Tell me about your dogs personality
Discussion
I love the pictures thread it often leaves me wondering what they are like. We had dogs in the family all our lives. Our last one was a gsd who died when I was around 14 but my grandparents on both sides always had dogs. All kinds of terriers usually.
So although I'm aware of dogs my current boy is new after a long long gap of having my own. The thing is and this is another reason why I'm asking he's an absolute mental case. I'm wondering if this is just a breed thing or a working dog thing.
He's my best mate, I love him more than life but he's also a huge pain in the arse ( in a good way) it might be his age but he never ever settles down other owners have described acds as your best mate on crack which seems to fit quite well. It's why we love him, we find him hilarious he's just a bundle of life but also like some kind of wild animal.
One of his most endearing and pain in the arse traits is his stubbornness he will absolutely not give up ever. Yes he was a breeze to train he is smarter than me and will leave and sit and do all kinds of things but if he wants something he wants it, you can put him off, for a while and he he will sit and stare and jump on you after a while and bark and stare and jump some more. But he will never ever be satisfied until you get what he wants.
Other dogs I've known after a while will go in their baskets and sleep or just give up, not him oh no. And that's another thing sleep. He never actually does it during the day or evening. He has a human sleep patern, all night but 7:30 he's up and you are up because well he won't stop until you are. The more exercise he gets the more he wants. 3 hour walk? Sleep, nope let's play ball, get me that toy, now get me that toy. I don't remember any of my grandparents dogs being like that, yeah they were excited to go out but when back just slept or mooched around.
So is he just strange or are your dogs like that too?
So although I'm aware of dogs my current boy is new after a long long gap of having my own. The thing is and this is another reason why I'm asking he's an absolute mental case. I'm wondering if this is just a breed thing or a working dog thing.
He's my best mate, I love him more than life but he's also a huge pain in the arse ( in a good way) it might be his age but he never ever settles down other owners have described acds as your best mate on crack which seems to fit quite well. It's why we love him, we find him hilarious he's just a bundle of life but also like some kind of wild animal.
One of his most endearing and pain in the arse traits is his stubbornness he will absolutely not give up ever. Yes he was a breeze to train he is smarter than me and will leave and sit and do all kinds of things but if he wants something he wants it, you can put him off, for a while and he he will sit and stare and jump on you after a while and bark and stare and jump some more. But he will never ever be satisfied until you get what he wants.
Other dogs I've known after a while will go in their baskets and sleep or just give up, not him oh no. And that's another thing sleep. He never actually does it during the day or evening. He has a human sleep patern, all night but 7:30 he's up and you are up because well he won't stop until you are. The more exercise he gets the more he wants. 3 hour walk? Sleep, nope let's play ball, get me that toy, now get me that toy. I don't remember any of my grandparents dogs being like that, yeah they were excited to go out but when back just slept or mooched around.
So is he just strange or are your dogs like that too?
Edited by Pesty on Saturday 14th November 12:45
Different breeds tend to have different "things". A terrier designed to work all day will be a high energy dog.
I have four dogs, they have different personalities, but are all the same breed. As LGDs they tend to be quite happy to just laze around, or if we want to go for a three hour walk they will...
I have four dogs, they have different personalities, but are all the same breed. As LGDs they tend to be quite happy to just laze around, or if we want to go for a three hour walk they will...
Think he is more the boss. I am a million miles away but have a limited experience of people and dogs, there should never be a pointed finger of blame as we are all learning as we go. I would suggest getting some dog training help from around you, not all of those will have a good answer to the problem. email me if you want to talk some more about dog beahviour.
A police dog handler had a sniffer dog like yours Pesty. She was tiny ( for a springer) and great at her job because of her non stop energy but at the same time she never switched off! Take her for a 10 mile hike. half hour rest and she'd be ready to go again, never met a dog like it!!
One of the reasons I love whippets so much. If you want them to do an all day walk they will, yet if you manage just a 15 min walk in the local park, they will be fine with that aswell, I need that flexibility in a dog due to my work, kids, hubby working away etc.
