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Questions for animal lovers


Celeste

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I have 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 african water frogs...

Although I have had each one for almost the same amount of time, each one is so different in behavior. With each one being trained, loved, and being raised with the same rules etc, each one behaves so differently. Is it the breed that determines the behavior and personality with the dogs? or personality in general?

 

For instance, my 150 pound Yellow Lab will act all big and bad when it comes to other dogs, but the minute it thunders he's whimpering and trying to fit on my lap. In the same instances, my 9 pound Pug is scurrying into my arms at the first site of another dog, but running around barking and growling at thunder.

The lab is very well behaved. The pug is an absolute shithead. He gets in the garbage, constantly jumps up on guests, terrozies the cats, gets up on the kitchen counters, jumps in the bath or shower before we can, and tears up anything I leave laying around. I've tried everything with the pug. Rewards for listening which is rare indeed, and firm scolding with time out when he doesn't. I've spent more time with him just to assure him that he is loved equally. Still, the behavior continues. (Both are very loving however)

 

The same goes with my 2 snow shoe cats. One is very docile, scared of anything, won't listen at all and the other is very loving, well behaved and outgoing. Also, one frog will swim and sit in your hand liking to be gently petted, the other freaks out when you open the top of the aquarium.

 

With the dogs I might be inclined to breed differences, but with the others...I'm lost. Any ideas?

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150 pound Lab! good god :eek2:

9 pound Pug...

 

Since you have these guys in pairs, they usually tend to be somewhat Polarizing in their personalities, to balance each other out.

 

I love labs! I got my Golden :D ;)

I don't really care for "ankle-biting" dogs. Although occasionally you will find a really cool one, they tend to be very annoying; small brains, small-dog syndrome and serve little purpose aside from companionship...

Big dogs can actually protect you...

 

I have extensive experience with Dogs and Cats. (of which there is an other thread)

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Yes, it's both.

 

The breed plays a role in a few ways. They will have genetic predispositions toward various behaviors. Also, their genes dictate how they look, smell, move, sound, etc... and thus impact how other animals (whether pets or humans) interact with them, thus impacting their personality.

 

Then, along this line, there's the way they are socialized and treated... when they're fed, how much attention they get, of what they attention is composed... how warm they are... how many scary sounds like jets flying over head cause a stress response throught development... dot dot dot.

 

It's everything. Nature and nurture coming together as an end product of behavior.

 

 

Now... pugs... they're cute, but dumb. You'd have more luck training a rock to bark than a pug to sit. :eek2: Seriously though, keep trying... it should sink in eventually.

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150 pound Lab! good god

 

Yes! 150 pounds! He's on a diet right now. He put on 23 pounds after his chemo. Labs are such great dogs arent they?! :hihi: I do love my pug dearly though too.

Here's a pic of the both of them.

 

Chester...one of my snow shoes.

 

Since you have these guys in pairs, they usually tend to be somewhat Polarizing in their personalities, to balance each other out.

 

Makes sense, thanks....thank God he's not the shithead! I can barely hold his leash when we go for a walk. In spring and summer, it's sweet sailing though. I bought me skates last year.

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It's everything. Nature and nurture coming together as an end product of behavior.

 

Thanks InfiniteNow...I guess I just get frustrated. 4 kids can be such a handful!

 

Now... pugs... they're cute, but dumb. You'd have more luck training a rock to bark than a pug to sit. Seriously though, keep trying... it should sink in eventually.

 

LOL :hihi: You don't know how many times I've thought the same thing.

I'll keep trying though, thanks!

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Those were great photos Celeste! :hihi:

 

I am a Cat person myself; so much easier. They don't need constant reassurance like dogs do.

Plus I can eat in peace...:)

 

I love dogs too!

But I do have some issues:

1) Cocker Spaniels drive me Nuts! and they know it (some people just love 'em)

2) Beagles are so obnoxiously barking all the time... I sometimes babysit Buddy the Beagle for a friend. The only time I really like him is when hes sleeping (he's so cute that way). He has to constantly smell everything and bark at every little noise! :hihi: Chase the cats, Get into everything, Mark his turf every other bush... like the Pug you described!

 

Retrievers rule! good all around family dog! They act tough, but almost all are big wusses

Hopefully age will mellow the Pug down a bit.

