Good dogs

Hah! My dogs are pretty terrible, actually.

Frodo barks. And barks. And barks. He gets on the table. He SLEEPS on the table. He steals food, and will do it right off your plate (ask Megan's boyfriend, lol). You can't do just anything to him.

Siri is only semi-housetrained (though it is much improved!) and has a "schedule of sh!ts" calendar that we write on so we know she's not lying and going to run into the bedroom or behind the chair to drop a hot one. She has to be constantly reminded about the NO FEET ON THE RAT CAGE rule. She loves to hump legs/arms if given the opportunity. She stands on the end table and looks out the window, so the glass is super smudged. She can't shut up in a crate.

They both resource guard.

(I'm sure if other people wrote this the Frodo list would be much shorter than the Siri list )

I get ambitious every once and a while and say we are going to start HAVING RULES! But I usually give up fairly quickly. And I don't mind much, I just mind that other people might mind.

Hah! Kinda like how when Ryan and I watched him he tottered past our table, grabbing the chip bag as he went? That kind of anti-good dog?

I don't currently have a "good dog". Watson is sweet, and good in many ways, but he's a hooligan at heart.

Growing up we had two schnauzers and the female was one of the best dogs I've known. Her only flaw was some stranger danger and she wasn't a big fan of kids (other than me, "her kid"), but otherwise she was fantastic. We didn't teach her anything beyond sit, down, stay, and shake, but she intuitively knew what to do. I could put a plate of food next to her on the ground, say "don't touch it" and leave the room for as long as I wanted (her brother was known for grabbing sandwiches out of people's hands, so it certainly wasn't our training that made her leave the food). As puppies, her brother chewed everything and she never chewed a thing - she even tattled on him when he was getting into trouble. She was just very very smart and wanted to please so badly. She was very soft and never wanted to see her people displeased with her.

I will add that Watson would be a good dog for many families with kids. He's a bit active for what many people want, and he gets into everything all the time, but he's fun and loves kids and people and is extremely tolerant of manhandling (he loves manhandling). I think as a middle aged dog he would make a great average family dog (basically like your typical lab or golden who is hell on wheels for a few years, but ages well)

I think Summer is getting naughtier as she gets older. Well compared to her at 4 years since I didn't have her as a puppy.

In the last year she's started digging in the yard, tugging, she's gotten into trash and food a few times which has NEVER happened before, she runs a lot more donuts around the yard, etc.

I think some of it is the fact that like BB has mentioned once you're 9 there are no rules anymore. Little Old Dog craziness just makes me laugh.

Hahaha, yeah. You weren't his only victim.

And since I forgot about Abrams...

he isn't a bad dog. But I also wouldn't say he's a good dog.

He's never really chewed on anything inappropriate, which is HUGE considering he's a retriever and thus a giant mouth. He's good with other animals. He loves kids. Accepted strangers in the house are his New Best Friend. (He could care less about saying "hi" in public, and he roars like a grizzly at any unaccepted stranger near the house.) He is wonderful in a crate. He doesn't startle to loud noises. Ever since we moved, he no longer counter surfs and we haven't had any pee issues due to him just being able to go straight on outside without having to stop and have a chain put on. I have never, ever seen ANY ounce of aggression from him. I mean, THIS is a game to him - if that doesn't go against everything in the Don't Do This To Your Dog book, I don't know what does:

He took forever to housebreak. He mouths. He barks at people. He barks at people when he's in the car. He spooks at strange objects easily (although once he's spooked and investigated, he typically won't spook at the same object again). He jumps on people, chews on people, licks people in the face, and is generally an idiot. He digs holes in the yard. He likes to run directly at you, then slide to a stop while body slamming into your legs. He stares at you when you have food and drools. He's just a very intense, physical dog and a lot of people are put off by that. I love it.

So, he may not be a good dog now...but I have a feeling when he matures and is no longer Stupid Puppy, he'll be a very good boy.

You know, I joke a lot about how awful Squash is. And he does have some annoying habits... some of them are attention-getting behaviors that amuse me at the same time they annoy me, though, so I know I've accidentally/not so accidentally reinforced them (barking, pawing). Other things are just things I'm not super used to and are works in progress - he's a pacer, and doesn't settle well in the house or have an awesome off switch, and his prey drive is stronger than I would prefer. Some things are just... Squash things. Like smashing out the back door, lol.

