.

 

[sassafras]

Well I'm laid back about some things more than others. But I also don't feel guilty if I don't live up to being the perfect dog owner every single day... say, a single day happens to pass without everyone getting walked or having a training session or with someone spending a little more time home alone or in the crate than ideal. As long as stuff like that is the exception and not the rule I'm good. Life happens, and the dogs are a HUGE part of my life but not the only thing in it.


(Although if you're laid back about it, I suspect MY views on food would seem positively somnolent to some people.)

 

[Greenmagick]

This...exposing to germs is very important because it helps build the immune sytem.

Exposing to low quality foods damages the gut or at best is neutral.

Quoting myself lol...

want to add, that is NOT to say a person is a "bad" owner if they feed lower quality etc. I mean, I admit, my kids get McDonalds some days My point was the comparison is wrong...it is not a positive thing to expose them to bad foods, there is no benefit to it.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Quoting myself lol...

want to add, that is NOT to say a person is a "bad" owner if they feed lower quality etc. I mean, I admit, my kids get McDonalds some days My point was the comparison is wrong...it is not a positive thing to expose them to bad foods, there is no benefit to it.

My plan in about 10 minutes is to get dressed and seek coffee and donuts and yes, whomever comes with me will get one. ;-)

 

[Fran101]

Lol I think its TOTALLY normal with a second dog especially
When I am with Romeo and Charlie (my moms dog) I think its totally ok to be a lil more chill because well..they have eachother! lol

I think I'm totally a laid back chazzer, lol I think the only way I am kind of more or less active is in food and pictures! lol

 

[~Jessie~]

My plan in about 10 minutes is to get dressed and seek coffee and donuts and yes, whomever comes with me will get one. ;-)

:rofl1:

Mine expect to get something when they go through the drive-thru with me as well!

 

[Beanie]

I actively compete with Auggie so I sort of have to keep involved with him. I couldn't go a month without doing any training and conditioning. It would result in Really Bad in the ring, LOL.
But I don't know why that should make anybody else feel bad... I also trained for and ran a half-marathon... should that make other people feel bad or lazy? I don't think so. I did it because I love running and I wanted to. Same thing with the dogs - I train him and compete because I love it and I want to. I don't think it necessarily makes me not "laid back" of a dog owner, either.
Different people do different things. Who cares? If you love your dog and aren't doing anything outright harmful, it doesn't really matter if you take a five minute walk or a five hour one.

 

[JessLough]

Eh, I am laid back. My dog is nearly 14, she just does not want to go for long walks anymore (well, she does, but I have to cut her off or else she will work herself too much and be sore for days after). She is fed a food full of grains, grain-free she can be eating 10 cups a day and losing weight (heck, when Renegade decides to share their grain-free food, she gets bad reactions to it ). She gets walks daily, yes, because she gets restless without and becomes very annoying. Just means she gets multiple shorter walks to rest her joints. We even put her in the backyard without supervision. I know she is not about to escape from the backyard to run around the neighbourhood, I can let her out with the gate wide open and she will not try to go out. Nor does she get any training really -- she thinks it is boring and would much rather sleep.

Does not work for a lot of people, no, but it is our way of doing things She would much rather be around us cuddling with us, than going for 3 hour long hikes and being sore for the next 3 days. She gets to go places, just not where other people usually take their dogs, she dislikes other dogs, and her tolerance level for them is decreasing with age.

 

[k9krazee]

I've got you beat I'm a 'every other weekend' dog owner. My dog is nearly seven years old and for five of those years I've been away at school. It sucks. And soon I'll be entering the working world in a job that requires me to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I have a feeling I won't be leading as 'dogged' life as I would like. Surprisingly, Jack and I still compete in agility (usually only 3-4 trials a year) but it's something that we both enjoy. The times that I am home I have to further divide my time between my boyfriend and dog, but usually we all do something together. But I still feel guilty when I decide to not go to my parent's house to see Jack on my time off.

