Dogs & Their Personalities
Discussion
It's just amazes me how two dogs of the same breed and family can have such completely different personalities.
We have two cocker spaniels. Both from the same litter. And if you didn't know any better you would swear they were of no relation at all. They have two completely different personalities.
One is high energy, always racing about the place, always seems to be on the go and a little nervous.
The other is so calm, gentle, and self confident. She never gets over excited and seems so happy and content all the time.
You'd imagine they have similar genes - being of the same litter. And, they have both been raised in the same enviroment.
I guess it's one of those nature vs nurture scenarios.
Have you had a similar experience with your dogs?
We have two cocker spaniels. Both from the same litter. And if you didn't know any better you would swear they were of no relation at all. They have two completely different personalities.
One is high energy, always racing about the place, always seems to be on the go and a little nervous.
The other is so calm, gentle, and self confident. She never gets over excited and seems so happy and content all the time.
You'd imagine they have similar genes - being of the same litter. And, they have both been raised in the same enviroment.
I guess it's one of those nature vs nurture scenarios.
Have you had a similar experience with your dogs?
My dogs mother was a pets as therapy dog, calm, sociable, loved attention from anyone, used to to hospitals etc to cheer people up. You would absolutely not do this with my dog. She hates strangers attention, doesn't trust anyone unknown.
It is funny seeing the difference in what looks like awareness. Mine is hyper alert, always watching and judging things and very expressive. People say she is more like a person than a dog in the way she interacts with you. Compared to some other dogs I know that just seem like mobile potatoes.
It is funny seeing the difference in what looks like awareness. Mine is hyper alert, always watching and judging things and very expressive. People say she is more like a person than a dog in the way she interacts with you. Compared to some other dogs I know that just seem like mobile potatoes.
Yes, we had (until last year) two whippet brothers/littermates with totally different personalities.
They ended up in rescue at 6/7 months old because the breeder was (so say) going to keep them but they grew too large for the breed standard. He didn't like any of the people who came to see them when he tried to sell them, so - fair play to him - he handed them in to a rescue to find them homes.
I often thought that they were the two puppies that you are advised not to choose - the bold, confident one (Jet) and the shy, nervous one (Sam).
Jet was on my OH's lap the first day they were here, but Sam didn't do this until 3 years(!) later. Even then, it was very much on his terms. He did become much more affectionate, though, particularly after he developed a serious illness at only 3 years old or so, which meant a lot of vet trips and care.
They were absolutely devoted to each other; sadly we lost Sam last September to kidney disease and miss him very much.
They ended up in rescue at 6/7 months old because the breeder was (so say) going to keep them but they grew too large for the breed standard. He didn't like any of the people who came to see them when he tried to sell them, so - fair play to him - he handed them in to a rescue to find them homes.
I often thought that they were the two puppies that you are advised not to choose - the bold, confident one (Jet) and the shy, nervous one (Sam).
Jet was on my OH's lap the first day they were here, but Sam didn't do this until 3 years(!) later. Even then, it was very much on his terms. He did become much more affectionate, though, particularly after he developed a serious illness at only 3 years old or so, which meant a lot of vet trips and care.
They were absolutely devoted to each other; sadly we lost Sam last September to kidney disease and miss him very much.
We have 8 and 5 year old Cockers, mother and son.
Mum was rehomed at 6 months to us after at least one previous rehoming and yes she was a little sod, possibly had to struggle for food as a pup because she's obsessed by it, it took a long time for her to settle down with us she cried and cried.
She's a perfect working cocker and in honesty has been wasted with us, she should have been trained as a drug sniffer dog or similar because that's the sort of thing she lives for, soon as we let her off she runs off and does her thing, hence why we are restricted to one massive country type park area where its fenced in all around but has a lake and spinneys so there's lots of rabbits squirrels etc for her to seek out, and she does, other than that its Norfolk sandy beaches where they get a run out, doggy heaven.