But in the ways that really, really matter to me he is really a pretty dang good dog and a lot of these things are just the way he is IMO. He has no HA, DA, or DR - he loves everyone. He is good at modifying his play to match different dogs and people. He loves to work and learns so fast (ETA: And he will try just about anything I ask of him, if I can communicate what I'm asking for). He's so incredibly mentally resilient and has great bounce-back. He's easy for baths, nail trims, etc. He travels well and doesn't freak out in new environments. He settles well in a crate at events or class. He just doesn't care about any old thing, really, except having a good time. I think he's a good dog.

I definitely do not have a typical "good" dog right now.

I think Art comes closest. He would be absolutely the perfect family dog if it wasn't for his severe reactivity to strangers. He's not a huge barker, he only barks when it's something really strange and usually it's a "bark bark ..... *listens*" and stops if nothing else is heard. We had someone open and start climbing in our bedroom window at our old apartments and Art just stayed asleep.

He was easy to potty train, never had any problems chewing things that were unnacceptable, a little harder to get him to take treats easily but not horribly, loves anybody he knows, works hard for treats, loves tugging/toys/roughhousing, will not touch food that isn't his, isn't a food guarder, loves other dogs (though recently we've been seeing reactivity on leash), and is just easy to live with. He has lots of energy when you want him to and just sleeps when you don't want to. He's also a big cuddler.

If it wasn't for his stranger issues he would be near perfect.

Talon.....oh boy. Yeah just not the easiest dog to live with for most people. He's a food guarder, DR, went through some weird HR stages, still currently HR to very few people (usually when they are *strange* like fishing poles etc), will tear and eat anything given the chance, doesn't settle well sometimes, whines when he gets stressed, lunges at cars/bikes/fast moving children on leash, crashes into everything and everyone because he doesn't look were he's going, etc

These are all things that are either benig worked on or have been worked on, so it's not like he's terrible anymore, but his base personality isn't the most desirable.

I feel like Jackson is somewhere in the middle.

He's really just that 'good dog' in the sense that he's my go-to boy -- I know I can bring him anywhere, to anyone's house, to any store, on any vacation, etc and know he will behave. He can be trusted loose in anyone's home (so long as there is not a cat, lol), he can be trusted loose in a hotel, etc. He potty trained pretty quickly and has been trustworthy to be loose in our house since he was 5/6 months old. He's not really dog reactive/selective/aggressive at all. He's always pretty well behaved in public.

But, he does have his quirks too. He's noise sensitive with gun shots, fireworks, or anything remotely sounding like that lol. He can be a sensitive dog in general. He's fearful of strangers at first, so won't let just anyone touch him happily. He's fine with respectful kids, but I don't think he'd do well in a large family with lots of rambunctious kids around. I think he'd be too nervous. He can definitely get antsy with a lack of stimulation and/or exercise. Sometimes, he'll come over and look at me, and whine, and then go grab something he found on the floor to get my attention.

I think he has just enough naughtiness in him for me that I think is cute but not too much to the point where I'd be annoyed all the time. LOL. On a scale of 1-10, he's probably a 6 for "all around good dog"

Lucy is naturally good. Quiet, polite, fiercely loyal lol. We put 0 training in her. She could seamlessly fit in with just about any family.

Happy is very well behaved too but I have no idea if that's all training or just her.

Juno is great but took a loooot of work.

Cajun is work lol.

My dogs are **** heads, but I think they're good dogs. Smalls is your quintessential good dog. She's friendly with every thing under the sun, happy to go any where, has zero habits that would bother someone, and just loves to be alive. She is basically the ultimate family dog. She was a god awful puppy, sure, but around a year and a half she became a dream dog.

I've been too busy to answer my own post. Now that things are quieter...

I don't think either of my dogs are naturally good. I've always maintained that in the hands of someone rougher Cohen would be a terror. She's impulsive, ornery, reactive, loud, energetic, has trouble settling and can just be a bit of a bitch sometimes.

