Welcome to the Wednesday Dogs of Dogster! Every month, we ask our Dogsters to weigh in on a new topic. This week, we asked them: What do your dogs hate? Here’s what they had to say:
Amanda & Subi
Aside from the plumber that one time, Subi is a pretty agreeable gal and doesn’t appear to hate much of anything. However, she is easily spooked by a few things.
- Crowds: This is very understandable. Being a timid rescue, she thrives in her favorite bed or free-ranging solo in the backyard.
- Sudden running: If I am standing still and then bolt for any given reason, this causes her to malfunction. It’s almost as though she’s saying WHO ARE WE RUNNING FROM?! Her reaction sometimes gives me secondhand spooks, too. She immediately takes off beside me, tossing in a few anxious barks and, of course, beating me to our destination, because whoever we’re running from will catch the slower person first—basic horror film facts.
- Loud noises: I’m certain this is universal for everyone worldwide, though.
There may be a few one-off situations that irk her, but the above sums up the cause of most of her strong emotions.
Kate & Gizmo
Gizmo’s more of a lover than a hater, but there are a few things he’s definitely not a fan of:
Wind in His Hair
Although many of us enjoy a little breeze ruffling our hair, for Gizmo, it’s a hard pass. When we’re out walking on a windy day, he’s much more skittish. My theory is that he can’t hear as well and worries about something surprising him – but he might also just be cold!
Being Cruelly Denied a Lap
As an Olympic-level Velcro dog, Gizmo prefers to be touching a person at all times. But if all the people in the room are busy – say, trying to work on their laptops – he will occasionally be traumatically denied a lap. Worst day ever.
Being Alone
This used to be more true (we’ve worked pretty hard on separation anxiety), but Giz will always choose to be with people when they’re available. These days, he appreciates a little alone time (great for uninterrupted napping), but he’s always thrilled when I get home.
Sea Lions
You may have seen this in my last post, but Gizmo has only just encountered sea lions for the first time, and he developed an instant hatred for them. Giant blubbery sacks vying for the sunniest spot on the pier, mooing like deranged cows? No, thank you!
Meagan, Draper & Rue
Draper:
- Thunderstorms / Heavy rain
- Loud noises
- Sudden movements
- TV volume being too loud
- Mailmen/ Delivery Drivers
- Our neighbors / our neighbors’ dog
- Anything blowing in the wind
- Most children
- Most people
- The sound the printer makes
- Most other dogs
- Rain / Puddles / Mud
- Sidewalk drain grates
- Anything stuck to his fur (leaves, twigs, etc)
Rue:
- The football team that practices in the field behind our house
- Getting brushed / dematted
- The bathtub
Nicole, Mac & Rosa
Rosa has come a long way over the past few years. A dog who started out scared of the world and hating most things now tolerates most things because she understands them as a means to an end (bath time and car rides, to name a few). Her list of previous hates I can laugh at now because she’s on the other side:
- Stove fan
- Dogs on the TV
- Loud noises on the TV
- Tumble dryer
- Light rain when the sun is shining (‘where is it coming from?!’)
- Too many cuddles (like a cat)
- Possums
Now, the main thing she hates is our ceiling fan, which we cannot use. It’s not so much hatred as anxiety-inducing, so she gets the pass.
Mac, on the other hand, doesn’t get anxiety, but has some real serious loathing for a few things:
- Wild goats. He loses all ability to listen and reason if he so much as senses one and will run miles to try to get one. Never caught one, and didn’t hate the baby goat we fostered, so not sure what his deal is here.
- Being asked to get off the bed
- When he doesn’t get ‘enough’ cuddles/pets (there’s no such thing as enough, so sometimes it’s better to not even start)
In all honesty, though, my dogs aren’t much for hating things. They definitely don’t hate bath time enough to stop themselves from rolling in dead animals or poop. It’s been quite entertaining watching them grow and learn to live with certain things, and decide that other things are not for them, but all in all, I’d say they’re very easy-going pups.
- Read their previous article: Burrowing, Sniffing & Dead Things: The Wednesday Dogs of Dogsters’ Favorites