She's proved over time to be a gentle loving dog though, totally submissive to other dogs, makes all sorts of weird noises when having her belly rubbed and would cuddle up beside me in bed for ever if she could...she's daddys little girl and she can snore for England.
Son had a wonderful puppyhood, let loose with his mum pretty much from the get go they'd run off side by side for hundreds of yards where we walk them, but he's not the clear off for 20 mins at a time like his mum.
As a tiny pup he lay away from his siblings, and he still keeps his distance when asleep, he's devoted to wifey who was the first live thing he saw when he opened his puppy eyes and is always on her lap or wanting to be beside her in bed, but he's a fidget bum and in the space of an hour watching telly in bed he'll have got off and then back on the bed twenty times, the trouble is its like the white tornado arriving unlike his mum who is amazingly gentle.
He can be aggressive with other entire dogs if they show any aggression towards him, he's twice the size of his mum.
Loves his mum is protective of her and is always grooming her, licking her one failing eye regularly plus all the other bits.
He's not all that bothered about dog food despite being fed the best but loves treats and any left over bits from steak etc.
Rarely snores, goes ballistic if we leave him.
When asleep you would know they are mum and son, carbon copies of each other in the way they lie, but otherwise no one has ever guessed their relationship.
People don't seem to realise that dogs are as much individuals with their own personalities as people are supposed to be.
Confess i prefer the company of dogs these days to people, the last two years have only confirmed that as many people's true natures have been revealed in all their ugliness.
Mum was rehomed at 6 months to us after at least one previous rehoming and yes she was a little sod, possibly had to struggle for food as a pup because she's obsessed by it, it took a long time for her to settle down with us she cried and cried.
She's a perfect working cocker and in honesty has been wasted with us, she should have been trained as a drug sniffer dog or similar because that's the sort of thing she lives for, soon as we let her off she runs off and does her thing, hence why we are restricted to one massive country type park area where its fenced in all around but has a lake and spinneys so there's lots of rabbits squirrels etc for her to seek out, and she does, other than that its Norfolk sandy beaches where they get a run out, doggy heaven.
She's proved over time to be a gentle loving dog though, totally submissive to other dogs, makes all sorts of weird noises when having her belly rubbed and would cuddle up beside me in bed for ever if she could...she's daddys little girl and she can snore for England.
Son had a wonderful puppyhood, let loose with his mum pretty much from the get go they'd run off side by side for hundreds of yards where we walk them, but he's not the clear off for 20 mins at a time like his mum.
As a tiny pup he lay away from his siblings, and he still keeps his distance when asleep, he's devoted to wifey who was the first live thing he saw when he opened his puppy eyes and is always on her lap or wanting to be beside her in bed, but he's a fidget bum and in the space of an hour watching telly in bed he'll have got off and then back on the bed twenty times, the trouble is its like the white tornado arriving unlike his mum who is amazingly gentle.
He can be aggressive with other entire dogs if they show any aggression towards him, he's twice the size of his mum.
Loves his mum is protective of her and is always grooming her, licking her one failing eye regularly plus all the other bits.
He's not all that bothered about dog food despite being fed the best but loves treats and any left over bits from steak etc.
Rarely snores, goes ballistic if we leave him.
When asleep you would know they are mum and son, carbon copies of each other in the way they lie, but otherwise no one has ever guessed their relationship.
People don't seem to realise that dogs are as much individuals with their own personalities as people are supposed to be.
Confess i prefer the company of dogs these days to people, the last two years have only confirmed that as many people's true natures have been revealed in all their ugliness.
Barry and Daphne, 26 months apart with Barry being the eldest, both Yorkie/Jack Russell X, both have the same parents, both we have had from around 10 weeks old.
Barry is always up for a walk, alert, eager to please etc.... Daphne is lazy and indifferent, definately not a morning dog, loves lazing about, she will do the big walks if made to (she is!) but would rather not!
Barry is anxious, Daphne isn't.