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Tune into National Geographic Channel and watch "The Dog Whisperer". Dogs always behave like dogs. Their behavior is directly related to how they perceive your position in the pack. The anxiety, the agressiveness, the rambunciousness, are all related to them having an imbalance in their pack perception with you. You need to be the leader. The show demonstrates very clearly how that is done, and how animal's behaviors are a result of the human behavior that they are getting their instictual cues from. I cannot recommend highly enough this show for not just working with animals, but for working with all the relationships in your life. And it is all science.

 

Bill

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Thank you BigDog. I have it set to record tomorrow and added it to my season pass.

 

I had a cocker spaniel back in '92 that became quite vicious towards me if I pushed him off my bed or couch or tried to discipline him.

Part of the problem I found out later was the alpha control, along with being really interbred.

 

With my pug, it's really quiet different. He doesn't exert himself like an alpha, he just doesn't listen. For instance, we decided months ago that the dogs needed to stay in a certain part of the house, the kitchen/living room area. It's where we are 90% of the time during the evenings while awake and it's really large and spacious.

Within a week, my lab was trained and never ventures outside the room.

Just yesturday during a 3 hour period I counted the times I had to tell the pug to get back in the kitchen. 16 times!! We even put up a gate where the hall starts and he simply gets up on the back of the couch, another no-no, and jumps over the gate. I realize pugs aren't the smartest of the breeds, but over 120 days of reinforcement should be enough I would think.

 

Hopefully the show will lend some new and great insights. Thanks again!

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Pugs have a bit of inbreeding going on too... maybe he's deaf?

 

 

My Italian Greyhound is super bright, and that gets frustrating too. He's a problem solver, and wildly athletic. In college, I would put him in our fenced backyard. I was careful to check for open areas, and areas he could slip under...

 

Then, one day, I saw him in the FRONT yard wandering around. I was confused as anything. While sitting out back a week later, I saw that he was able to jump so high that he would land on top of the fence, balance for a split second like a cat, and then jump the other side. :(

 

 

Gotta love 'em. Train your pug to be a moron... at least you'll get the sense of success out of it. :D

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Gotta love 'em. Train your pug to be a moron... at least you'll get the sense of success out of it.

 

LMAO!!! Thank you...I so needed that after what I just went thru with him!!!

 

So...I came home from grocery shopping and guess who's on the counter snorting away wagging his tail just so happy to see me? That's right.

Me: What are you doing on the counter? Get down!

Pug: Head cocks side way, more tail wagging

Me: Struggling to get bags off of hand, No No get down!

Pug: Licks my face, more tail wagging.

Me: Ok buddy, I love you too. Now get down.

Pug: Gets down.

Me: Back out to truck to get more groceries-1 min tops.

 

Back in the door. Oh look, there he is back up on the counter, snorting and wagging away.

Me: Ok buddy, you know better. GET DOWN!!

Pug: Ever so slowly, walks over, ears down, sulking, gets down.

Me: Good boy. Come here. Kisses, hugs, etc etc.

Then...back out to get the last of things. Stop in garage to dump bag of IAMs in dog bin. Make sure I got everything out of truck. 4 mins at most.

 

Back in door. No pug? Wait, what is that? The bag of groceries in moving!

Walk to end of counter. Oh look, a bag with half a pug body and a wagging tail.

Me: What the hell are you doing? Get out of there.

Pug: Backs out slowly with bread in his mouth.

Me: Damnit buddy, GET DOWN!!

Pug: Sits down ON COUNTER and stares at me, slowly working his mouth around the bread as if he's trying to hide the evidence.

Me: Stifling laugh....What the hell am I going to do with you?!!

Pug: snorts as he swallows, wags his tail....

 

I'm at a loss. He's either defiant as hell, or obviously I did a mighty fine job at training him as a moron already. ;) :hihi:

 

edit: spell check

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(If this double posts, I apologize. I'll be back to edit one)

Yep...there it is, double post.

 

BTW Infinite...I just love greyhounds! My friend had one in high school. Definitely smart and energetic dogs!

Love the fence jumping...I mean, I know it was probably hard for you, but you gotta admit, that's some amazing feat!

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BTW Infinite...I just love greyhounds! My friend had one in high school. Definitely smart and energetic dogs!

Love the fence jumping...I mean, I know it was probably hard for you, but you gotta admit, that's some amazing feat!