 

[hey_jude]

Interesting to hear how everyone else is- and reassuring! It's just so funny- I've just mellowed out so much since I got Jonah. I used to try to make sure Jude's day/life was 100 percent enjoyable to him at all times- and as a result he is kind of a sulker when he doesn't get his way haha. Jonah on the other hand doesn't really care since ever since I got him I've gotten more laid back.

I feel like sometimes being a border collie owner it's a bit more intense. People expect you to do a sport, and recreational agility ever few months isn't enough to a lot of people. I know we might not actively do sports, but my boys have days that are pretty interesting, exciting to them, and varied since I try to take them almost everywhere.

I always thought I would eventually get more into dog sports I guess, but as I've gotten Jonah I've felt more like I'm happy with them just being active pets. My agility instructor has been really rude about me getting Jonah because Jude was further along in agility (although- I never told her I wanted to do agility at a serious level!) so I think I am super sensitive about it.

 

[k9krazee]

I think people are like that with kids too. Super obsessive with the first one and progressively laid back with each additional child. At least, that's how my parents are. My sister (the youngest) gets away with EVERYTHING and has way more freedom than we ever had.

Don't feel guilty about agility. If you're not into it, you're not into it. Sitting around at an agility trail all weekend for a couple 20 second runs is not everyone's cup of tea

 

[Beanie]

I feel like sometimes being a border collie owner it's a bit more intense. People expect you to do a sport, and recreational agility ever few months isn't enough to a lot of people.

I think part of that is because there are many people who go out and get a border collie JUST for the purpose of sports. I have met a lot of people in agility who started doing it with their first dog/pet (a variety of breeds) then once they got "the bug" they went out and got a border collie. Because the ONLY dog you can do sports with is a border collie!!! And for lots of these people, their dog is no longer a pet they do agility with... it's an agility dog and that's about it.
I have met lots of people where if their dog can't do agility the way they expect, it's useless, and usually they end up dumping it on somebody else and getting another dog. But then there's the majority, where our dogs are PETS first and we just happen to compete with them in agility. Some of us may be more serious than others but our dogs are still our dogs... not just an athlete to bring out twice a day every weekend or whatever.
For me, I would be disappointed if I had to stop doing agility with Auggie, but it wouldn't change how much I love him. Not everybody thinks like that though.

Also for me, we spend a lot of time drinking and socializing at agility trials, LOL. This scandalizes some people. (I've even done runs while buzzed before... *cough cough*)

 

[MandyPug]

Also for me, we spend a lot of time drinking and socializing at agility trials, LOL. This scandalizes some people. (I've even done runs while buzzed before... *cough cough*)

There's a trial i'm going to in September that very openly is known for being a trial where drinking is very encouraged lol. It's all in good fun, Agility trials are very social events around here.

 

[Beanie]

They're supposed to be social events, IMO! But some people have gotten so serious about it... it really sucks the fun out of it. Usually those are the people who are glaring at us while we all sit around drinking and eating and laughing and making fun of each other. Whatever. They can live their lives how they want, just let me live mine how I want!
And I want to spend it drinking apparently.

 

[Laurelin]

Yeah there's a lot of BC people that get the dog for the sport, which is backwards to me. They don't get the breed because they love the breed, they get them to win. Not saying all or even most/many are like that but the ones I've been around are sure vocal so they seem like a lot. There's also just sports people that love to outdo each other. I was never cool at my first club because I was the only one running a non herder.

I had a lot of plans with Mia that probably won't pan out looking at it now. She has the drive for SURE and had gotten raving reviews from trainers we've worked with. Her pedigree is great for agility- some of the most famous MACH and even a world team member back there. I feel bad every now and then. I know she could be great. She really could be a fantastic agility dog. But I think she'd rather just be my pet if it comes down to it.

 

[Shai]

She really could be a fantastic agility dog. But I think she'd rather just be my pet if it comes down to it.

Why is this an either/or? Why not both?

 

[AgilityPup]

I've been a "lazy" owner lately, really. Blah. I don't like that I am, but honestly, I've been just plain lazy lately. And that's with 6 dogs in my house, three of which are my responsibility. So don't feel bad.