Now I understand...

[Tahla9999]

..why people prefer one person dogs. Seriously. It is part of the pit bull trait to love everyone, which is great most of the time, BUT sometimes it is really annoying. For example, I go to the park with a friend of mine and Kai. Kai loooves this dude. When he is around I'm not even there anymore. He ignores my commands and listen to all of his. Then when we have to leave I have to drag his behind away because he doesn't want to leave my friend. I swear, he would probably happily go with him home if I let him! Where is the loyalty!!

I think after this I'm going one-person dog.

 

[Laurelin]

Summer is not a one person dog at all. She'd leave me in a heartbeat, especially for a kid...

Mia is absolutely, unequivocally mine. She knows it, I know it. She likes my family and select other people but most she just doesn't pay attention to. I love it.

One REALLY annoying thing about having a small dog that is an attention ***** is that in rally class Summer has crawled through tiny gaps in the ring to leave me for someone else. lol I never have to worry about that with Mia.

 

[Renee750il]

Funny, Tallulah is definitely MINE. The other two are as well (especially Kharma, of course). They will take attention from someone else (if Her Highness is in the mood), but they let it be known that they are going to "dance with who brung 'em," lol.

Thinking about it, I don't really think I've ever had a dog that wasn't "mine?" Probably has something to do with the breeds/mixes I'm drawn to.

 

[Southpaw]

Hmm I think they both have their drawbacks Juno is 100% attached to ME, makes me feel bad when I have to leave her with other people. She gets a little sad about it. But sometimes it is nice that my dog LOVES ME SO MUCH hahahahah.

 

[JacksonsMom]

There's pros and cons to both, for sure. I DO LOVE the fact that Jackson is all about me... but it makes it very difficult when it comes to leaving him, etc, because he's so attached. I could NEVER just drop him off at daycare or leave him a boarding place and expect him to be okay. I think he really would be miserable and just sad the whole time. My grandma's Lab would just go with anyone and happily go off to boarding or whatever, and Jackson is just not that type of dog.

But overall I definitely prefer a "really into owner" and "aloof with strangers" type dog.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Hahaha I always said tucker, my wheaten, would happily go home with anyone. I hated it and love that my dogs are much more into me.

 

[Linds]

I like where Traveler is. He looooooves people and kids but I win out over anyone else (unless it's a small dog or a kid he's really taken with). It's the perfect combination for me because he loves seeing people and getting pets and being a wiggle butt but can be called away easily, wants to stay with me and can focus fine around people.

 

[Laurelin]

I really sometimes think if I asked Summer, she would chose my little sister over me.

She does know she's mine though in that if I leave a scene, she comes with me. She won't just stay with anyone (It's always with a look that says something along the lines of 'But Mom, I was just getting started!'). However when I'm in a room with a bunch of other people (or something like that) Summer is busy meeting everyone and Mia is sticking with me. I think for Summer it's more of a 'I already know this person, she's boring. Now THIS person could be my long lost best friend!' She's kind of like your stereotypical lab in a papillon body. 'Everybody loves me! Everyone wants to pet and adore me!'

It drives me absolutely insane most the time. Occasionally though I appreciate it. Summer has a way of really connecting with people fast, it's what made her such a good therapy dog. There have been many times we've just been on a walk or something and Summer will end up really brightening someone's day. For that I appreciate how outgoing she is. Otherwise, drives me batty.

Beau is a happy medium. He likes most people but is not the attention ***** that Summer is. He's also not antisocial like Mia. Summer and Mia are polar opposites.

 

[Freehold]

My ex-foster, Elwood, is really attached to me, and my family. He's not a one-person dog by any means, but normally he's pretty cautious about strangers. But... as soon as Dekka comes over he's happy to abandon us all to see her! Drives me nuts - well in a good way, but still No idea why he loves her so much. *shakes head* Funny dog.

Zorro, on the other hand, has serious attachment issues with me. He's happy enough with others, but pines after me. Silly old boy.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Strangely I prefer ambivalent dogs.

 

[Zhucca]

Duke loves everyone. He's up and down where he can be a bit of a snob and some days he just wants to be pet by eevvveryone. He's generally pretty loyal, but would leave me for Boomers' owner for sure. He loves that guy. Lucky for him we 'share' the dogs so he gets to be his dog for the day, then mine for the evening and weekends. lol

 

[Red.Apricot]

Elsie loves her 'family,' and would prefer it if all strangers would just leave the planet. She says hi to people because I tell her, and she's fine in crowds, but she has no interest in meeting new people.

