Your dog vs family dog

We always had individual dogs growing up, I had my BC, my brother inherited the "family" dog, my parents had their dogs. Between my husband I now, the dogs are definitely mine, I take them to work with me, I train them, I feed them, etc. He does play with them/love them up, but if I leave the room they are always hot on my heels. I feel awful that it's this way, when Classic was still around it was easy because he was always home with my husband, it wasn't dogless for the majority of the day for him like it is now. I keep hinting that my hubby should get his "own" dog, one to take to car shows, sleep with him (he works nights), hang out in the garage with him, etc. I think he's warming up to the idea.

Does anyone else separate your dogs like this? I have my hands full with the merle girls so I absolutely cannot take on the responsibility of another dog right now, but he has so much spare time. Is it difficult to live like this?

Nope, we absolutely do! We both feed, potty, pet etc. But, the dogs, for the most part (minus the BC, Finn), know exactly who they belong to. We each train our own dogs, we each take our own dogs running, each spend "family time" with our own dogs in the living room when we have off time (lately it has not been together) etc etc The dogs all love both of us, but when push comes to shove, they know who they go to.

Finn, Jason's BC, likes women better it seems and has taken a strong liking to being with me all the time. I have started handling him because of this - but this is unique for us among our dogs - we handle our own usually - even though we participate in all of the same sports.

Dogs are very personal around here.
My mom has her dogs. I have mine. We feed/walk/groom/almost entirely separately, they sleep in our bed rooms, they travel with us.
lol it feels weird saying it..but yea, people notice. I don't even have pictures of my moms dogs on my computer and they ignore me for the most part unless my mom isn't home.

My boyfriend has HIS dog lol I of course love on his dog and such but when he leaves the room, his dog goes right on with him. lol I call his dog his 2nd girlfriend.. she is such a hussy. She is obsessed with him and is the typical lab in many ways. Loves to get dirty, swim, go for rides in the car, EAT EAT EAT..

but yea, for me, dogs are a MINE thing.

Oh, definitely! Blaze is without a doubt my dog. The other day, Blaze was standing outside by the door, looking in. My brother started waving his hands in front of the door and Blaze did not even notice, he was completely focused on me, behind my brother.

A few days later, Blaze was standing beside my dad and I had started walking away. My dad starting waving his hand in front of Blaze to get his attention. Nothing. Blaze was totally focused on me walking up the stairs.

Lizzie is definitely my dog, too, as she just responds much better to me than to the rest of my family. However, she is more of a family dog than Blaze.

Jake (beagle) is definitely my brother's dog. And Major (Poodle) is a family dog. He'll go to anyone.

I agree with Fran that dogs are a 'mine' thing. We're pretty much the same way. I just can't motivate myself to put the effort into other family members dogs that I do my own...

I live part-time/ish at my dads house and spend a LOT of time with their 2 dogs. I love on them, they're always happy to see me, I usually feed all 3 when I'm over there, occasionally I'll bathe Lilly, or walk her too, etc. But, Buddy is 100% my step-moms dog. Lilly is more-so my dads dog, but she's for all general purposes a 'family' dog. And same thing with Jackson, he seriously LOVES my dad (probably his second fav person next to me), but he's still MINE. My dad is the 'fun guy who gives me lots of food' (in his mind, lol) but when he really wants something, or is relaxing, he's close to me and follows me.

Their dogs need SO much training and yeah, I could work on it... but really, I feel like ... why? They're not my type of dogs, I know any work I do is going to be erased by my dad and step-mom anyways because they won't keep up with it, things like that. I have no motivation to 'fix' anything about them, LoL. I do try to order food online for my dad so they aren't stuck eating whatever is on sale at the grocery store, and help out, but I'm not going to put MY effort and energy into worrying about all the things with them that I do with Jackson lol.

Rose is "the family dog". She has her favorite people (my mom and myself), but she's just the generic dog. Chloe was mine, but now she's a "family dog" - or as much of one as she can be, considering anyone but my sister and myself hate handling her for fear of being bit.

But, Mike and I definitely have our own dogs. I help him take care of the three munchkins, but they are his. Cynder, especially. Cooper, mostly, and Gracie is about half and half between us. When I had Seabees, she was my responsibility and while he enforced rules and played with her, she was mine. I assume a new pup will be much the same way.

All three of our dogs are technically mine. I do all the training etc. He helps feed and walk sometimes, but usually its me. Bamm was mine prior to me even meeting Josh. Cricket is mine even though I got her after we were married. He wanted a new shotgun and I wanted a puppy.

Joey is mine and Josh isn't super fond of him though he is warming up to him more. He just isn't used to Joey's abundant personality lol.

But ya, there's no doubt the dogs are mine even though Bamm is growing pretty close to Josh and is Josh's favorite of our crew.

Josh does want his own dog, but its more than likely going to be a while because 3 is more than enough for us to handle right now.

