Your dog’s eccentricities
Discussion
We have a five year old Border Collie. We love him but he has some odd behaviour (I think BDs are prone to being a eccentric).
So ball-focused it is disturbing. When I take him to the park he is only interested in the ball. Other dogs run up to play or sniff and he blanks them (once he is really tired he sometimes deigns to have a sniff).
For some reason he has developed a habit of licking his bowl and the floor after eating. As we feed raw he can gulp down his meal in a few seconds but then can spend up to three quarters of an hour licking. We have had to move his feeding bowl to the hallway (stone tiles) as we noticed he has started to wear away the wooden flooring in the kitchen!
For some reason he goes potty if we open the doors to the patio. I think it is the noise of unlocking the door. Other noises get to him eg putting a new bin bag into the bin.
So ball-focused it is disturbing. When I take him to the park he is only interested in the ball. Other dogs run up to play or sniff and he blanks them (once he is really tired he sometimes deigns to have a sniff).
For some reason he has developed a habit of licking his bowl and the floor after eating. As we feed raw he can gulp down his meal in a few seconds but then can spend up to three quarters of an hour licking. We have had to move his feeding bowl to the hallway (stone tiles) as we noticed he has started to wear away the wooden flooring in the kitchen!
For some reason he goes potty if we open the doors to the patio. I think it is the noise of unlocking the door. Other noises get to him eg putting a new bin bag into the bin.
Daphne, 3yo Yorkie/Jack Russell, she loves to be as close to someone as possible, I sit on the sofa, she's on me, of an evening she will wrap herself around the back of my neck and slowly slip down between my back and the back of the sofa so she's then wedged at the bottom, she makes no fuss and goes to sleep, she just loves being close to a human.
She's very chilled, however once in a while she will just lose it with another dog, for no apparent reason, it's quite funny to watch as it's usually with a big dog and she's only 3kg! She also has this annoying habit of causing friction between Barry and Daisy, shes a s
t stirrer, she'll lob the grenade in and stand back to see it kick off between them.
Loves her toys, most are just rags now, we have a dog toy box which is full of hers and Daisy's things, she will knock it over to go through it to get a specific one, once found she will usually bring it over to someone and sit on their shoulder whilst chewing it, they stink!
Barry, 6yo Yorkie/Jack Russell (Daphnes brother), bit grumpy, mostly on his terms, he likes a chest rub, as you approach when he's lieing down he'll usually roll over, rub/tickle a bit too low and he'll let you know about it though!
Not very tolerant of other dogs, however he will avoid them, rarely will he go up to another dog, if he sees one coming he'll happily take a wider line to avoid it, if we happen across a Cockerpoo though, it can get a bit messy, he absolutely hates them! He also sometimes takes his anger out on his sister, he kind of has a go at her to prove to a watching dog, how hard he is, nothing horrible just kind of letting her know that he's the boss of her.
Will always go into the dog den and sit and wait, padding his feet with excitement, when it's feeding time, its really sweet to watch.
Hassles me for a cuddle when I get in from work, as soon as I give him one he's happy and stops bothering me.
One odd thing though is he's quite anxious, he is hates the car; happy to get in but will not settle (Daphne falls sleep), he seems to like reassurance too and can be quite attention seeking, it's almost likes he's a rescue that had a crap previous life, however we've had him since he was a pup.
Daisy, 8yo Frenchie, lovely and chilled, wouldn't hurt a fly, she is top dog, Barry has a bit of an issue with her, she never starts anything between them, it's him, usually with a bit of st stirring and encouragement from Daphne.
Always looking to escape, I think she's just adventurous and curious, she has escaped many times but not recently.
Sleep loads, very affectionate, runs round the house barking when it's feeding time. Has mad moments where she's looking around, barking at nothing etc, vet thinks she has neurological issues!
Her and Daphne play quite often, which is fun to watch, being a Frenchie she is quite heavy handed with Daphne when they are playing but Daphne loves it and she never gets hurt.
