The "easy dog" and "hard dog" thing

[frostfell]

i would say my dogs are definitely easy, by anyones definition. they are smart, but not too smart, willing to learn. not pushy, not in your face, happy to run and play and happy to turn Off too. likes toys but is fine with no toys too. easy keepers. listens even when off-leash.

iv had hard dogs before, d/a dogs, h/a, reactive, prey drivey, neurotic, everything under the sun. cant stand em. i want a dog thats a joy to be around, that brings me peace, not a dog thats one more chore in my already overworked overstressed under-happy life.

i dont necessarily respect or admire people who have "hard" dogs, because some dogs are just giant PITA with no benefits. people with "hard" elite working dogs, on the other hand, get a great deal of kudos from me. maligator people, im looking at you

 

[Xandra]

Easy for me means I can do what I want with the dog and I don't have to consider the dog much.

I want to have people over, I never have to worry about the dog being sketchy or getting excited and peeing all over the place, etc.

When I want to go boating with the dog, she climbs into the boat, no need for 10 minutes of desensitization and coaxing. She just gets in.

I'm busy studying, the dog is happy to chill without bothering me much.

I want to walk the dog to the grocery store and grab a couple of things, the dog is fine being tied outside.

I want to take the dog to the bottle depot, the dog is fine with being tied in the car while we sort.

If something bad happens the dog brushes it off, none of this "oh no that umbrella bit me I can never go near an umbrella ever again!!"

No destructive behaviors, minimal pacing and whining, learns quickly and is biddable, is calm, confident and "hard" in that the dog is unphased by misfortunes.

Also, the dog is healthy and hardy, ideally vet visits are only for rabies vaccinations.

Roman hits the mark on some of these things, he's pretty good in the house but as soon as the car is involved his mind deteriorates rapidly. OH WE'RE IN THE CAR GREAT OFFLEASH PARK RIGHT? OH NO, YOU'RE OUT OF THE CAR BUT I'M NOT, I THINK I'LL SQUEAL ABOUT IT FOR A WHILE, WHAT KIND OF AN OFFLEASH PARK IS THIS CAN I GO OVER THERE AND PEE ON THAT GARBAGE CAN? WHY AM I TIED UP? WHY AM I TIED UP WHY AM I TIED UP WHY AM I TIED UP WHY AM I TIED UP WHY AM I TIED UP WHY AM I TIED UP me me me me me me memememememe meeeeeeeeee

That is not easy and it's not at all cool.

Of course there are other things that I like in a dog besides easiness but easiness is one of the big ones. If I ever breed dogs it will most definitely be a criterion.

 

[Toller_08]

I always find questions like this hard to answer.

Journey as an example, I find to be an incredibly easy dog. She's busy and she's energetic, yes, but she is also quite content going multiple days without much in the way of exercise and is just a really good house dog. Never has been destructive, is quiet, sleeps and cuddles... just really easy. She's also super easy to train because she's so motivated by food or play and also just loves to make me happy.

However, with another person? Journey could be a nightmare. She's easily over stimulated, if there are things moving (particularly other dogs), she wants to chase and will bark in frustration if she can't and needs a lot of practice with focusing and impulse control. She needs a lot of people time, whether it's just sitting and snuggling or actually doing something. For as easy as I find her to be, I know that she would actually most likely not make a very easy family pet for a less dog savvy person. She certainly could do it, but she'd probably drive people crazy with her business or I could see a non dog person accidentally creating an activity craving, "go, go, go" Journey by accident. Because she will go for hours and hours on end, and a lot of people believe that if a dog will do that, that they need that much, and it's not true. So yeah, in short, I think Journ could be a bit of an annoying, neurotic dog with the average family. Pretty much like most of the Aussies I meet with people who didn't know what they were getting into haha.

On the same token, I find the Dobermans to be somewhat difficult, when in reality, I think a regular dog family would love them and not see a problem at all in most aspects. I just find them overly needy, in your face in a pushy way, noisy (always complaining about something), not very people pleasing, etc. But the average pet person looking for a laid back family dog? Those things probably wouldn't bug them. As long as they could teach them to sit and stay with a few treats, they'd be set haha. They sleep most of the day, barely need any exercise (at this point in their lives), are quiet, aloof but friendly with visitors in the home... lots of easy things. But yet I still find them to be a lot of dog somehow. Just a clash in our personalities I guess.

With that said, I find that dog people often do frown upon the term "easy dog" too. People always talk about how naughty and bad their puppies or dogs are in the classes we take, and I'm just over in the corner like "my puppy is an angel" lol, and then they think she must be boring. When in actual fact she's not. Dog people seem to like to hear about how naughty peoples' dogs are. And then pet people want to hear about everyone's perfect, good, impeccably mannered dogs.

 

[Equinox]

Trent is not a naughty dog, but he is not an easy dog either. And I don't mean that he is a difficult dog to own, but rather, a difficult dog to fully enjoy and appreciate if you didn't want a dog like him in the first place. Would he suffer with a beginner who didn't know Shepherds, but could provide him with basic exercise, care, and training? Probably not. But in that situation, would he also be an enjoyable pet/companion? Doubtful. With him, it's not really a matter of experience or skill but rather of preference.

