Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking?
It’s a question I often wish I could answer. Nedd wakes up happy every single morning. He is the happiest and most playful dog I have ever met. Russ was the opposite. He woke up slowly. He preferred to sleep late, eat breakfast, have a leisurely walk and then a nap. Manda lets us know each and every day that we are fortunate to be part of her world.
I will hear my husband ask the dogs “What are you thinking?”; usually when they are making a bad choice such as getting into the trash, counter surfing or selecting items in the house to claim as their own toys.
I’ve had the pleasure of loving four dogs and I’ve seen many different characteristics in each of them.
Intelligence:
Can problem solve – can retrieve a toy despite a barrier; can find an exit despite an obstacle
Entertains himself/herself
Quickly evaluates moods and responds appropriately to our moods
Comprehends words directed toward him/her
Alert and curious
In my experiences, NEDD is the most INTELLIGENT dog in our family. He can problem solve, entertains himself and is very sensitive to moods, comprehends a lot of conversations even when not directed toward him and he’s always alert and curious. Manda comprehends words directed toward her and is alert and curious. Russ was quick to evaluate moods, was alert and curious and comprehended words directed toward him.
Independence:
Has his/her own agenda
Dislikes physical affection
Dislikes being groomed
Prefers to be alone than with you
Walks away when scolded
MANDA is our most independent dog in the family. She has her own plan all the time and we are just part of it or either in her way. She wants affection and grooming only on her terms. She’s happy with us but needs her alone time too. She ignores being scolded! Nedd can’t stand to be alone, loves grooming and affection, lives for us and wants to make up quickly if scolded. Russ hated being scolded, couldn’t stand to be alone and was incredibly affectionate and would let you brush him for hours. He never had his own agenda.
Determination:
Returns to a task even when you’ve redirected attention
Displays obsessive behavior
Gets his/her own way
MANDA is the most determined dog in our family. She is obsessive with good and bad things such as playing, getting into the laundry or licking! She doesn’t forget what she wanted and works hard to get her own way. Nedd forgets what he was doing easily and is only obsessive when playing with his toys. Russ worked on getting his own way only when wanting more loving!
Dominance:
Guards territory
Guards food
Growls / Bites when he/she doesn’t get his/her own way
Stands his/her guard in a private / public place when nervous / frightened
MANDA is our most dominant dog. She rules the house and always kept the big dogs in line. Russ would guard his territory when he felt threatened. Most people think Nedd is dominant because of his appearance!
High Energy:
Overexcited
Always ready for action
Doesn’t sleep much
Initiates action
NEDD is our high energy dog! He is always ready to start his day at the moment anyone’s eyes open. He grabs his favorite toy for the day and starts running, barking and playing. He doesn’t require much sleep and will ask you to wake up when he’s had enough sleep. We enjoy his energy level. Russ was our “couch potato”, a retired racing greyhound. Manda plays but nothing like Nedd!
Prey Driven:
Frequently sniffs the air, ground and even your feet
Shakes and “kills” stuffed animals by shaking them and de-stuffing them
Stalks birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc
Bites your feet when you start to move
NEDD is always sniffing the air, ground and our feet. He wants to know what’s going on, what has been going on and never wants to miss out on anything. He “kills” each and every stuffed animal. He chases rabbits but stops on command so he’s never caught one! We trained him to not bite our feet or that would be a fun game of his too.
If you are thinking about adding the companionship of a dog to your life, please do some research and study characteristics that are common to specific breeds. We all need to think about each dogs characteristics and what they can add to our lives and which ones we will appreciate instead of finding annoying!