He's actually a mini greyhound, but they are an incredible bunch. My mom actually helps adopt retired racing greyhounds (the full sized ones). He is amazing in so many ways. Of course, I am a bit biased. ;)

 

Just so you're aware, he goes for the dumb ones. Galiath (intentional mispelling) hasn't yet passed up an opportunity to hump a pug. Seriously... every one he meets. :) I always tell people, "I don't know where he gets it from." :shrug:

 

:phones:

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How long is appropriate to mourn and miss a departed pet?

 

My lil' Tiger (Bishop was his name-o) has been gone since Oct. 05', and sometimes I still wake up at night wishing he was still there... :boy_hug:

 

I'm thinking of building a shrine.:wave:

That cat was the neighborhood terrorist...No bird, mouse, squirrel, or other cat was safe.:girl_hug:

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LMAO!!! Thank you...I so needed that after what I just went thru with him!!!

 

So...I came home from grocery shopping and guess who's on the counter snorting away wagging his tail just so happy to see me? That's right.

 

hmmm... I think its a combination of things. Some pugs are resistant to training and I think theres a bit of confusing body/word contact coming from you that is kinda telling your pug it makes you happy to see him on the counter.

 

heres what I mean:

 

Back in the door. Oh look, there he is back up on the counter, snorting and wagging away.

Me: Ok buddy, you know better. GET DOWN!!

Pug: Ever so slowly, walks over, ears down, sulking, gets down.

Me: Good boy. Come here. Kisses, hugs, etc etc.

 

He wasnt a good boy. He was a bad boy. A good dog lays on the carpet and watches you do all the work then comes for a treat when your all done. Like a cat would. :wave:

 

 

Heres a clip from this FAQ: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/breeds/pugs/

 

QUESTION: Do Pugs really like to dress up in costumes like I see in

all the pictures?

ANSWER: Actually, they usually do. Pugs are very extroverted dogs, and

do just about anything for a laugh from their people. If they discover

that wearing a costume makes you happy, they'll do it. If it gets them

laughter and applause, that's even better!

 

I dont know if you have a crate or some place to put the pug. My suggestion would be to repeat above, but instead of allowing repeating counter climbing, the dog is spotted breaking the rules. Told bad dog. Put in a crate or some other time out area where they do not have a choice to break the rules. No encouraging words about how you love the puppy. Just go about your task.Once you are done then happy time in the kitchen goes on. Part of good dog training is not allowing them to make mistakes.

 

I would also work with hand signals with this dog. I also wondered if hearing was an issue with your description. Maybe not deaf but needs louder words. Tone of voice is also important for dogs. Saying 'bad puppy' in a cute voice is not going to impact a dog in the way a NO! barked at them will. Think how a dog communicates. WOOF vs bow wow means two different things in dog talk.

 

Ahhh the memories of training dogs and people to live together come flooding back :girl_hug:

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Originally Posted by CedarsI dont know if you have a crate or some place to put the pug. My suggestion would be to repeat above, but instead of allowing repeating counter climbing, the dog is spotted breaking the rules. Told bad dog. Put in a crate or some other time out area where they do not have a choice to break the rules. No encouraging words about how you love the puppy. Just go about your task.Once you are done then happy time in the kitchen goes on. Part of good dog training is not allowing them to make mistakes.

 

Thank you...your right of course, and I agree that I'm probably sending out a confusing body/word message. I have such a hard time being really firm with him. Very informative post and I appreciate it greatly! The link was informative too. :D

 

As you and others have expressed, hearing just might be a problem, he has had periodic ear infection in one ear, but...could it partly be selective hearing??

Several times throughout the day I called him to me in different tones.

High, low, soft, and firm. He responded each time quickly except for in a higher pitched tone.

Then, just to test him further, I walked into the kitchen area while he was sleeping and snoring away and said, "who wants to eat?" He was up in a flash.

Later, I repeated the same pattern. Again, he snapped right up and came running. I'm not sure if it's actual hearing problems...maybe he's tone deaf

to certain pitches??

 

I did watch the Dog Whisperer last night. Thanks BigDog ;)

The trainer on the show is incredible.

 

I'll try a few things he did and also have his hearing tested by the vet, better safe then sorry. I would feel terrible if it is hearing loss or tone deafness, but at least I wouldn't be frustrated so much. I do love him dearly, inspite of his shortcomings (which are many) he does have many endearing qualities too.

 

Thanks to all for the input and advice, it's greatly appreciated.

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