He's definitely not a troublemaker, though. I regularly leave an entire dinner tray of food on the bed, just inches away from him, and a simple "leave it" is enough for him to ignore it. Of course, he's not perfect. Just this weekend I had put down a plate of tortilla rolls on my desk and went out the room for just a minute - when I got back, there was Trent standing by the desk, gingerly licking one of the rolls. He knew he wasn't supposed to eat it, so I guess he went for the next best option :rofl1: I let him have that one. But between that and occasionally scarfing down the cat food, I can't really think of any other examples.

Oh, and there's his new found love for climbing any sort of elevated platform, but he thinks he's impressing me with that one.

 

[*blackrose]

I love easy dogs. I would not do well with a high maintenance dog. And by high maintenance, I mean that they NEED something daily to stay sane. They NEED to work, or they NEED to run, or they NEED to train. No no no.
(I also wouldn't do well with the exact opposite...a dog that doesn't want to do anything or have anything to do with you.)

Essentially, this:

Easy for me means I can do what I want with the dog and I don't have to consider the dog much.

I want to be able to go about my routine and live my life without worrying about the dog.

I consider Abrams an easy dog. He bounces off the walls most of the time, but that is because I don't exercise him. (I'm a horrible, horrible person.) So, instead of going for a walk or running around in the yard (as I don't have a fence), he instead runs around inside. Which means a 65 pound dog barreling around a one bedroom apartment playing fetch for hours on end. LOL I'm all like "Meh", but to other people, that would probably be very, very off putting. For me, it's okay. I don't mind having a toy thrown in my lap while I watch TV, and if I'm doing something where I can't be interacting with him (like in the morning when I'm getting ready for work), he occupies himself with toys and makes up his own games. The key being that when I actually do give him the minimal exercise he requires...he's an absolute angel. And even when I don't, he still settles if I need him to. I guess I can live with the constant games of fetch because I know I'm doing it to myself, and if I'd just drive and walk him for an hour in the cold he'd be fine and dandy.

He rides well in the car. He's good with small animals. He's non reactive towards dogs. He loves people. He's quiet in the crate. He doesn't destroy (most) things. He loves kids. I can leave him in the car for an hour+ and he's cool with it. He's good off leash. He's good on leash. He's food motivated. He enjoys learning. He's responsive. He's smart. He's able to go all day if I need him to, but sit around all day just as easy. He doesn't care about being manhandled. He hasn't ever offered to bite.
He's an easy dog.

But heck, even Chloe, who is a DR/HA/anxious mess is an "easy" dog. Yes, she has to be put away when guests come over, and yes, she tries to crawl inside your skin when it is storming outside...but she can be left alone inside without a crate all day long with no exercise and be 100% fine. I think my family literally feeds her, gives her water, and takes her out to pee three times a day and she is thriving. Actually, I think if she were in any other scenario she wouldn't do well due to her HA/anxiety issues.

 

[SpringerLover]

Buzz was an incredibly challenging puppy, adult, and still can be at times. He counter surfs and he loves to run away. He also has a love affair with comfortable places to lie. I can't even tell you how many times he's tried my patience. And yet, I adore him because most of the time I can embrace it. He's easy in the sense that he has absolutely zero separation anxiety and I can take him anywhere/leave him anywhere.

Bailey is so super easy to live with in the house if she doesn't have to see other animals on a regular basis. She pretty much came to me house trained at 8 weeks, sticks close naturally, doesn't counter surf, learned in just a few short training sessions to leave reachable things on low tables as well, and is just a Good Dog. However, she is dog reactive, resource guards, and is physically unsound. Her life is one big management plan. Her living with my mom is absolutely ideal. Her living in the city is a disaster.

Gabby is 95% perfect. Most would call her boring. She does pretty much nothing in the house if I don't ask her to do something. As soon as I get my keys and tell her we're going somewhere, she's READY! She's a wonderful take-along dog. Her only vice is eating underwear... She loves to work and explore and go place but she so rarely demands anything that I just adore her personality like crazy.

I love my "easy" dog so, so, so much.

 

[JacksonsMom]

This thread has been so interesting!

Like how most people said, it's really hard to judge, because I find Jackson pretty easy. My dad thinks he's so much work and very annoying at times. But he acts up a lot more at my dads house because there's so much commotion, other dogs, cats, kids, AND my dad lets him get away with murder.

But, like, he's pretty much "bombproof" in a lot of ways and I love the fact that I can take him anywhere and I know he's going to be awesome, and behave, and just be an all around good boy. Whether it's a new city, stores, vacation, hotels, new houses to visit, dogsitting for other people, etc. I love that he's so into food (even if it = horrible begger) because he will do anything for it, and is very easy to train. He is active, yes, and does need some form of physical activity and mental to be more "chill" but he's honestly content with a 30 min walk and maybe 10 mins of trick training. He could definitely use more to be extra well behaved but that amount just makes him settle easier. If we don't do anything, he will come up to me and whine occasionally, but usually either ignoring or telling him to go lay down, he will.

