Getting the balance

[LindaM]

Stuart I'm sure if I stroked him every time I passed him he would be up following me, lying in front of doorways, blocking the route through the living room by spanning the space between two chairs. I like it when he feels chilled and can just relax and be 'off duty'.

He is probably not as bad as I'm making out. I can go to the loo without him sitting outside the door

Just as I am typing this he was asleep on his side, then my daughter came into the living room so he moved and got into a lying down with his head on his paws looking at me. I didn't look at him (I don't think), then she went out then he went back to lying on his side not bothered again. And he has now moved again and has put himself in a place where I can't go the loo, the kitchen, the garden without stepping over him or asking him to move. Is this normal?

Just out of interest I got up and went into the kitchen. He moved out of my way then followed me.

He is a very quiet dog on the whole, not very vocal but doesn't seem to miss anything.

I think I am thinking too much.

[Stuart]

I think this is quiet normal, especialy for a lone dog, any lone Shep will want to be where ever you are, even if that is just in a position to watch you,...I feel Kee`s eyes on my very often

A lone dog will act differently to three, if I was to go out of the room and no dog followed me,... then fine, if I go out of the room and one dog follows me then the other two have to follow as well

They are just very socialable, they need to be part of you. its part of that bond that grows, and the stronger it gets the better your dogs obedience should be,..so build on it

a dog does nothing just for you, ......any dog only does something for what it gets in return, so he only sits when you ask because of a treat or effection, he only gets up and comes to you because of the praise he recieves and so on,..so the more that bond grows between you and the dog, the better the chance of the dog doing something for you in order to gain from that bond,..i.e. praise, treat or pet

[LindaM]

I think my house would be quite crowded with three sheps following me

Anyway whatever it is, he is lovely and I'm hooked. It's nice being able to have a chat about him.

Most of my friends don't like dogs apart from one who likes Lukey and he is very affectionate with her.

I discovered my daughter had been pinching all the strawberry creams out of a tin of chocs. She must have left the empty wrappers somewhere and Lukey found them, so he put one wrapper 'in my path' then a while later other one then half an hour later another one - I swear he knows what he's doing.

[RainbowLass]

Rogue is my shadow sometimes, but i ignore her. I heard that its important not to step over a dog if you want to be past, that you need to tell it to move as thats what pack leader would do.....
not that i believe the pack leader stuff but i think that's how it works in the wild???

I tend to give affection on MY terms, its like play...... Rogue doesn't initiate play, I do and she is happy to be near me, but not on top of me which, as a human i like my own space and would prefer not to have a gsd on my lap most of the time!

I don't feel like i'm being distant with her, she gets all the praise she wants so long as she's worked for it.... but, like Stuart I'll often give her a fuss on my way past or run my hand along her back.

Alot of our bonding comes from walks, and 'work' (we're working on recall and some tracking at the moment!)

A dog has to fit in to your lifestyle, become part of your pack. I had a very demanding great dane before i had Rogue and she could be a nightmare at times, very needy and very clingy and it made me impatient towards her if i'm honest. The way i see it, the dog fits in around YOU, not you fit in around the dog.
So long as you are comfortable with the amount of affection you give and receive, then you will know that you have the balance right.

I hope that helps.....

[nisbreagha]

