Toby was supposed to be my sweet girl, but my dad stole her from me.
It's not that Toby does not love me, but she is wayyyyy more attached to my dad.
She follows everywhere my dad goes, but she almost never follows me.
She welcomes my dad home, but she almost never welcomes me.
She even prefers to sleep with my dad.

That's what my dad did to win Toby's heart:
-gives Toby unlimited quantity and variety of dog treats/chews (the root cause of Toby's obesity)
-orders me to bring Toby out for grooming (which Toby absolutely hates), but he will be the person to bring Toby home
-orders me to bath and trim Toby's nails (which Toby hates too), and he will be there waiting to feed her with treats when she's done
-yells at me when I am training Toby to learn tricks or be obedient

With my dad's immoral practice, it is near impossible for me to compete with him for Toby's heart.
Is there anything I can do?
My dad is the "BOSS" and there is no way I can confront him (yes I love my dad and I spoil him).
I am even thinking about getting a new dog...

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I feel you. I have the same exact problem with my Eowyn. I don't really have a dog anymore, she's more of my grandmother's now Lol! She was suppose to be mine, no one wanted a corgi in my family except me, but when I got one my grandmother sort of took her over by doing the same things your dad is doing with your Tobi and you. She never had a "little" dog before. She's always had labs and shepherds, but now Eowyn is making her act differently around dogs. She let Eowyn get away with anything, chew things, steal, do whatever she wanted and she never gave her any discipline or boundaries except me and my sister. Before my Nana would have never let one of her labs or shepherds do anything she lets Eowyn do.

She also gives her TONS of people food like bacon every morning, leftovers from her plate, which I NEVER do. So Eowyn dislikes her dog food a lot and whenever she doesn't eat her dog food, my nana gives her people food. So of course Eowyn favors our grandmother over us because they are just like kids! They prefer someone who let's them do anything they want and dislike the person who gives them "rules" lol.

I'm like you, I'm looking forward to when we buy our own house and not rent so I can really get my own dog! My sister has one and my grandma has one now, sooo :-)

There's nothing you can really do about it unless you reverse the way things are, but I'm like you too, I can't really confront my grandma about it either, she's the Boss too! Lol and I love her and don't want to make her feel bad.
Hang in there guys! Dogs are pack animals and they actually need rules. If there is a leader, they will follow. Make sure when your training them or having them do something (even if they don't like it) be calm but, mean what you say. Don't get angry with them. Print out a bit of informative health report on how bad people food is for your dogs and give it to the people who feed the dogs these tasty tidbits of possible death. If they see that it can decrease the life of their new friend, they might stop. Some people think if it's good for them, it's good for the dog. You might want to find some good foods that they can share (carrots,green beans, peanut butter on a slice of cored apple). The seeds that are found in certain fruits contain cyanide and need to be removed before feeding them to your dog. You can easily find foods that you and your dog can share on line.
I am surprised there are other 'victims' like me. My parents were so against getting a dog to join our family. I have been persuading/begging them for years until I finally brought Toby home. Even then, my dad set strict rules like "Toby cannot get upstairs", "Toby cannot walk on the wooden floors", "I would never take any responsibility on the dog"... Then, as time passed, my dad was the first person to let Toby wandered around the house. My dad hand fed Toby (Toby wouldn't eat on her own anymore, she eats her dog food by spoon). He bought all kinds of dog treats. Toby is not quite obedient to my parents though. She only listens to me because I am the only person in the house to teach her discipline. I believe I have established myself as her leader, but that doesn't mean she loves me the most.

Once I have consulted our vet about Toby's weight problem and she wrote a formal letter to advice my dad about Toby's diet. She even called to speak with my dad, but that just made my rebellious dad fed Toby with even more human food and snacks. +_+

Thanks CaptainCorgi and Paula for your feedback.

I am considering to get a male Corgi or Shiba Inu.
My grandma doesn't give Eowyn rules or obedience tips during the day and Eowyn doesn't listen to her at all most of the time, but she listens to me, but doesn't give me the attention she gives to my grandma, lol!

Yeah, human food is really bad for dogs, but thank god for some reason Eowyn isn't overweight, I think she has such a high metabolism it just burns it off because she's still only 20 lbs. Or maybe it's just because she hardly eats her dog food and just survives off of the tidbits my grandma gives her.

Awww, that'll be great to get a male Corgi or Shiba inu! Shibas are so adorable. <3

I'm looking into a male Cardigan Welsh Corgi. I fostered a Cardigan Corgi before and he was SUCH a great dog! I miss him dearly...:(

I hope everything goes well for you Vikki - Thanks Paula for the advice/info! :-)
We got our corgi mix for my daughter, but wouldn't you know it, he decided he wanted me! Bruce follows me everywhere and won't eat when I'm away. Since Bruce, we got Sidney for my daughter and thankfully he bonded to her very well. Who knows why dogs form the bonds that they do? Good luck with the male corgi or the shiba. Shiba's are such cute dogs! Love them almost as much as corgis.
Camber likes me more than my boyfriend and it's a constant struggle. However, what your dad is doing may eventually cause Toby many, many medical issues in the future. If you truly love your pet, you wouldn't engage in these behaviors. You shouldn't show love with just food. I don't know if you already do this, but I would suggest that you take Toby out for walks. It will probably be tricky, Toby may resist, but with patience and healthy doggie treats, she'll get over it. You may never win Toby's heart, but you can try to give her a healthier quality of life. I don't know how old you are, but you sound like you've got good natural instincts for animals. There are plenty of dogs out these who need good, loving homes. If you do decide to get another dog, by showing how a well-trained dog is a healthier dog, may make your dad change his ways. Good luck.

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