Doggy “personalities”

[Bubitty]

I was training the Bitty on the weekend and it just struck me how much I enjoyed her company. It also made me reminisce my puppy visits to her litter at 6, 7 and 8 weeks.

In all honestly she was a rather bland puppy and I didn’t even really like her very much when we were told that she was suitable for us. She was rather dull and on every visit she was not particularly charming.

But the Bitty that I ended up with turned out to be the sunniest, sweetest, most madcap, happiest, brightest little ray of sunshine. We (Bubby included) are all mad about her! I just enjoy every aspect of her. Even when she is “Bad Bitty” I can’t help but enjoy it very much!

So my question is do Dolers think bonding with a puppy really happens at the breeders? Can you really pick a puppy that is well suited to you or do you just love that puppy as part of raising him/her?

Can you end up with a puppy that you never truly bond with when puppy grows up? Is there such thing as owner and dog personalities which just gel and personalities which repel? Is this possible to pick or predict when a pup is only 8 weeks old?

[ellz]

So my question is do Dolers think bonding with a puppy really happens at the breeders? Can you really pick a puppy that is well suited to you or do you just love that puppy as part of raising him/her?

Can you end up with a puppy that you never truly bond with when puppy grows up? Is there such thing as owner and dog personalities which just gel and personalities which repel? Is this possible to pick or predict when a pup is only 8 weeks old?

No, I honestly think that a breeder who knows their lines, and knows how their puppies develop is the best person to attempt to match a puppy to a person at that age. That's one of the reasons you need to trust the breeder and you absolutely MUST fully disclose your TRUE personality so as to enable the breeder to make the best recommendation!

And yes, it is very possible to not bond with a dog. I have had dogs that no matter what I do, we just don't "'click" and yet others with whom there has been an instant attachment.

It's not dissimilar to meeting other people, some you are drawn to and others take a lot more work.

[Sandra777]

Can you end up with a puppy that you never truly bond with when puppy grows up? Is there such thing as owner and dog personalities which just gel and personalities which repel?

Absolutely. I bred a litter and someone with experience in the breed wanted a pup for show/breeding. The 2nd pick bitch was an obnoxious brat of a puppy but the guy was experienced and was happy to take on a challenge. He did well with her in the ring, then phoned me when she was about 14 months old and, very embarassed ask if he could send her back because they had a personality clash. It was nothing to do with her being untrained or anything like that, she was just a brat of a dog. I took her back and yes, I agreed with him, she was a brat - bossy, opinionated, impossible to reason with and prone to trantrums

I got her title on her and then rehomed her to a family which had always had Rottweilers and wanted to show something smaller. They loved her to bits until the day she died - still throwing tantrums and being bossy at 17 years! They loved her strong personality and weren't at all intimidated by her pushy ways (guess at 15kg she was small fry after Rottweilers ;) )

[Bubitty]

Sandra and Ellz, what are the things/signs you look for in a litter to gauge a pup’s personality?

I have always been curious! Is it how they interact amongst themselves or with you?

Also as Ellz mentioned, do you base it on the parents’ personality as well?

[Trisven13]

I 100% think that there are dogs that you bond with and others you don't.

Marie is my girl, 100% completely. Daphne not so much. Katherine from Melbourne who also shows Fauves asked if she could show Daphne down in Melbourne for a while and I barely skipped a beat sending her off - I miss her but it wasn't a difficult decision. If she'd asked to show Marie I would have said no, hands down - she is my best mate and I adore her. Bart my greyhound is also a great guy and loves his Mum.

Grover on the other hand - OMG that dog does my head in. However Steve has the same relationship with him that I do with Marie - let me tell you that can make for some great marital arguments!!! He's like the evil step-child and I'm the wicked stepmother . With credit to Grover he has improved out of sight since he was desexed even though its not enough time to have made a difference to testosterone levels - God only knows why but I'm not going to argue. His barking has reduced by 80% so I might learn to love him a bit more now. Even though I could cheerfully murder him some days I was distraught on Christmas Day and the week following when we thought he was dying (as Fifi can attest) so I must love him. ;)

[Sandra777]

Pups have quite definite personalities which are as obvious as they are in adults. I can't speak for all breeds but IME..

