Surprise Likes/Dislikes?

[amberdyan]

Is there anything about your dog (or dogs in general) that you're surprised that you ended up liking or disliking?

I never thought I would like having such a physical dog. Hugo wasn't super physical until I started teaching him to jump into my arms and do back stalls. Now he flings himself at him, leaps on top of me on the couch, crawls up on me, etc. He's insane about it and I LOVE it for some reason. I know it would drive some people nuts.

I'm also surprised about how much I dislike his prey drive. It seems to get in the way of life a lot.

 

[Beanie]

YES GOD Payton has recently decided he wants to stay on the bed and snuggle, and I'm like GET OFF THE BED YOU ARE SO WARM AND YOU ARE RIGHT ON MY LEGS I CAN'T MOVE AND IT'S HOT GET OFF THE BED

GOD


Auggie is perfect so there's nothing.

 

[Laurelin]

I like how physical Hank is. Don't like his prey drive. It's nice for lure coursing but it's a pain sometimes. Maybe if he was more handler oriented? idk.

I have a love/hate with Hank's hair. I love that it doesn't pick up burrs. I hate hate hate how much he sheds. It's way worse than any long haired dog I've seen.

I like the look of his nub tail. That was surprising.

Like how handler oriented the papillons are. I also like how animated they are about everything.

 

[*blackrose]

I thought I'd like his guarding instinct. And I do, to an extent. But it also makes life a lot more difficult than it needs to be at times.

I have a love hate relationship with his coat. It is so curly, I haven't figured out how to brush it without ruining it's texture, but he sheds SO MUCH and needs to be brushed to get the dead hair off. But it's so curly, and soft, and I love it. haha

Everything else I pretty much knew what I was getting and knew I already liked. I love how physical he is and how he loves to wrestle and get smacked around. I love his responsiveness, and his ball drive, and his love of water. Not to mention that he is a cookie *****.

 

[straw]

Surprise dislike: fear issues that popped up 6 months into owning her.

The worst.

 

[Southpaw]

I'm surprised I like the energy!! It had to grow on me. I never wanted a super energetic dog. Then Juno came and I had to adapt and work with it, and now I can't imagine having a dog that's not active.

Also surprised that I now like having a dog who wants to jump at/on me.

I'm surprised that I hate how velcro Cajun is. It sounded like such a cute trait. It's not. I'm constantly yelling at her STOP TOUCHING ME I really can't stand it lol.

 

[Samsonyte!]

Surprise like: Wilson needs to touch ALL. THE. TIME. and I love it. He's such a cuddle bug. Also size. I thought I wanted a much bigger dog but he's been sitting at 45 pounds for a while and it's pretty darn perfect.

Dislike: Hello fear of everything. I knew going into the breed that he would be very sensitive and generally aloof but I was not counting on this extreme.

Sam is perfect

 

[amberdyan]

Also size. I thought I wanted a much bigger dog but he's been sitting at 45 pounds for a while and it's pretty darn perfect.

This for me too. I always thought I would get a really big dog, but Hugo (at 40lbs) is the perfect size.

 

[Toller_08]

Journey: I'm surprised I don't mind how physical she is and how loud she can be when she's having fun and how affectionate she is. I literally love everything about her. I know she's having the time of her life when she's being loud, I love how snuggly she is without being forceful. She's not demanding or desperate about it. I love how she watches me and likes to know where I am and be near, but again, without being rude. I like that I can wrestle with her and she likes it (although she could use a softer mouth). The only thing I don't like about her on the rare occasion she acts like this is that she deals with stress and overstimulation excitement by frantically panting and wiggle-bouncing and can't calm down; I hate frantic behaviour in dogs. Thankfully, she's only like this with a select few people and there is a reason for it, too. Not just because she's a stressy dog (she's not - she's normally the most easygoing dog I've ever known).

Ripley: I'm surprised that all of the traits I love about Journey, I don't love about Ripley. He's very affectionate, but in a desperate, can't live without you, dramatic, pushy way. I can't stand it. I'm constantly telling him to give me/people space and stop moaning and groaning and whining about everything. He's also very physical, but again, in a more demanding, in your face, very there way. He just does everything with too much intense desperation. And part of what makes it extra annoying is his size. He's a very large dog, and everything he does is that much larger and moreso than if a smaller dog were to do those same things. Something that I'm surprised I do enjoy about him though is his indifference to new people. To me that's ideal. I love my happy, overjoyed Journey, but I do prefer indifferent dogs most of the time.

Dance: I'm not sure. I'm not really surprised about the things that I like or dislike about her lol. They are what they are. I love how happy, talkative and eager and animated she is, and I hate how frantic, nervy, grouchy (with people/dogs) and reactionary she is. But, as said, I'm not surprised I like or dislike those things.

 

[sassafras]

As it turns out, the things I thought I didn't like in dogs are actually things I really love in dogs. So, everything?

 

[Southpaw]

Ripley: He's very affectionate, but in a desperate, can't live without you, dramatic, pushy way. I can't stand it. I'm constantly telling him to give me/people space and stop moaning and groaning and whining about everything. He's also very physical, but again, in a more demanding, in your face, very there way. He just does everything with too much intense desperation.

So this just comes standard with a dobe, huh.

 

[Toller_08]

So this just comes standard with a dobe, huh.