Re personality, whilst Jimmy and Bryn have similarities due to their breed, Jimmy was not a needy as Bryn is. Bryn doesn't exactly have separation anxiety and will take himself off to bed happily but he follows us round a bit more and wants to be next to you as soon as you sit down quite a lot. He is also a food thief more obsessively than Jimmy was (and Jimmy was fairly opportunistic re food!!) Bryn is terrible and will literally take food off a plate whilst you are right by him! No food aggrssion/ possessiveness over it though which is good. Bryn definitely likes to play ball in the house more aswell, he can be a bit collie like in that respect!!
Bryn is fun, laid back, energetic, gentle, lazy, cuddly, greedy, occasionally sneaky, soppy as can be and trusting (and we trust him...well not with food
)
One of the reasons I love whippets so much. If you want them to do an all day walk they will, yet if you manage just a 15 min walk in the local park, they will be fine with that aswell, I need that flexibility in a dog due to my work, kids, hubby working away etc.
Re personality, whilst Jimmy and Bryn have similarities due to their breed, Jimmy was not a needy as Bryn is. Bryn doesn't exactly have separation anxiety and will take himself off to bed happily but he follows us round a bit more and wants to be next to you as soon as you sit down quite a lot. He is also a food thief more obsessively than Jimmy was (and Jimmy was fairly opportunistic re food!!) Bryn is terrible and will literally take food off a plate whilst you are right by him! No food aggrssion/ possessiveness over it though which is good. Bryn definitely likes to play ball in the house more aswell, he can be a bit collie like in that respect!!
Bryn is fun, laid back, energetic, gentle, lazy, cuddly, greedy, occasionally sneaky, soppy as can be and trusting (and we trust him...well not with food
)Daisy; Frenchie, can go for a walk for hours, as long as it isn't too hot, or she can have 30 mins either is fine and will be enough for her, she will then flop for the day and sleep, you can also skip a walk and she will be fine; a quick 20 mins playing in the garden with the laser pointer will be enough.
Barry; Terrier, ok he is still young but my god he never stops. Go out for a couple of hours, get back and he's looking at you as if to say "what's next?", he will then proceed to try and wind up Daisy until she either gives in and plays with him or snaps at him to tell him to bugger off (what is funny though is he hasn't yet worked out that she is deaf, it is hilarious watching him barking at her and scuttling off, coming back and then trying again; when she is asleep).
20 minutes rough play is quite a good way of knackering him out though.
Barry; Terrier, ok he is still young but my god he never stops. Go out for a couple of hours, get back and he's looking at you as if to say "what's next?", he will then proceed to try and wind up Daisy until she either gives in and plays with him or snaps at him to tell him to bugger off (what is funny though is he hasn't yet worked out that she is deaf, it is hilarious watching him barking at her and scuttling off, coming back and then trying again; when she is asleep).
20 minutes rough play is quite a good way of knackering him out though.
I have a Boston Terrier, Vinnie. He's a funny one, he's excitable and when we go out he'll play chase all day long if he could (we met a Basenji the other week and the pair of them were relentless) but on the flip side he'll happily sleep all day and have the bare minimum 5 min walks for toilet. We both work full time so he does get left on his own for a few hours in the morning, he just sleeps the whole time, sometimes like this morning, me and my other half will be up and dressed before he's even bothered to move off the bed.
He loves playing, tug of war, and he's ball obsessed. Cheeky bugger isnt too bad with food, you can leave a sarnie on the side but he does want what you have, even if like yesterday when we had carrot sticks he doesnt like them, he'll take it, drop it then come back for another anyway. Training him has been a nightmare, he's just not food driven and tends to pay no attention to me when we go anywhere new or exciting. He has some funny traits too, he quickly nicks your seat before you sit down if he wants it and if you try and take him out in the rain he'll pee, poo and refuse to move anywhere except home.
He loves playing, tug of war, and he's ball obsessed. Cheeky bugger isnt too bad with food, you can leave a sarnie on the side but he does want what you have, even if like yesterday when we had carrot sticks he doesnt like them, he'll take it, drop it then come back for another anyway. Training him has been a nightmare, he's just not food driven and tends to pay no attention to me when we go anywhere new or exciting. He has some funny traits too, he quickly nicks your seat before you sit down if he wants it and if you try and take him out in the rain he'll pee, poo and refuse to move anywhere except home.
Hattie the border terrier/dachshund cross is one of the most high energy dogs I've ever met. Will spend hours playing fetch in the house or in the garden and does not stop running about when we take her for a walk. She is loveable though, does some very strange stuff body language wise which makes us laugh.
