[trcy]

Yeah, saying good bye is hard. Having to put Riley down before he hit a year old was devastating for me. I doubt I will ever get over that loss.

 

[wolfy dog]

Besides saying goodbye as I think that is a given for everyone, adolescence. It is my favorite age to work with clients' pups but not to have them around 24/7, even though I love him and I know we are getting through this.

 

[SuperG]

When they jump up on the bed and land on my nads.....


SuperG

 

[Zeeva]

When they jump up on the bed and land on my nads.....


SuperG

That's the softest part

 

[shepherdmom]

Got to agree with most everyone, saying goodbye really sucks. For me the hardest part is making that decision to let them go. I know for some I've waited too long and every time I tell myself I won't make that same mistake again but I do.

 

[trcy]

Got to agree with most everyone, saying goodbye really sucks. For me the hardest part is making that decision to let them go. I know for some I've waited too long and every time I tell myself I won't make that same mistake again but I do.

Yeah, with Riley I really thought if we got him to the vet and then the specialist and spent the money he would get better, but he just kept getting worse. It was only 4 days, but he just went downhill so fast.

 

[McCoy]

when you need them to do something that you havent taught them to do, ie; dont eat that thing, that snake is NOT trying to play with you, ....and the horses mean business too!

 

[Sabis mom]

Okay you made me cry. You have a knack for writing.

Don't cry, remember that every passing gives new life. We do them no honor to shed tears. We need to give thanks for the time they gave us, we do that best by embracing the memories and lessons, even the ones in humility.
I used to think that if life was fair I would have had Sabi forever, then I realized that if life was fair I would never have had her at all. I didn't deserve her. I am a better person because of her, but I will never have half of the grace, forgiveness and humanity my dog did.

 

[Zeeva]

Besides the goodbye...?

 

[Jaxx's mom]

Besides goodbye for me would have to be the criticism. My sister will say he is a bad dog for the most simple things that most dogs do, and it really makes me upset. I know you are supposed to just brush it off, but I can't. That's just not the type of person I am.
But people criticizing us makes me and Jaxx even more eager to fix all of the problems no matter how big or how small they are.


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[Ellimaybel]

Besides goodbye for me would have to be the criticism. My sister will say he is a bad dog for the most simple things that most dogs do, and it really makes me upset. I know you are supposed to just brush it off, but I can't. That's just not the type of person I am.
But people criticizing us makes me and Jaxx even more eager to fix all of the problems no matter how big or how small they are.


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This! I already said my hardest part but I agree. My most frustrating moments have come in the past 2 weeks with family members that some have never met my dog, some never see him, none of them live my life with my dog. These people have made me second guess everything I'm doing in life with my dog, telling me my dog is dying, his organs are shutting down, I'm going to lose him and it's all my fault for not doing more than I am. I have stopped talking to my mother and my Godfather because of this. They have done nothing but make me cry every day and feel like a failure because in their eyes (people with money, which I don't have) I would have done everything that needs to be done a month ago. I've been dealing with this as the one who is controlling his diet, his medicine, cleaning up his diarrhea inside and outside. Yet everyone else seems to think I'm not doing enough. Sorry to rant, but you hit something right on the head.

 

[Declan]

Other than saying goodbye, the hardest part for me has nothing to do with the dogs. It's dealing with people. Parents letting kids run up and hug/grab your dog, strangers petting your dog without permission, ignorant people telling you how to train your dog, and other people letting their ill-mannered dogs "play" with yours when he or she is not in the best mood are the hardest parts about dog ownership in my eyes.

 

[RiverDan]

Baron is my first 100% mine dog. I will have a hard time with his departing.
The hardest thing for me now is constantly thinking about ever decision I make for him. Seconded guessing if they are the correct ones. So far they have been working out. (knock on wood)

 

[StingRay]

As a future GSD owner.... This thread helps alot

 

[Katos_Mom]

The hardest part is knowing that someday, you will have to say goodbye.

 

[GSTrainingAcademy]

Hi fellow forum members!

I agree with most of you in that one of the hardest parts is parting with your dog. Not sure if any of you have seen one of those memes where it shows a picture of a dog with the words being something like "For you, I am only part of your life, but for me (the dog), you are my whole life." I can't seem to find that picture anymore, but it's always sad when we think of it that way...

To me, the hardest/most challenging thing is actually spending time and building a bond with your dog. I regretted this when my first family dog passed away; I regretted not having spent enough of time with her and the fact that she was not well trained. I actually created an infographic for this so that new dog owners can consider these challenges before they actually decide to own a dog. The infographic + article is here if you'd like to read it: Challenges Faced in Owning and Training a German Shepherd | German Shepherd Training Academy

Let me know what you guys think!
Paul

 

[LaRen616]

Hardest part of owning a dog is losing that dog. I've only lost one dog that I loved and that was our family dog, a female GSD/Husky mix named Kota. She passed away last year and I cried for days. She was such a great dog and such a beautiful dog, I still miss her. She was the family dog, not my personal dog so I can't imagine the depression I will go through when I lose one of my dogs.

One thing that sucks about owning a dog is how much money a year you spend on the dog. Sometimes I wish that I was oblivious to dog nutrition and that I could feed the cheap crap that I could find at my grocery store. That would save me a ton of money a month! I also buy toys all the time, I buy expensive home made dog treats, I buy supplements for the dogs, Vet bills, Heartgard/Nexgard, etc. I would have a lot of extra money a month if I didn't have any animals but I would never want to live without them so I suck it up and I spend what I have to spend to keep them healthy and happy.

I also HATE the hair that they shed, the dirt that they bring in and the farts that they produce in my house. LOL :laugh:

 

[Keeno Beano]

What is the hardest part about owning a dog

Them dying.:rip:

 

[A girl and her dog]

The hardest part so far is realizing and admitting that I just don't 'like' one of my dogs. I love him, I care for him and his wellbeing deeply; but I just don't like him. And I raised him! How's that for a kick in the proverbial nads? Admitting that I may need to rehome him. Questioning if that's the right thing to do for HIS wellbeing, would he really be happier with someone else? Knowing how great of a dog he is and still not liking his personality.

-Keeping the house clean
-Running a three-ring circus
-Making mistakes
-Yelling curse words out the back door into the back yard for all the world to hear. In my pajamas
-Traveling
.......I still won't trade them for anything. Except my human child

 

[Chip18]

I would say that moment when your humility kicks in because you realize that you don't know everything. It's not that having humility is hard, it's hard to recognize when you may be in over your head with something involving your dog and asking for help while risking judgment. Just my very humble opinion.

Inter pack aggression, Rank Drive issues??? Bully Guy, low rank drive dogs. Stitches in the hand breaking up dog fights taught me I don't know everything real quick! Yeah I had a lot to learn with my guy!