I don't know haha. I generally think of it as a boy Dobe thing based on Winston/Ripley. I miss Keira. She was so unobtrusive and polite and small and wonderful. She was also demandingly loud and independently minded in a royally snooty way, but I can forgive that haha. I always think and say that I don't want another Doberman... but I like Keira Dobermans. Just not Ripley Dobermans lol. (I do love him, but it's a love/hate relationship).

 

[Slick]

Surprise Likes
- His nubbin. I generally like full tailed dogs, and did not like Leo's tail, but now it's the cutest.
- His size. He was a little small for me at first, but now he is the perfect size.

Surprise Dislikes
- The shedding. He sheds a lot more than I initially thought and it's just...everywhere.
(A lot of its my fault, cause I don't brush him every day like I should, which does help a lot).

 

[Applebear]

Surprised how much I enjoy triking with a dog by my side. I am trying to be patient and let Rip grow to go on longer rides, but so far we both love it. I also kind of like and dislike his clingyness...part of reason I love chows so much is they don't need constant reassurance [want a cuddle, get it but they don't linger at your feet longing for a pat]. So I'm a bit surprised I love it, buuuut at times it can be too much...when he knows I'm outside, he starts to yowl and I don't like that. Long as he doesn't think I'm there, he's quiet...moment I pull in driveway and he starts up. I guess you would call it intelligent SA....he KNOWS I'm coming back, but can't stand me not being in his sight when he knows I'm outside in earshot [if any of you have advice for that....be great-I've actually had neighbors call and ask if everything is ok]. :/

I HATE Rolyx's prey drive...HAAAAAATE and I've never seen a chow get so crazy [I've had some that get excited, but not screaming like a banshee, pacing quickly like they are about to have an heart attack]. He even gets excited over garbage or a leaf blowing across the way because it simulates something alive. Gotten to the point, if he gets too excited....he gets put inside while the others and I stay out. It's toned down a bit, he's decided timeouts kind of blow.

I'm surprised how much I love to cuddle with Knarly. I would literally struggle to sleep if he wasn't there for some reason [maybe a overnight at vet, etc]. When he started having accidents [both falling off and weeing] on my bed, I had to stop letting him sleep with me....was very hard. Eventually I got Rip, and have found he can manipulate that bod into any spot and has become a great bed buddy. I feel bad here, like I'm replacing Knar...but we snuggle other ways now.

 

[Elrohwen]

I wanted a calmer more mellow dog, like an adult golden who likes to do things, but has kind of a gentle old man demeanor. Turns out Watson was completely crazy for a couple years, and now I really like crazy. He's finally mellowing out and I tell him to stop being so boring. lol

The breeder would share stories about Hazel and I would say "Sounds like my kind of crazy!" and she would say "Oh, so you like crazy now?" My requirements in a puppy have definitely shifted from "I want middle of the road and calm" to "Give me the crazy one!"

 

[frostfell]

i used to think, and i used to want, a dog that was devoted and wanted to be in your skin at all times, and loved everyone with a passion and thought everyone was his best friend

after owning a few dogs like this i find i cant handle the sheer level of "LET ME LOVE YOU" and i think i would rather have a dog that gazes at me adoringly from across the room and is content with that. very surprised that as affectionate as i am to my dogs, i dont want a dog that NEEDS that just to be happy.

 

[StompinT]

Chloe the shih tzu - She doesn't like to cuddle, and it makes me sad. I assumed she'd be a snuggle bug, Nope. I adore how hilariously confident and sassy she is, and how she finds a way to get her needs met. She'd have no trouble surviving as a street dog

Louis the Bouvier - I despise his prey drive. I am surprised at how intrusive it is to our everyday life. Add to the fact his huge size and sheer physicality (he's now 87 lbs at 11 months) and managing it is a challenge. Thus my earlier ranting post and discussion about prong collars.

I love his huge size and sheer physicality. LOL! I absolutely love how non reactive he is to sounds and activity around the house. Nothing seems to phase him, or frighten him. So his confidence is pretty cool.

 

[smkie]

Pepper is a hard little dog in everything she does. She doesn't cuddle, she trods upon and flops down, like a concrete block. Pet her, and she is like petting a rock. It makes it very hard for her to receive what it is her little wee heart truly desires, specially from the children. I love her intelligence and her quick wit, because she has one.

 

[teacuptiger]

Surprise like- Roxie's needy touchiness. I'm not a touchy person with humans, and have a lot of personal space. I don't like people in my own family getting in my personal space, and rarely get huggy with them. But with Roxie, I actually kinda like her need to be touchy with me.

Which I think my family gets jealous about, lol. Roxie just has this calming way with her, and she pushes me to be more touchy feely with her, I guess? Idk. But I never thought I'd actually enjoy having a dog like her. Y'know, that whole, "pet me pet me, okay stop and let me lick you, I'mma sit on you real quick and you can resume the petting and hug me and I'll lick your face" deal.

Sometimes she's just straight up needing physical contact and being held and stuff. Which is a bit awkward cuz she's 40lbs and has a spine no matter how fat you try to get her.


Dislike... er... no idea. I'd say the SA, but that's not exactly a surprise there, lol. But it's really the only thing I dislike about Roxie. And only because it's caused so many fights.