Terrence the yorkie/dachshund is a lot more happier just lazying around but i think that is because of his smaller size and any minute he's awake he has Hattie divebombing him and grabbing his neck.
Both get a short walk round the block in the morning (or play time if were in a rush) and then a long run around of lead at our local National Trust park. They are good though as they tend to run around the house for half an hour trying to kill each other (not literally) if they still have some energy... perks of having two dogs.
Terrence the yorkie/dachshund is a lot more happier just lazying around but i think that is because of his smaller size and any minute he's awake he has Hattie divebombing him and grabbing his neck.
Both get a short walk round the block in the morning (or play time if were in a rush) and then a long run around of lead at our local National Trust park. They are good though as they tend to run around the house for half an hour trying to kill each other (not literally) if they still have some energy... perks of having two dogs.
HTP99 said:
Barry; Terrier, ok he is still young but my god he never stops. Go out for a couple of hours, get back and he's looking at you as if to say "what's next?", he will then proceed to try and wind up Daisy until she either gives in and plays with him or snaps at him to tell him to bugger off (what is funny though is he hasn't yet worked out that she is deaf, it is hilarious watching him barking at her and scuttling off, coming back and then trying again; when she is asleep).
When we had the pair as youngsters, either one of them would wind the other up to the point of them running round the walls and out into the garden and back again for twenty minutes.....
I believe each breed had broad brush strokes of possible character plus about 30 percent of individuality....
Its why we all love them so much.....
CaptainMorgan said:
sometimes like this morning, me and my other half will be up and dressed before he's even bothered to move off the bed.
.
You mean you don't get a 20kg dog launching himself at full speed landing on your chest smashing his concrete head into yours then licking you to death until you get up and give him his breakfast. Heaven .
h and I am coming to the conclusion that they all are. She also looks at me as if I am out to lunch.Working cocker Spaniel: Probably the most annoying dog known to mankind. She is certainly either the worst or best dog I have ever had. Having never had a cocker before I was unsure about what I was letting myself in for. And going on this one I am unsure about ever getting one again. Then again I probably would as I simply can't believe this one.
Full of energy all of the time, she simply never ever stops. You can take her out for a long long long walk in which we will do some hunting and retrieving (blinds - unseen retrieves in case your not up with gundog style stuff) just to try to tire her out. It never does. She simply comes home and sleeps for 30 mins then she's up and at them again.
In the house she is non stop. She loves being on the sofa with us and will try to get as close to you as possible. It's a bit like a struggle cuddle really. Very loving dog, sometimes too loving.
The Lab: Now very old, never really moves of the chair he has seemed to commandeer. Loves to eat stuff and loves to sleep. All in all just a big lazy lump of a dog. When he was young he was a bit of a nutter. Loved to chase game, still does though with less enthusiasm. He also hates tractors and quads.
Full of energy all of the time, she simply never ever stops. You can take her out for a long long long walk in which we will do some hunting and retrieving (blinds - unseen retrieves in case your not up with gundog style stuff) just to try to tire her out. It never does. She simply comes home and sleeps for 30 mins then she's up and at them again.
In the house she is non stop. She loves being on the sofa with us and will try to get as close to you as possible. It's a bit like a struggle cuddle really. Very loving dog, sometimes too loving.
The Lab: Now very old, never really moves of the chair he has seemed to commandeer. Loves to eat stuff and loves to sleep. All in all just a big lazy lump of a dog. When he was young he was a bit of a nutter. Loved to chase game, still does though with less enthusiasm. He also hates tractors and quads.
Parker the GSD is smart, wilful, lazy, affectionate. He's two and a half and seems to be becoming more civilised lately. He seems more obedient when there isn't something in it for him. He settles down more quickly. He sleeps a lot. He sleeps on our bedroom floor at night, and sometimes doesn't want to get up until lunchtime. He's never begged for food at the table, but anywhere else he's giving the starving puppy look. He won't bugger off when the dishwasher is being loaded.
We only have one. Herbie the Greyhound.
Hes been with us 20 months now.
He loves a cuddle and people in general. Anyone who visits our house is greeted by an enthusiastic wagging of tail followed by some excessive sniffing, purring and then some leaning. If people are ok with dogs, then its all ok. Bit awkard if they aren't and we haven't managged to catch him in time.