Some are cute little snugglers that gaze adoringly at you, (usually end up being happy, slightly goofy adults)

Others fight and bite and resist any attempt to snuggle and as for adoring gazing - nup rather bite you on the nose. (usually end up being quite self-possessed adults, generally very bold and intelligent but can be quite independent and stubborn)

Some are relaxed about being picked up and moved around, (good for cuddly homes, tend to be quite overwhealming if not trained to get off sometimes!)

Others hate it and scream the place down if denied what they want (tougher minded individuals, not usually suited to the novice owner)

Some are happy to play tug with you, (usually the more independent ones) others would rather grab the toy and run off (usually the cheeky happy ones)

The bitch I mentioned above would scream and attack the fence if separated from what she wanted, try to climb over obstacles even if she fell off them ten times, and if you picked her up while she was doing something she wanted to do she'd screech and carry on like a kid having a tanty in a supermarket.

Yes, some of it is related to the parents' temperament but not all of it.

[ellz]

Sandra and Ellz, what are the things/signs you look for in a litter to gauge a pup’s personality?

I have always been curious! Is it how they interact amongst themselves or with you?

Also as Ellz mentioned, do you base it on the parents’ personality as well?

Lots of observation of the interaction between littermates and their dam, as well as how they interact with the people in my family and also the way they respond to different things that happen in their environment.

And yes, parents, particularly the dam play a huge part. Temperament inheritance is a much debated subject, ie nature vs nurture. I do believe that temperament is inherited which is why I look for good temperament in both parents, but overall the dam has such a strong influence on how the puppies turn out, as do the people who are present in the formative stages of the puppies lives.

[Guest Willow]

I think it can be the same with adult dogs too....when we got Jarrah, he was already 5 or 6 years old, and although he seemed lovely, I distinctly remember looking at him in the backyard the day after we brought him home & thinking "I really don't know how I feel about you". It took a good few days for the bonding to start. now of course, I know that he's just supposed to be here. I'm menat to be his mum, and he's meant to be my dog. We just "fit" and it's a very easy partnership. He had some massively challenging behaviours in the early months. That helped the bonding process I think....getting him through those dark times has helped cement the bond we have.

Rhu, on the other hand, my little guy....that was instant head-over-heels love!!!!

I remember back when I worked at the RSPCA, we had a family surrender a JRT because they just didn't like her (their words)....they couldn't explain it, but there was just no bond there at all. She was a great little dog, and ended up almost instantly bonding really strongly with the person who came to adopt her the following week.....

I do strongly believe that however much someone is a "dog person" there will be dogs out there that you just don't like or click with.

[CaseyKay]

Can you end up with a puppy that you never truly bond with when puppy grows up? Is there such thing as owner and dog personalities which just gel and personalities which repel? Is this possible to pick or predict when a pup is only 8 weeks old?

Yes my oldest girl is very independant, serious and aloof. She drives me crazy but we work very well together, we just aren't friends. My younger two are very friendly, loyal and super cuddly, that is the type of personality that suits me.

[Little Gifts]

I've only ever raised one litter of staffies from a rescue staffy. They all had very distinct personalities that were evident to me because I spent so much time with them. I don't think that personality would've been as clear to someone on visits. The one pup I adored and thought of keeping was very confident but the mother dog disliked it and since I was keeping her the pup went to a new home. The pick of the litter was a pied boy - a huge chunk of a boy and a bit of a sooky la la. He was quite dominant for attention and food. The strange thing was he came back to live with me when he was about 6 months old as he developed epilepsy and the owner was on the verge of pts. He was a totally different dog - submissive, scared, hard to keep weight on. He lived with me till he passed away at 12 and a half and he was still like that even though he had stopped fitting after about 4 years of age. He could also be very funny and talkative but certainly wasn't the dominant attention seeker he was as a pup. As for the mother - her original owner raised her to be a pig hunting blokes dog - a rough type who would challenge you if you looked at her wrongly. She lived successfully with me and chooks and ducks and a cat, but at other times she could be unpredictable and into a prey drive frame of mind and killed wild doves and lizards and a couple of cats she didn't know. As she has aged though she has become the gentlest of dogs, particularly with small dogs/puppies and kids. I never leave her unattended with either but it is lovely to see her other side shining through.