She prefers me over everyone else, but has no problems being left with anyone she knows.

 

[mrose_s]

Buster has always been mine. He has plenty of time for the family and will solicite free love from any visitors once he's decided they're okay but I've always been his favourite.

Quinn has some time for the rest of my family, no time for strangers and I'm her favourite human. I think thats only because I'm the one that feeds, works and trains her. My brother and I are the only ones with a lot of patience for her and we reap the benifits. She's not really a lovey dog most of the time but when she does decide to be affectionate she makes you feel pretty special.
She will also only really listen to me 90% of the time. I want her to listen to my family aswell but she flips them off a lot.

I adore one person dogs. It would drive me nuts having a dog with more friends than me.

 

[Whisper]

I much prefer one person dogs. Wanting to socialize is fine, but it annoys me if wanting to meet any and all people is a major distraction, ie, "OMG I GOTTA MEET THESE PEOPLES SO BAD I JUST LOST MY BRAINZ! ZOMG!" I can't stand that. One reason I could never have a typical lab or golden. They're too friendly, lol.
Honestly, Millie's apathy to strangers is ideal to me.
I want Fable to like my mom and vise versa (and so far, that's a success), but I don't want Fable to get too attached. I want to stay her person.
Having said that, though, I don't want Fable to a complete spaz who can't function without me.

 

[RD]

All of my border collies, when young, would've left me to go say hello to someone else. If they settled down in the house when we had guests, they would settle down by the new person. New people, new situations, new smells, new ANYTHING was sooo much better than old anything. In retrospect, I appreciate their curiosity and the fact that they weren't born with a complete aversion to everything new.


That said, I'm super glad that they are now mature and don't try to establish relationships with everyone around them. Eve is still friendly and willing to greet most people if I tell her she can, but since she was about a year old she's been absolutely my dog, and I prefer it that way.

 

[crysania]

Oh gosh I think my friends' pit bulls would just wander off with any human who gave them a good butt scritch.

My dog is a one-family dog until there's food involved. If someone offers her a tasty treat she's pretty much theirs for life. I could walk away and she wouldn't notice me because her head is so filled with "omg food!" It's like we never feed the poor starving creature or something.

 

[Doberluv]

It doesn't matter much to me whether it's a one person dog or the dog loves everyone. I've had both types. The Chihuahuas, I'd say are more "my" dogs, but Chulita especially really digs visitors and she'll choose their laps over mine....I think just for the novelty of it all. Jose` loves the family when they come to visit, but he's really quite attached to me...a mama's boy. Even though they and past dogs loved everybody, I always felt like they were still more into me and I never had to drag them away from anyone. Toker, my son's dog is part Pit bull and she is ecstatic over other people, but still....more glued to my son or me if there's a choice between us or other people.

 

[Gypsydals]

Peewee is the same way. He loves meeting people. Ivan is different. He is definatly my dog, ambivalent to new people, he might go and check them out, but never stays with them or forgets about me. Now his breeders, my dad and one of my friends he will leave me so fast all I see is dust. He no longer hears or sees me. The dork.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

But overall I definitely prefer a "really into owner" and "aloof with strangers" type dog.

This.

Chloe loves people and kids, but she definitely looks to me for everything, even when people are around. If kids are annoying her, she runs straight to me if they set her down, and I know she's had enough lol.

Violet on the other hand SHOULD be aloof with strangers, but is not at all. She loves ALL people and wants to jump up on them, get up in their lap, you name it. It's ridiculous and she won't listen to me AT ALL with other people around (unless I have food ). However, even though she acts like she doesn't have a preference, I think if we gave her to someone else to live with for a bit, she'd be glad to see us when she came back. When we had to leave her at the vet, when we came back, she could hardly walk, but she still RAN straight to us when she saw us. It was sweet.

Also, I'll add that she prefers me inside the family. If she's in trouble or even if she hurts herself somehow she runs straight to me for comfort even though she's my dad's dog, lol! I like it though, it's adorable.

 

[Sweet72947]

I prefer one-person dogs too. That's why I want a Fila one day. Daisy is a family dog, and she is attached to the family, but that attachment is really only apparent when she would be taken out in public somewhere, i.e. out of her comfort zone. Then she would become very clingy and nervous. Benji was my mom's dog. He liked us, but he LOVED her. Rocky is my mom's dog. If I go over there to watch the dogs while my parents are away, Rocky will temporarily attach himself to me and follow me everywhere. When my mom is home, she is all he sees. If we want to catch him to take him for a walk, my mom has to catch him, etc.