Though, she's kind of perfect too. We've worked VERY hard on her impulse control and it's become something of which I'm quite proud. She's highly tuned in to me and she's always ready to work. People comment on how good a dog she is... and they're right... but it didn't come naturally.

I know for a fact that Mega would be a terror because she was a terror when I got her. She was 7 and was living with my in-laws with their other dogs. She wasn't housebroken, she barked constantly and was reactive & fearful of strange dogs. She's still not perfect, but my friends say that she's like a completely different dog since she came to live with me. She barks much less, is generally friendlier and better with strangers, she focuses well around strange dogs...

Now, Mega is a good dog when you're in the same room as her. However she'll still steal any food that's within reach the moment she's given the opportunity. She's like a freaking ninja.

Belle is pretty close. She barks outside more than I'd like but... she's a hound dog so what do I expect lol. She pees on the floor sometimes at night instead of coming to wake me up but she's old so I try to remember to put a diaper on her just in case.

other than that... she is the easiest, most laid back, naturally good dog I've ever had. She's content to just laze the day away or bask outside in the sun in the yard and just be. She doesn't demand affection at all times but she's happy to get it when she's in the mood for it

The only thing she ever gets into is once in a while she'll eat a crayon. I don't know why but they must taste good to her lol because it's the only thing she gets into from time to time and only if it's left out on the floor.

and she DEMANDS to be fed ON TIME lol.

Meg is a Good Dog by nature. She's not faultless (dog reactivity being the only kind of big one), but she's a dog that could easily step into almost any home and do fine. She's good with all people and handling. She came to me a non-house-trained young adult, and had maybe 3 accidents ever. She doesn't get into a garbage bag full of food left out. She's never been destructive towards toys or human property. She's good off-leash and always has been. She likes walks, but she doesn't lose her mind if she doesn't get exercised. Put her in an "average" home with two kids and a fenced in back yard, and I think she'd be a-okay.

Gusto is a Bad Dog by nature. That's why he's cute. We had to keep everything remotely able to be damaged at least 4 feet off the ground until he was about 2. He still gets it in his head to rip up a magazine once in a while. I think he's be snappy about handling if it weren't carefully dealt with. He has jumped all the way up onto the table. He can not miss outdoor, off-leash exercise, or he's a nightmare.

Heidi came to me as a good dog. She gets along with other animals and people. She's quiet. She's good in the car. She's low energy. She's good off-leash. No resource guarding. I can do pretty much anything to her, and she tolerates it all. She's not demanding.

The other two, as much as I love them, are not what I would consider inherently "good dogs".

Bubbles is the only one who is just a good dog. She came to me with really no issues except leash pulling and she might bark at another dog while on a walk if it is barking at her, but she does need some exercise every day or she can get super barky in the house/yard/etc.

Pen is now a good dog but he was a bad RGer, and he used to pull like a crazy thing on leash. He's also dog selective with a bit of SSA thrown in there. He, too, does need daily exercise and play, but not all that much really.

Kimma and Jari are just crazy and would drive most anyone nuts. Including me sometimes LOL. I partly think I kind of made them that way somehow because they have similar crazy levels (they both need a lot of mental and physical stimulation every day), but I know that I was not responsible fully for things like Kimma's fear issues and Jari's current annoying teenage stage

Shadow is A Good Dog. Aside from being shy, eating poop, and being afraid of sneezes, she really doesn't have any flaws. Likes to cuddle, likes to play when you want to play, fun and easy to train, walks nicely on lead, reliable off leash, no aggression towards anything ever.

I love him, but I can't think of any rubric under which Astro would be classified as a naturally good dog.

Let's see, one example: he's destructive, and he aims big. Couches, beds, blankets, walls...He ruined my bed by ripping it apart, board by board, and burrowing up INTO the mattress when I left him alone for ten minutes to make myself some food. Small stuff's not safe, either. He will eat any paper, wood, plastic, or fabric-based item (what does that leave, you're asking? NOTHING) in his vicinity while he's alone, period, no exceptions. Bitter apple spray? Please. My vet looked me right in the eye and ordered me to get pet insurance because, in her words, he's the type of dog who WILL need blockage surgery, not might.