So if you know what you want in your life then I think trusting a successful breeder to choose the right pup for you is the way to go. Everything else can be very hit and miss - even though you might be like me and learn to love what comes into your life anyway.

[aussielover]

I wasn't too keen on Mindy when we first got her. She was the naughtiest puppy ever! While the other puppies were content to sit on the grass or in their new owners arms, Mindy was off exploring or wriggling and whinging in my arms to be let down. She screamed the whole 1.5hr trip home- and i mean screamed- barking, howling, screaming, it probably soudned like someone was murdering her lol.

She was also quite psycho and made all the other puppies at puppy school seem quiet and docile in comparison.

Even the teacher thought she was a handful.

My sister wanted to return her after 20 minutes! I was more determined to make it work thank goddness

Having said all that, I really do love her, even though it took me about a month! I think we have bonded very well, I now take her everywhere with me out of choice and she is quite devoted and will follow me around. She is such great fun to train and to play with and now we get comments on how good and calm she is lol!

So I think you can initially not bond instantly with a pup but still grow to love them and have a really strong bond over time.

[Bubitty]

Thanks so much for your responses guys! It’s especially interesting to read about the individual puppy personalities! So often I hear about “bonding with a puppy from the litter”, which always makes me think there should be some wonderful bond/impression to be had when I visit the breeder.

Ellz, temperament aside, can a pup inherit its...........”conduct” from its parents? Not sure how to phrase this but......Bubby’s mother and Bitty’s mother both have good sound temps. However Bitty’s mum is just divine! Sweet as sugar, just incredibly sweet and adorable. I always want to throw a tantrum and demand they give her to me whenever I see her! When Bubby was an only dog he used to run with her whenever he stayed at my breeders and she was just the nicest little thing in the way she interacted with him. I wonder if pups can learn this from their parents as Bitty is very similar to her in this respect.

Edited August 30, 2010 by Bub

[dee lee]

Great question Bub!

Having had a bad previous experience and a consequently nervy daughter, when we were planning our new dog it was a question I was very interested in.

Unfortunately I lost confidence in breeders picking the right dog (so many variables- I just didnt want to make a mistake) so opted for a more predictable temperament match with an adult.

Its great to hear the breeder side of it!

[poodlefan]

Bub:

So my question is do Dolers think bonding with a puppy really happens at the breeders? Can you really pick a puppy that is well suited to you or do you just love that puppy as part of raising him/her?

No, I don't think bonding happens at the breeders. It take some time to form a bond. It also takes time away from litter mates and in your home to develop.

I think breeders will generally do a far better job of selecting a pup than buyers. They've had weeks to observe the litter. Buyers only get snapshots.

I think temperament is partially inherited and partially shaped by training and environment. Breed DEFINITELY plays a part (after all temperament is one of the things selectively bred for) and that's the reason why people need to have an understanding of typical breed temperament when selecting their breed of choice. Incompatibility is a real possibility and contributes IMO to unwanted dogs.

Edited August 30, 2010 by poodlefan

[corvus]

My previous dog was very much like me emotionally. We would get upset about the same sorts of things and were both very sensitive to each other. She picked me as a puppy, but often I think we weren't very well suited to each other. We were like leaves on the wind, kind of helpless to direct where we went together. We would feed off each other. If we were in a good place together, it was very good, but if we ever had conflicting desires or if I was feeling emotionally volatile, we would clash and wind each other up.

After her, I wanted a dog that was more complimentary to my personality. One that I would react less to. I think a lot of it was me growing up and learning more about dogs and realising I needn't be reactive but I could be proactive, but my two current boys suit me better. I like steady, confident dogs, and my last dog was not really either of those things. Kivi is hugely steady and pleasantly confident. He is as sweet as can be and I don't think it's possible not to love him. He's just a very lovable dog. I get along with him pretty well because I appreciate his mellow outlook and I understand his independent streak. It took me over a year to really bond with him, though. He's a bit vague and I struggle to understand that and what it means.