She's very chilled, however once in a while she will just lose it with another dog, for no apparent reason, it's quite funny to watch as it's usually with a big dog and she's only 3kg! She also has this annoying habit of causing friction between Barry and Daisy, shes a s
t stirrer, she'll lob the grenade in and stand back to see it kick off between them. Loves her toys, most are just rags now, we have a dog toy box which is full of hers and Daisy's things, she will knock it over to go through it to get a specific one, once found she will usually bring it over to someone and sit on their shoulder whilst chewing it, they stink!
Barry, 6yo Yorkie/Jack Russell (Daphnes brother), bit grumpy, mostly on his terms, he likes a chest rub, as you approach when he's lieing down he'll usually roll over, rub/tickle a bit too low and he'll let you know about it though!
Not very tolerant of other dogs, however he will avoid them, rarely will he go up to another dog, if he sees one coming he'll happily take a wider line to avoid it, if we happen across a Cockerpoo though, it can get a bit messy, he absolutely hates them! He also sometimes takes his anger out on his sister, he kind of has a go at her to prove to a watching dog, how hard he is, nothing horrible just kind of letting her know that he's the boss of her.
Will always go into the dog den and sit and wait, padding his feet with excitement, when it's feeding time, its really sweet to watch.
Hassles me for a cuddle when I get in from work, as soon as I give him one he's happy and stops bothering me.
One odd thing though is he's quite anxious, he is hates the car; happy to get in but will not settle (Daphne falls sleep), he seems to like reassurance too and can be quite attention seeking, it's almost likes he's a rescue that had a crap previous life, however we've had him since he was a pup.
Daisy, 8yo Frenchie, lovely and chilled, wouldn't hurt a fly, she is top dog, Barry has a bit of an issue with her, she never starts anything between them, it's him, usually with a bit of s
t stirring and encouragement from Daphne.Always looking to escape, I think she's just adventurous and curious, she has escaped many times but not recently.
Sleep loads, very affectionate, runs round the house barking when it's feeding time. Has mad moments where she's looking around, barking at nothing etc, vet thinks she has neurological issues!
Her and Daphne play quite often, which is fun to watch, being a Frenchie she is quite heavy handed with Daphne when they are playing but Daphne loves it and she never gets hurt.
Edited by HTP99 on Monday 16th November 13:10
Esceptico said:
For some reason he has developed a habit of licking his bowl and the floor after eating. As we feed raw he can gulp down his meal in a few seconds but then can spend up to three quarters of an hour licking. We have had to move his feeding bowl to the hallway (stone tiles) as we noticed he has started to wear away the wooden flooring in the kitchen!
Our chocolate lab is the same. She's ridiculously food-oriented (aren't they all, I guess) and after she's eaten, she'll spend some time licking the bowl and surrounding area just to make sure she's got every last nanogram of food. She will also regularly scout the kitchen for crumbs. No issues if you take the bowl away from her though. Just the way she is! 
My Dad screaming at the TV due to Frank Lampard's disallowed goal at the 2010 World Cup gave their GSD PTSD. From then on whenever football came on the TV the dog would get up and walk out the room. We never worked out if it was the green of the screen or the sound of the crowd but you could clearly see him thinking FFS whenever football was on.
Esceptico said:
We have a five year old Border Collie. We love him but he has some odd behaviour (I think BDs are prone to being a eccentric).
So ball-focused it is disturbing. When I take him to the park he is only interested in the ball. Other dogs run up to play or sniff and he blanks them (once he is really tired he sometimes deigns to have a sniff).
For some reason he has developed a habit of licking his bowl and the floor after eating. As we feed raw he can gulp down his meal in a few seconds but then can spend up to three quarters of an hour licking. We have had to move his feeding bowl to the hallway (stone tiles) as we noticed he has started to wear away the wooden flooring in the kitchen!
For some reason he goes potty if we open the doors to the patio. I think it is the noise of unlocking the door. Other noises get to him eg putting a new bin bag into the bin.