Daphne loves being as close to us as she can be, to the point of being squished in somewhere, wedged in between a sofa cushion and one of us to the point that we worry about her being squashed, but she's happy with that, Barry prefers his own space!
On walks of both are off lead, if I call them back.. Barry will stop and come back straightaway, Daphne will stop, come back a bit and then dart off a bit and then come back to the lead, as if to emphasise and make me aware she is off lead and can do what she wants as she's off lead and she's in charge when in actual fact she knows she's not really as ultimately she will do as she's told!
Barry loves new people, will cuddle up to anyone who makes a fuss of him, however Daphne is more reserved, she will keep a distance when it comes to new people, for all her bravado and mouth she is actually a bit more reserved and coy!
I guess they are just like us, we all have different personalities and traits.
Barry is always up for a walk, alert, eager to please etc.... Daphne is lazy and indifferent, definately not a morning dog, loves lazing about, she will do the big walks if made to (she is!) but would rather not!
Barry is anxious, Daphne isn't.
Daphne loves being as close to us as she can be, to the point of being squished in somewhere, wedged in between a sofa cushion and one of us to the point that we worry about her being squashed, but she's happy with that, Barry prefers his own space!
On walks of both are off lead, if I call them back.. Barry will stop and come back straightaway, Daphne will stop, come back a bit and then dart off a bit and then come back to the lead, as if to emphasise and make me aware she is off lead and can do what she wants as she's off lead and she's in charge when in actual fact she knows she's not really as ultimately she will do as she's told!
Barry loves new people, will cuddle up to anyone who makes a fuss of him, however Daphne is more reserved, she will keep a distance when it comes to new people, for all her bravado and mouth she is actually a bit more reserved and coy!
I guess they are just like us, we all have different personalities and traits.
Edited by HTP99 on Thursday 10th February 20:53
One other thing to add, a question for the doggy experts.
Our two love being on our bed, but why does the younger boy dog have to pull back the covers (we have a cover over the bed for doggy times) and et into bed? His mum is just happy to be on the bed and can be asleep and snoring away merrily in 30 seconds.
Our two love being on our bed, but why does the younger boy dog have to pull back the covers (we have a cover over the bed for doggy times) and et into bed? His mum is just happy to be on the bed and can be asleep and snoring away merrily in 30 seconds.
I agree that it's amazing that you can have different personalities even within one litter, but it's equally astonishing how subtle some breed behavioural traits are.
As a somewhat bizarre example, I've encountered a number of young English Pointers of completely different bloodlines who show a strange response to men (like me) with beards: they want to jump up at you and nibble at the hair. Never encountered this with any other breed. I mean: WTF its that all about?!
As a somewhat bizarre example, I've encountered a number of young English Pointers of completely different bloodlines who show a strange response to men (like me) with beards: they want to jump up at you and nibble at the hair. Never encountered this with any other breed. I mean: WTF its that all about?!
moorx said:
Yes, we had (until last year) two whippet brothers/littermates with totally different personalities.
I often thought that they were the two puppies that you are advised not to choose - the bold, confident one (Jet) and the shy, nervous one (Sam).
Jet was on my OH's lap the first day they were here, but Sam didn't do this until 3 years(!) later. Even then, it was very much on his terms. He did become much more affectionate, though, particularly after he developed a serious illness at only 3 years old or so, which meant a lot of vet trips and care.
They were absolutely devoted to each other; sadly we lost Sam last September to kidney disease and miss him very much.
I love whippets. Lovely gentle little creatures. They can be quite afffectionate.I often thought that they were the two puppies that you are advised not to choose - the bold, confident one (Jet) and the shy, nervous one (Sam).
Jet was on my OH's lap the first day they were here, but Sam didn't do this until 3 years(!) later. Even then, it was very much on his terms. He did become much more affectionate, though, particularly after he developed a serious illness at only 3 years old or so, which meant a lot of vet trips and care.
They were absolutely devoted to each other; sadly we lost Sam last September to kidney disease and miss him very much.
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