Here on the forum we often see posts with owners struggling with a new puppy or adolescent and hear 'My old dog never did any of this. He was such an easy, good boy', or some words to that effect . Well it seems we might suffer from 'Rose tinted glass' syndrome . This blog popped up on my FB feed yesterday and thought it good share as a reminder that one dog isn't better/easier than another - just different http://www.kristibenson.com/blog/20...oured-spectacles-loving-your-here-and-now-dog
Very nice article , and so true ! Must admit that I fear having another dog because it wouldn't be like Sam , but then my rational side says of course it wouldn't !
Paul mentioned the other night that Sam had been such a good puppy , never put a paw wrong and I agreed . Then I took off the rose coloured glasses and thought about when he chose to remove and eat all my cooker timer buttons , when he decided to wreck the kitchen mat , when he dug up and chewed the hall carpet , to name but a few ! Selective memory is a wonderful thing ! x
Doug was good he was known a st Douglas from puppy hood no rose specs he was just good a very easy dog. Moo was a nightmare from from the start . She's been hard all her life but funny so so funny. We worked it out. Rory has had many things to work out but I fell head overheals for him straight away. He's still a work in progress. I think there maybe something wrong with me though I've enjoyed them all regardless of how much trouble I got in with them. I've forgiven Moo for the broken collar bone the sleepless nights and worry about her waywardness, I adore her. I loved Doug still waters do run deep and Rory the antidote to sadness and loneliness.
As a pup, Harley was brilliant except for pulling on the lead and she hated her crate if 8 was home. These two things were really huge challenges, but we worked it out after months and months and months. All pups are different and yes, some, like mine, slept well, housed trained quickly, was fine being alone (I watched her on webcam) and has always been gentle with me, but they all come with some challenges as I said above. They are always changing as they grow up, even when they go through the teenage stage then eventually calm down, there will always be things to work through. Ours now is reactivity to some dogs. Most people on here I find are quite open about the challenges they have been through which is rare amongst fellow dog owners.
Holly was a great puppy: almost no chewing, moderate biting, very gentle temperament, didn't really pull on the lead, house training was no big deal. But she loved poop. She's still the same gentle soul and very steady around other dogs, but no amount of training has resolved her poop fixation.
As a pup, Tilly was less of a challenge than Cooper, but now that Cooper is 2-1/2 she is actually better behaved than Tilly.
It's so true; we keep saying that Maxx is so different to our 1st dog Benson who died 7 years ago. We said that Benson was never naughty, never chewed...and then off with the tinted glasses and I recall seeing a yellow fur missile charging through the clean sheets on the line or swinging from a towel...the growling over food and the constant, incessant digging. So yes, every dog is different and maybe we shouldn't compare. Instead just enjoy them.
Well.. Bowie is my first one so I wouldn't know. But when I mentioned to my husband of getting another dog, he was like 'Really??!! Another one??!! I'm not ready yet!!'
I have an elderly dog and a new young dog and I'm already doing it! I had to be reminded the other dog that my first dog at one time ate 10% of his body weight in garbage and used to mark at my parents' house!
Wow, this is a fear I have when I get my new puppy. My last dog I already put up to the level of sainthood(my avatar) will no doubt cause me to say to my new puppy”why can’t you be like Shelby who was a breeze to train?” Due to rose tinted glasses syndrome. Seriously, i’ve already forgotten all the trails he put me through, that’s why I’ve been reading like crazy everyone’s posts to remind myself that, oh yeah, it wasn’t as easy as I falsely remembered, lol. Thanks everyone for helping me remember and better prepare me for what I have in store