I could go into more depth on his resource guarding, his physically pushy nature (if he wants attention, he doesn't look cute or hover, he just runs up and punches you in the kidneys NO ONE LIKES THAT, DOG!), his stubbornness, his complete lack of handler focus (after months of rewarding strenuously for any handler focus whatsoever, a 10-week-old Border Collie could still show us up :rofl1...but suffice it to say that in general, he escalates. That's what he does. I can't just "exist" with him, I can't be neutral. If we're not working heavily on lots of things, he backslides. I think he would drive so many people up a wall, honestly. Micromanaging him is a necessity for now, and perhaps forever.

As I said in the other thread, he's nothing like my last dog, who WAS a naturally good dog. That dog had no training to speak of and was an angel his whole life. He didn't jump up, he never did any major destruction, he was the gentlest soul on the whole planet. A stranger could've done anything to him, and we just naturally and easily could trust him fine in the house alone with the cats. Didn't wander, could be off leash and was always checking back on you.

Joey is definitely a "good dog". He's the only one of my dogs that every member of my family would happily steal from me. Actually, my mom tries to get me to leave him with her anytime we visit. He's easy, laid back, and has good manners. And honestly, he'll live with anyone who feeds him.

Walter and Lucy have much more energy and just tend to get into more trouble. Walter is too busy and Lucy has too many issues for the average pet owner.

I'm kind of waffling back and forth, but I think that Rowan is probably a Good Dog. As long as he got tons of attention/affection, he could probably fit into most households without a problem. He's pretty lazy and is happy to nap on the couch all day. If he doesn't get any physical outlet for an extended period of time, he doesn't get destructive, just annoying And he doesn't need a *ton* of exercise when he does get it. He listens to me well. He gets along with everyone - doesn't really *like* most other dogs but is very tolerant of them, loves cats, loves people, loves children. I could take him to a party or a festival or anything busy and chaotic and wouldn't worry at all about him getting overwhelmed. He's also pretty unflappable with loud/weird noises, things like that. Doesn't care.

The only things that make me hesitate are:

- He's a bad counter surfer and will steal any food left unattended, and fast. Nolu can attest.

- He's got a lot of prey drive that makes him hard to handle when there are wild small fuzzies around. He's not reliable off leash because if he saw a squirrel or rabbit, he would be GONE.

- He's really emotionally needy. I think a lot of people would find it annoying. But as long as it's something that a person doesn't mind, it's not really an issue. I love it.

Other than those, which aren't really that major (IMO), he's definitely a Good Dog. My dad likes dogs but isn't a "dog person" by any stretch, and he still raves about Rowan even though we haven't lived there in... 4 years? My little brother wants a dog and my dad has been considering it, but he's worried that it "won't be like Rowan", lol.

Riff is my good dog, but he's not a Good Dog. Too fearful (although we've made so much progress!) and high maintenance.

I had several dogs growing up that were Good Dogs. My mom's Pyr mix Baxter was amazing. Really laid back, low maintenance, friendly with everyone but not demanding. If he hadn't been huge, he would've been the ideal pet for a lot of people. His only fault was that he was terrified of storms.

Lucky probably wasn't far off the mark. He was more of a grumbly old man than Baxter, but he liked all people and tolerated all dogs, cats, and other critters. Not high maintenance exercise-wise although god help you if you threw his tennis ball, because you'd be throwing it for hours and then have to cut him off before he hurt himself. The dog outfetched pretty much any retriever I've ever met. He wasn't very touchy feely or cuddly, which I think people expect from a small dog, but that was his only "flaw." He was a good boy and very easy to live with.

Oliver was the first dog I ever lived with... he was a miniature poodle and he was probably the quintessential family dog. My parents got him a couple years before I was born so I literally grew up with him. He was friendly, affectionate without being over the top, super obedient, just... naturally good. He was awesome with my brother and me, plus all of our friends that came through the house. Just a really good, rock solid little dog.

Goose was born pretty much perfect. My first Chow, Legend, was very much the same way. Although I did/have done training with both, I never had to put much into the general good manners aspect.