Izzie is mine. She pines for me and is stuck to me like glue when I'm home. My parents have their own two dogs and its easy to tell they're theirs. I could work with them but that bond isn't there. I wanted to maybe use chai as my second agility dog but a) my mum won't cut her food back at all to help slim her down a bit and b) she's 6 and has no concept of learning and she honestly frustrates me as she's been basically taught that do nothing = good and think = bad.

I don't mess with it. Mum likes how her dogs are and think that I don't let mine "be a dog" enough. Whatever.

Well, it's just me at home, but when the kids and I visit with family, it's very clear who Gambit belongs to. Argon was a very chill dog, and had no trouble being with anyone. No one but me and my parents will even consider handling Gambit, and they won't take him overnight.

Everyone likes the puppies, though, and wants them. Strange how no one wants them for more then one night, though....

All five are mine, even Charlie whom was my sisters and is now mine, doesn't pay her much attention nowadays. I sometimes feel bad when other family members want to spend time with them, but the dogs just kinda brush them off.

Zander is definitely mine and Jin wants his "own" dog because Zane isn't really "our" dog. He still helps out with Zander, and will play with him and such, but at the end of the day, Zander still comes to me.

It's actually been him that's more worried that his dog will eventually become mine because I'm going to be helping in training, and I'm the one that's always around while he's gone days at a time. But he won't have this same job in Italy, so I don't think it's going to end up that way.

I don't think I'd be comfortable with a "mine" and "yours" relationship with someone that I was living with unless the dog came before I did. Or on the flip side, if I already had a dog and then met a SO.

With regard to pets of my parents, if they (once I am independent and living entirely on my own) go and get themselves another dog besides Boo, yes, that dog will be "their" dog. I'm sure I'd help out when I visit, but I wouldn't consider it mine to control, the way I consider Boo partly mine.

But if I end up married to someone and we go out and get a dog that is going to live with both of us, I would want it to be "our" dog regardless of who the dog chooses to like better. Just the same way that when living with my family, every dog we have had has been "ours." Maybe I just have a more communal mindset.


**ETA - I feel the need to elaborate on the "someone I was living with" statement. I'm referring to a SO or in the case of when I was growing up, my immediate family. I'm not referring to a temporary situation like a roommate.

Yoshi is definitely mine. She'll play with my dad or brother. She doesn't see my brother that often but plays with my dad almost every day.

But when it's time to calm down or cuddle I'm the one who she comes to. I'm the one that feeds her, takes her to the vet, sleeps with her.

It's not like a one person dog where she dislikes anyone else. Yoshi loves everyone and everything. I'm just her favorite XD

For me, I told DH point blank. "You aren't just marrying me. You're marrying Zander too. We come as a set, and if you can't handle it, this won't work. Zander will be just as much a part of the household as me." I came with him, it's either both of us or neither of us. And to this day, we have a back up plan just in case he gets stationed somewhere Zander can't go. I stay behind with Zander. That's the deal. Zander isn't a table or a tv we can just get rid of when we no longer want.

It's actually what prompted him to want his own dog. He wants a relationship like that, that heartdog you'd do anything for. And it's not my business to get between that. I don't expect him to "share" that with me, just as he doesn't expect me to "share" Zander with him, although Zander is typically thrilled with Jin as a playmate....it isn't the same bond.

Yes, Trent is definitely and 100% mine, and was from the very beginning. The rest of the family loves the family pets, but are not dog people. When we were puppy hunting, we weren't getting a dog for the family, but a dog for me. Even though I am not always the one to feed him, I'm the one who plays with, trains, exercises, and manages him.

Same here. My sister was complaining a while back that Trent did not like any of the new toys we'd bought, because he wouldn't play when she offered them to him. I picked up the said toys and Trent immediately jumped up and went crazy over them.

My sister's also mentioned before that it doesn't feel like the family has a dog. Just that we are sharing our house with one. Her cat likes me more than Trent likes her :rofl1:

This!

Every time I've dated since I got Yoshi I've always made it very clear that Yoshi is part of the package. Want to go away for a weeked? Awesome she's coming.

Jack is definitely mine, and Missy is definitely my mom's. We both feed, let outside, and give attention to both dogs, but I rarely train Missy or take her anywhere, and my mom doesn't do anything with Jack. I buy most of the food and treats and all that, just because of where I work, but I pay for Jacks vet bills and my mom pays for Missy's.

I would say that the cat is definitely mine, as I take care of her the majority of the time. But she doesn't seem to have a preference for one person over the other lol.

Roseys a family dog (cause, to me, if your parents buy the dog, have the dog in their house, buy the food and pay the vet bills of the dog (granted they don't anymore, but they did for the majority of her life), the dog is theirs/family dog), but is legally and emotionally mine. I buy the food, I pay the vet bills, I get woken up at 4am when something is wrong, I make the decisions concerning her life.

I would say our dogs our "ours" though they lean more towards "mine". Figured this was just the way it is as DH is not as much of a dog person....then we fostered Chupy and DH was SO attached so quickly. He is still sad thinking about him though he is happy he is in a great home. He loves the dogs we have now, but he definitely had a stronger connection with Chup