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I love both of my dogs very much but I find myself comparing them to each other all the time. My Buddy is a Lab/Shepherd mix that I have had since he was 8 weeks old and he is now 2 1/2. My Siera is a 4 to 5 YO sheltie that I found abandoned and I have had her for almost a month. My lab/mix was the easiest dog to train. I had him potty trained in no time and learning his commands came so easy. He has the" I want to please" of the Lab mixed with the intelegence of a Shepherd. My sweet Siera, on the other hand is just now starting to potty train and still has several accidents and she hasnt even learned sit yet. I do know that she is older and never been trained and it will take some time but I am always thinking that Buddy learned to sit in one day and I have been working with you for weeks and she still looks at me like "what?? On the other hand my little Siera just love pets and loves to snuggle. She is so excited when I get home and loves me to death but Buddy is O.k. quick pet, maybe some tug-of-war then let me lay down and sleep on my couch.
How about the rest of you, do you compare your dogs or your dog with your friends dogs.
I will say this about my two, they really compliment each other. With one being smart and gentle but not much of a snuggler and the other one being so sweet and adorable but not as easy to train.
I will say this they both make my life better by being in it.
I have two dogs, Buster 3 yr old pug/schnauzer mix and Bella an almost 2 yr old Lab/Blue Heeler/Rottie mix. I got Buster at 8 weeks old and to compare training him to Bella is like night and day. He picked up potty training pretty well but had more accidents in the house then Bella. I got Bella when she was 3 mo. old and she picked up things very quickly. She is very easy to train and teach new things to, minus walking on a leash which they both suck at lol
I think because she has lab in her it was easy going from the start. Buster is so stubborn and Bella just wants to please.
Unfortunately, yes I do compare. And I really shouldn't because I will never in my lifetime have another PC. We have yet to meet a dog that is even close to what he is, personality and temperament wise. I think the biggest difference is that he's been with us since 8 weeks, and is truly a reflection of us and a total mama's boy. He was a dream to housebreak, never chewed, never had any behavioral issues, just a very easy dog to deal with. It probably helps that we were, and still pretty much are, with him 24/7 so he doesn't know what it's like to be alone for more than 2-3 hours at a time.
Our other we got at 11 months, just days before his 1st birthday, and he definitely has the personality and habits of his previous owners, since they had him from 8 weeks til they dumped him at almost 1. We have no idea what happened in his past, which to us is a huge disadvantage since some of his bad habits are very hard to break. The two dogs couldn't be any more different, but it works out since one is very submissive and the other more alpha and they get along wonderfully.
I don't "compare" them, but I notice they have very different personalities. They have personalities too, just like people do.
Heck, I love dogs, so any dog works for me!
But of course I will notice when one has a special personality, likes to play with others, is more/less affectionate, prefers a certain kind of food, etc.
For me, that is not "comparing" it is just "paying individual attention" to them.
I can compare my 2 dogs ALL the time. We actually got our Doberman at 6 months of age (she is now 4) and she was the only dog we had for awhile, she learned to sit, shake, speak in 1 day at 6 months old. Then 2 years later we got our German Shepherd who was 4 years old at the time, she only knows sit, shake (we've tried teaching her, she doesn't seem to get it!) anyways, our Doberman NEVER used to bark at people/other animals but the G.S. on the other hand barks at EVERYONE so the Doberman of course started copying her behavior, as well as trash eating/eating cat poop from the litter box! (I clean it every other day) it's very frustrating when they pick up the BAD habits from one another.
Their personalities couldn't be any different though. The G.S. is a very, very, very independent dog (she will not cuddle, ever--she will growl at you the whole time in the process) and the Dobe absolutely adores cuddling, she isn't happy unless she is sitting on my lap, and at 90 lbs. that's not very much fun! But she is the sweetest girl IMO.
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