So I(F20) have two dogs(Bear and Spook, 11 years old each). They used to be family dogs when I was growing up but I took ownership of them, moved out of my parents house and got an apartment. They are both happy and healthy.
My mom was visiting me today and she said “Oh it’s been 2 hours since I’ve been here. You should go walk the dogs”. Now I have my dogs trained to alert me when they need to go outside(By either ringing a bell on my door or coming and staring at me), I have to leash walk them since again, apartment. And Bear’s hips are getting rougher(GSD hip dysplasia) so I try not to make her go down the stairs as often. They have never had an accident in the house. I called out if they needed to go potty and they didn’t move. So I said they was fine.
My mom immediately tried to say I was abusing them by making them hold their bladders and that I should be walking them every two hours. Which I feel like is a lot for older dogs. I tried to tell her I’ve literally explained them being trained to come tell me and my vet approved it and said it works fine for them.
My mom walked out in a huff and some of my friends agreed with her that I should be walking every two hours??
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So I(F20) have two dogs(Bear and Spook, 11 years old each). They used to be family dogs when I was growing up but I took ownership of them, moved out of my parents house and got an apartment. They are both happy and healthy.
My mom was visiting me today and she said “Oh it’s been 2 hours since I’ve been here. You should go walk the dogs”. Now I have my dogs trained to alert me when they need to go outside(By either ringing a bell on my door or coming and staring at me), I have to leash walk them since again, apartment. And Bear’s hips are getting rougher(GSD hip dysplasia) so I try not to make her go down the stairs as often. They have never had an accident in the house. I called out if they needed to go potty and they didn’t move. So I said they was fine.
My mom immediately tried to say I was abusing them by making them hold their bladders and that I should be walking them every two hours. Which I feel like is a lot for older dogs. I tried to tell her I’ve literally explained them being trained to come tell me and my vet approved it and said it works fine for them.
My mom walked out in a huff and some of my friends agreed with her that I should be walking every two hours??
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I guess I should be walking my dogs every 2 hours but my vet approved it?? Which means that it’s ok i guess?? I just need advice to make sure I’m not messing with my dogs.
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
I think you treat this the same way parents handle folks who tell them how to take care of their children:
You confirm with your medical practitioner (vet) that your approach is appropriate for your dogs and whether it’s helpful or harmful to have your dogs going up/down the stairs and out on a more frequent basis. Then you tell folks, “Thanks, but I’m following the advice of my dog’s vet.”
Your mom assumes that she knows what the dogs need, but they have changed since she last took care of them. She may not trust your judgement, but it’s hard for her to argue that she knows better than the vet.
You’re NTA.
>My mom immediately tried to say I was abusing them by making them hold their bladders and that I should be walking them every two hours
When they were under her care, did she do that? Especially at night? I can’t imagine anyone waking up every 2 hours, every night, to take dogs out to pee.
That is crazy and it sounds like she needs ro invent a reason ro criticize you.
NTA. Your mother may be going by veterinary guidelines on how often to take puppies/dogs out for a wee that applied when the dogs were younger. You have older, trained dogs that let you know when they need to relieve themselves.
NTA (probably)
The frequency of dog-walks is completely dog-specific.
And as dogs age, they are often prone to arthritis or other ailments that make walking more difficult. So even if “every two hours” was perfect for these dogs at age two, or five, or seven, it certainly can be far too often at age 11. As long as you can trust them to let you know if they want to go out for a “quick pee” between longer walks, you’re not the asshole.