Dude Is Upset That His Roommate Is Too Nice to His Dog

What kind of person comes to Reddit's "Am I the A-hole?" to complain about their roommate being too nice to their dog? This guy, that's who. This post is about to make you go, "Wait, what?"

OP explains that he has a Canary mastiff named Tubs. How you can be so great at naming dogs and be this terrible a dog owner is a mystery to me. Anyway, Tubs is "a big guy," and OP got him because he wanted an intimidating guard dog. "He's not a puppy and he's not a lap dog," OP writes. 

First of all, how cute is this dog? This isn't actually Tubs, but this pup is the same breed. Anyway, OP doesn't "treat him like a little child." He cooks Tubs' meals with fresh meat, takes him on walks and runs, and lets him play with "practical toys" during "designated play times." "Point is," OP writes, "I take care of him and treat him like a respected adult, like I'm hanging out with another man."

Do you already feel bad for Tubs? Because I certainly do. OP's roommate, Anne, thinks Tubs is "just a big teddy bear." (I don't blame her.) OP complains that she's "always petting him and giving him kisses, baby talking him, getting him stuffed animals, etc." 

OP has asked her to stop because he doesn't want Tubs to become so friendly that he won't act like a guard dog, which, as many pointed out in the comments later, isn't how training a guard dog works. 

Anne agreed to his demands, but sometimes, he still catches her cuddling with Tubs or baby talking to him. Now, Anne is so mad she won't talk to OP. Can you imagine living with a dog like Tubs and not fawning over him every second of every day?! I cannot.

OP thinks he's been perfectly reasonable in asking his roommate not to be nice to his dog, but Reddit commenters quickly burst his bubble. "YTA," one person wrote. I train protection dogs for a living. This is not how you train a dog to guard.

"Working dogs need affection. Using baby talk, cuddles, and teddy bears as toys won't hurt their training. It sounds like you don't really know what you're doing, and with a Canary mastiff, that can go horribly wrong. I highly recommend working with a very experienced trainer."

"Even police dogs get cuddles and recreation time," another person wrote. "Your 'training' method is garbage and all you're doing is teaching him to like and trust your roommate more because you deny needed attention."

It's extremely important to properly train every dog but especially dogs as big and powerful as Canary mastiffs. Many commenters believed OP was probably "projecting" his insecurities onto his dog. "It becomes really clear that you view this dog as like...a part of your masculinity... [when] you clarify that play time can't be with cute toys. They need to be manly adult toys," someone wrote.

Tubs deserves all the affection and cuddles and play time that Anne is giving him... and way more. If you are training a dog based on a no-fun, ultra-masculine policy, that dog is going to be unhappy and won't be able to perform his job.

Not to mention, love and affection is imperative to form a bond. As of right now, Tubs would probably protect Anne over OP because she's the one who's been forming that connection. Poor Tubs deserves love!