They are a strong breed but as someone said earlier most dogs will challenge you to some extent. A bit like Staurt said having three increases this challenge even more. Just as I'm typing my hubby just got a bit excited at the footie on tv and the 2 sheps we're right up at him checking what he was fussing about he just ignored them and they went back to bed and that's the norm in my house the sheps move if we mover unless it's really late and they know we are just heading off to bed! My JRT is different again she's happy to cuddle up in the couch and if you move to make a cuppa or go,to the loo she just takes the opportunity to stretch out across the seat she is a completely different dog outside! I don't let mine follow me from room to room they have to stay in the living room and in general they do that sometimes if I leave the door open I'll find Froo in my bedroom next to my side of the bed and Lizzy in my bed under the covers, Nis however is my sook and she's at my feet t the couch. Firmess but fairness I think is needed at some point with most dogs, Froo takes a telling easily and curbs her behaviour! Nis is now fondly called Naughty Nis as she likes to push it mainly out on a walk when she wants to tell Froo and Lizzy off for going a bit to far from me, and Lizzy my JRT requires the firmest hand out of the three, she has claimed down loads but can be a terror and needs you to ontop of your game or she would take the piss big style, on more than one occasion not long after getting Froo Lizzy went for her and were as Froo listend to my command and done as she was told Lizzy had to be physically pinned to the ground and given a wee shake to get her out of her mind set at the time, luckily this was only a couple of times and I knew how to handle it and move them on without too much nonsense and Lizzy has more than accepted Froo.

[Moobli]

Not that I am encouraging anyone to add to their canine family but I have found that having more than one (I have three GSDs and one BC) has helped my relationship with my dogs.

When I only had one shepherd, we lived on our own and in each others pockets. She became rather over-protective of me, of her "territory" and of the resources I provided and this made her a bit of a headache. I look back now (this is 15 years ago) and realise that I treated her far more as a best mate, rather than my being a leader and in charge. There is nothing wrong with your dog being your best friend, but I don't think the balance is right when you are on an equal footing. She took far too much responsibility on her canine shoulders, instead of looking to me to guide her. I found that adding to the canine pack over the years changed the way in which the relationships worked - and that I actually started treating my dogs like dogs, rather than hairy humans This, in turn, really helped us all to understand the boundaries and didn't put too much responsibility on the dogs to make decisions that I should be making. I think we are all happier because of this.

[RainbowLass]

Originally Posted by Moobli

Not that I am encouraging anyone to add to their canine family but I have found that having more than one (I have three GSDs and one BC) has helped my relationship with my dogs.

lol, no.... please... no encouragement i'd have a whole pack of gsd's in a two bed barratt box!!!

[nisbreagha]

Originally Posted by Moobli

Not that I am encouraging anyone to add to their canine family but I have found that having more than one (I have three GSDs and one BC) has helped my relationship with my dogs.

When I only had one shepherd, we lived on our own and in each others pockets. She became rather over-protective of me, of her "territory" and of the resources I provided and this made her a bit of a headache. I look back now (this is 15 years ago) and realise that I treated her far more as a best mate, rather than my being a leader and in charge. There is nothing wrong with your dog being your best friend, but I don't think the balance is right when you are on an equal footing. She took far too much responsibility on her canine shoulders, instead of looking to me to guide her. I found that adding to the canine pack over the years changed the way in which the relationships worked - and that I actually started treating my dogs like dogs, rather than hairy humans This, in turn, really helped us all to understand the boundaries and didn't put too much responsibility on the dogs to make decisions that I should be making. I think we are all happier because of this.

All so very true once you realise this and start to treat them as dogs your relationship with them changes I definitely felt that with my first JRT once I realised that she respected me more when I didn't treat her like my baby our relationship changed so much it was such an important lesson and has made bring up my other dogs so much easier and much more rewarding and joyfully.

[LindaM]

Thank you for all your replies. They have been interesting. I think in the main we do have the balance right most of the time.

I think as there is only one of him and my husband is not in the best of health and sleeps a lot that he would want to stick to me like glue.

I think I was looking for a bit of 'affirmation' that this breed are all a bit 'different' shall we say.

If he gets too clingy I can change the balance but he is def different from any other breed I've known.

I think I might have said before I think it's a compliment to our relationship when he doesn't follow me intot the garden to hang the washing out when he could. LOL I don't mean he could hang the washing out mmmm but ..........

It seems 'never a dull moment' though

He doesn't take the mick too much and is by far the best behaved dog we have every had so I must be doing something right some of the time but it is nice to hear from people who have been looking after them a lot longer

I have noticed that although he will often 'block an entrance/exit' he will leave enough room for me to get past.

Anyhow I am well and truly smitten