Erik is more intense, but I find that even though that was one of the things that jarred me with my last dog, with Erik it's more relaxed between us. His brain almost never stops ticking over. He is always taking things in. He has similar drive and motivation to me, and I just get him. When he decides he's damn well going to rip up the carpet and to hell with me and my physical barriers, I get it. It's exactly what I would do if I were a dog. So I find that a lot of his quirks and his tendency to get over-excited are easily offset by the satisfaction of recognising aspects of my own personality in him. He is not as emotionally sensitive as my last dog was, and he is a stronger personality. I do well with his strong personality. I challenge him and encourage him to be a tough little bugger, and he keeps me on my toes. He is not particularly my dog at this point, but I get him and I like that I get him. If you took me as a 5 year old and turned her into a dog, it would be quite a bit like Erik!

[Beth.]

I didn't meet Lottie until she was around 9weeks old when she was transported up here - me and my friend went to pick her up, and it was like straight away she knew I was her new family - she cuddled into, wiggled her little bum... even when my friend was holding her that first day she wasn't like that with her, and also followed me instantly. I must admit - the next couple days with her were hard!! I didn't know what I got myself into and was freaking out a bit about it all - I was so used to being around adult trained dogs, and she was my first pup!! But we clicked pretty much instantly!! She's very much my dog now, not really too interested in other people, but needs to be where ever I am all the time!! My sister has a dog (I lived with her for a couple years), that no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't bond with her?? I know it's weird, but everything she did annoyed me, but she still is a great little dog, just not my dog!!

[ellz]

My belief is that overall temperature is going to dictate future behaviour but that input from the mother can certainly influence things like the way a puppy relates to humans, whether or not it sees certain things as a threat, how it "fits" into the environment. If the dam is well-socialised and has a balanced outlook on life with no phobias or major fears, then she is going to approach life in a more confident and outgoing way, and so will her puppies because they will follow her example and be reassured by her actions.

And believe it or not, I have a firm opinion that toilet training can be "in bred" too. I don't recommend that people who are seeking a house dog, consider a puppy from breeders whose dogs are SOLELY kennel dogs. My experience over many years has been that dogs from kennel-bred lines can be VERY challenging to toilet train. Anecdotal, but my firm opinion.

[Flaves]

Can you end up with a puppy that you never truly bond with when puppy grows up? Is there such thing as owner and dog personalities which just gel and personalities which repel? Is this possible to pick or predict when a pup is only 8 weeks old?

Yes my oldest girl is very independant, serious and aloof. She drives me crazy but we work very well together, we just aren't friends. My younger two are very friendly, loyal and super cuddly, that is the type of personality that suits me.

Yes you certainly can

[ellz]

Ellz:

So my question is do Dolers think bonding with a puppy really happens at the breeders? Can you really pick a puppy that is well suited to you or do you just love that puppy as part of raising him/her?

No, I don't think bonding happens at the breeders. It take some time to form a bond. It also takes time away from litter mates and in your home to develop.

I think breeders will generally do a far better job of selecting a pup than buyers. They've had weeks to observe the litter. Buyers only get snapshots.

I think temperament is partially inherited and partially shaped by training and environment. Breed DEFINITELY plays a part (after all temperament is one of the things selectively bred for) and that's the reason why people need to have an understanding of typical breed temperament when selecting their breed of choice. Incompatibility is a real possibility and contributes IMO to unwanted dogs.

Ummm...confused.....that quote isn't mine????

[poodlefan]

Ellz:

So my question is do Dolers think bonding with a puppy really happens at the breeders? Can you really pick a puppy that is well suited to you or do you just love that puppy as part of raising him/her?

No, I don't think bonding happens at the breeders. It take some time to form a bond. It also takes time away from litter mates and in your home to develop.

I think breeders will generally do a far better job of selecting a pup than buyers. They've had weeks to observe the litter. Buyers only get snapshots.

I think temperament is partially inherited and partially shaped by training and environment. Breed DEFINITELY plays a part (after all temperament is one of the things selectively bred for) and that's the reason why people need to have an understanding of typical breed temperament when selecting their breed of choice. Incompatibility is a real possibility and contributes IMO to unwanted dogs.

Ummm...confused.....that quote isn't mine????

Sorry Ellz.. brain in neutral. I'll fix it.

Edited August 30, 2010 by poodlefan