The leaning is embarrassing as he is quite a lump and people have nearly fallen over in the past!
H is a typical greyhound and doesn't like the rain. Getting him to go out for his last wee at night can be really hard work (impossible) if its raining. For the first time in 20 months, I failed to get him to wee at 11pm last night night. He was fairly determined
He does have some guarding tendacies, but they are aimed at our 10 month old. A black lab came bounding over to our baby in the buggy and got within a couple of meters and Herbie let out quite a growl complete with ears fully up and that usually means hes pretty serious about something. He had similar reactions when Mrs BakerStreet was heavily pregnant...
We do wish he'd sleep later in the mornings and he wouldn't stretch out quite so much on the sofa, but we still love him more than some members of our own family
Hes been with us 20 months now.
He loves a cuddle and people in general. Anyone who visits our house is greeted by an enthusiastic wagging of tail followed by some excessive sniffing, purring and then some leaning. If people are ok with dogs, then its all ok. Bit awkard if they aren't and we haven't managged to catch him in time.
The leaning is embarrassing as he is quite a lump and people have nearly fallen over in the past!
H is a typical greyhound and doesn't like the rain. Getting him to go out for his last wee at night can be really hard work (impossible) if its raining. For the first time in 20 months, I failed to get him to wee at 11pm last night night. He was fairly determined
He does have some guarding tendacies, but they are aimed at our 10 month old. A black lab came bounding over to our baby in the buggy and got within a couple of meters and Herbie let out quite a growl complete with ears fully up and that usually means hes pretty serious about something. He had similar reactions when Mrs BakerStreet was heavily pregnant...
We do wish he'd sleep later in the mornings and he wouldn't stretch out quite so much on the sofa, but we still love him more than some members of our own family
Tango13 said:
My mums two Staffies are quite funny.
Lilly the eldest jumps on the sofa like it's her God given right to sleep somewhere comfy, Loki who is less than 2yrs climbs slowly one leg at a time like an old man thinking that if he takes his time he won't be spotted.
When told to get off do they slither down & 'forget' their back legs so they are stood on their front feet & the back legs are stretched out to just still be on the sofa? Both ours do that every time.Lilly the eldest jumps on the sofa like it's her God given right to sleep somewhere comfy, Loki who is less than 2yrs climbs slowly one leg at a time like an old man thinking that if he takes his time he won't be spotted.
We have Charlie who is a 4 year old Spaniel x Lurcher, He has 2 ways of going either its full pelt and wont stop thats after going running with me and doing his own stuff whilst hes out or just plain old lazy and will sleep for hours on anything that's comfy will go for a walk then leaves you there and go back to the car.
But if he only gets 15mins in the morning he is fine or if he gets 2 hours it wont change his mind set. but I would not change him he's great with my daughter and our cat has taking to him. This was a cat who would never be in the sae room a s dog due to being attacked when a kitten. We have to feed them apart as the cat will rule the roost and eat the dogs food!
But if he only gets 15mins in the morning he is fine or if he gets 2 hours it wont change his mind set. but I would not change him he's great with my daughter and our cat has taking to him. This was a cat who would never be in the sae room a s dog due to being attacked when a kitten. We have to feed them apart as the cat will rule the roost and eat the dogs food!
Hooli said:
When told to get off do they slither down & 'forget' their back legs so they are stood on their front feet & the back legs are stretched out to just still be on the sofa? Both ours do that every time.
Mine does this too haha! Mine is pretty chilled out, he likes to sleep...a lot. He's just as happy with a short walk as he is with a long one. He's getting old now though so is starting to struggle a bit if it's too long.
He has mad 5 minutes in the house every so often, flings his toys around for a bit and then sleeps on top of them.
Loves to nick your spot on the sofa as soon as you get up, also loves to lie on top of remotes/phones/laptops etc
He can be moody too, sometimes he's not in the mood for strokes so will get up and go and sit out of the way of people. Othertimes he'll lie across your lap for a belly rub.
When my work commitments changed it meant he was being left alone in the house during the day. I was a bit concerned with this so set up a camera. Had no reason to worry - he get's into bed about 5 minutes after me leaving and stays in pretty much for the full day! Properly lazy!
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