Our young springer is the same with a ball. Once he see's a ball he will ignore everything else till he gets it. If its squeaky it makes him even worse, its get to the point that I rarely ever take a ball out with me as he wont leave me alone. So ball-focused it is disturbing. When I take him to the park he is only interested in the ball. Other dogs run up to play or sniff and he blanks them (once he is really tired he sometimes deigns to have a sniff).
For some reason he has developed a habit of licking his bowl and the floor after eating. As we feed raw he can gulp down his meal in a few seconds but then can spend up to three quarters of an hour licking. We have had to move his feeding bowl to the hallway (stone tiles) as we noticed he has started to wear away the wooden flooring in the kitchen!
For some reason he goes potty if we open the doors to the patio. I think it is the noise of unlocking the door. Other noises get to him eg putting a new bin bag into the bin.
One of my dogs has a behaviour of pirouetting around in circles as an enticement to get my other dog to chase her on the beach.
This is odd enough in itself, and frequently draws amused comment from people, but sometimes she overdoes it and after spinning in circles 6 or 7 times, gets dizzy and falls over...
This is odd enough in itself, and frequently draws amused comment from people, but sometimes she overdoes it and after spinning in circles 6 or 7 times, gets dizzy and falls over...
The same dog who jumps out of his skin at a ring pull being opened or something being dropped into the bin has sat next to me swapping wheels using an impact gun today followed by drilling holes in the lounge wall, hoovering the debris up and using aforementioned impact gun to put TV bracket mounting bokts in without once batting an eyelid
We have two GSDs and when one has her ball she will be completely transfixed by it, our friends dogs is even worse, but to be fair she is probably one of the bet doggie dribblers I have ever seen and will quite happily dribble her ball around the field for ages.
The only way to make these dogs interact with the other dogs is to take the balls away, then they'll play quite happily.
The only way to make these dogs interact with the other dogs is to take the balls away, then they'll play quite happily.
In no particular order
Will tell me to bring her bean bag in the family room if I'm working in there.
Tells me she wants the fire on at around 8pm if it's a little chilly so she can lie and stare at it. But her bed and sheepskin need to butt precisely up to the hearth. If there is 1cm gap, she lets you know about it. She can't be having a gap, she needs to rest her chin comfortably on the warm stone.
Talking of staring, if I'm working on the sofa with a laptop on my knee and it's time for a walk/play etc, she'll start off sitting and staring to one side, then she'll get up and move round a bit more. Then a bit more, until she is sat, about 5 feet away in front of me, with just her eyes above the top of the screen. All I can see is her eyes, about 1mm above the screen and that's it. Staring at me. Relentlessly.
But best of all are her harrumphs and grumbles, seemingly out of the blue and can be for an assortment of reasons, including for example it being a Friday night so the kids are up later than she wants in HER living room meaning she can't go to bed.
Will tell me to bring her bean bag in the family room if I'm working in there.
Tells me she wants the fire on at around 8pm if it's a little chilly so she can lie and stare at it. But her bed and sheepskin need to butt precisely up to the hearth. If there is 1cm gap, she lets you know about it. She can't be having a gap, she needs to rest her chin comfortably on the warm stone.
Talking of staring, if I'm working on the sofa with a laptop on my knee and it's time for a walk/play etc, she'll start off sitting and staring to one side, then she'll get up and move round a bit more. Then a bit more, until she is sat, about 5 feet away in front of me, with just her eyes above the top of the screen. All I can see is her eyes, about 1mm above the screen and that's it. Staring at me. Relentlessly.
But best of all are her harrumphs and grumbles, seemingly out of the blue and can be for an assortment of reasons, including for example it being a Friday night so the kids are up later than she wants in HER living room meaning she can't go to bed.
Daveb257 said:
The same dog who jumps out of his skin at a ring pull being opened or something being dropped into the bin has sat next to me swapping wheels using an impact gun today followed by drilling holes in the lounge wall, hoovering the debris up and using aforementioned impact gun to put TV bracket mounting bokts in without once batting an eyelid
Very jumpy. Much fright. Wow. 
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