My dad loves their dog, Buddy, who is a Dachshund mix, thinks he's sooo easy because 90% of his day is spent sleeping. But he's so hard to train because he's not easily motivated. He's untrustworthy around people and kids, and definitely has a high potential to bite, so you've got to be careful with him. He barks incessantly at strangers. Sure, he's easy in the sense that you don't need to do anything with him to make him go lay down and sleep. But everything else would be incredibly hard for me to deal with on my own dog.

The only reason I don't think Jackson would be good with an average pet owner is because of his fear of strangers and his few quirks. He's never been aggressive but he's not the kind of dog that would tolerate being picked up by strangers, or kids a lot, and I do control a lot of interactions closely just to be on the safe side, and do things that others wouldn't pay attention to. I don't trust when I am not home, and my mom and 5yr old sister are home with him, because my mom tends to be nonchalant or not pay attention and he's really bad with food if no one is there to watch. So if there's 5 slices of pizza on a table unattended, he will not hesitate to jump and get them. So I worry about that kind of stuff.

I guess he's somewhere in between because he's not 'easy' but I wouldn't consider him 'hard' either.

 

[Moth]

Well, Watson just got done showing off his hard side He destroyed a pair of shoes... all because he did not manage to convince me to take him for his evening walk early.

He has times where if he is not channeled properly he finds inappropriate ways to act out his frustration and/or boredom. He does not handle frustration as well... he is also terribly clever and easily bored...a dangerous combination.

On the other hand he can also be totally chill and sweet as honey.

Menchi she is a doll...usually very laid back and sweet. She has her moments too though. If she does not want to cooperated with something it is not always easy to convince her otherwise.

I know what dogs I find difficult... I could not live with a dog that never chills out. Incessant pacing would drive me batty.

One of the most difficult dogs for me was my mom's basset hound who while pretty laid back could not be motivate to do anything...or cooperate ever.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Easy for me means I can do what I want with the dog and I don't have to consider the dog much.

I want to have people over, I never have to worry about the dog being sketchy or getting excited and peeing all over the place, etc.

When I want to go boating with the dog, she climbs into the boat, no need for 10 minutes of desensitization and coaxing. She just gets in.

I'm busy studying, the dog is happy to chill without bothering me much.

I want to walk the dog to the grocery store and grab a couple of things, the dog is fine being tied outside.

I want to take the dog to the bottle depot, the dog is fine with being tied in the car while we sort.

If something bad happens the dog brushes it off, none of this "oh no that umbrella bit me I can never go near an umbrella ever again!!"

No destructive behaviors, minimal pacing and whining, learns quickly and is biddable, is calm, confident and "hard" in that the dog is unphased by misfortunes.

Also, the dog is healthy and hardy, ideally vet visits are only for rabies vaccinations.

Yes that's a pretty good list as to what I would consider 'easy' too.

Jackson only passes for a few of them though :rofl1:

So yeah he probably wouldn't be easy by normal people standards at all.

I used to watch two Golden Retrievers who were definitely very much 'easy' like this. Sometimes I crave a dog like that next time around, but then other times I do love having a bit of a quirky little guy, who is overall good.

 

[AmandaNola]

I have friends and family tell me all the time that Nola's "hard/difficult/stubborn/how do you deal with that?", but I just don't see it.
Yes, she needs to go for a run once a day and be in the yard for at least 2 hours (to run, sniff and chase birds). Yes, she needs to play ball or tug a few times a day. Yes, she needs to have a few short training sessions. If she doesn't she gets twitchy, reactive, anxious and barky. But if I don't have a similar level of exercise and mental stimulation I get the same way! So she's an easy dog for me, but I doubt she'd be for other people.

I think the biggest reason is that she's smart, and a problem solver, and very food motivated. She can open door handles, cabinets, and crates. She can jump onto the table with relative ease, clamor onto the counter and snatch any food left their. I've watched her push a chair to the counter so she can climb up. I've also seen her drop Kongs and other food puzzles off the arm of the couch so the treats fall out. You have to be one step ahead of her, and that tires most people.

She's also not overtly social. She's aloof but confident and if she likes you she loves you. She's incredibly focused but she's also mischievous and funny. She bounces back from startles and doesn't need much if any desensitization to be okay with new things. She's fine with travel, crowds, gunshots and other loud noises, other dogs (so long as they're on leash), ect.

But she has none of the qualities I consider hard, like HA, DA, RG, reactivity, food aggression, anxiety, ect, and to me that makes her easy.

 

[Paviche]

I like the definition of "easy" as a dog that fits pretty seamlessly into your life. I consider Rowan easy. He's content to lie around and nap a lot of the time, but is ready to go with me and do stuff if I offer. He's great with people (I almost wish he was a little bit more reserved but I can't really complain!), decent with other dogs, loves kids, isn't affected by any weird sights/sounds/etc. He's pretty bomb proof. But I would imagine other people would NOT consider him easy. He is very, very, VERY emotionally needy. He needs cuddles. He needs reassurance. He has some separation anxiety, although that has eased off quite a bit as he's gotten older. He is extremely attached to me to the point where, if I'm around, he loves people, but if I'm gone, all he'll do is lie around and mope and look sad until I get back. It drives my boyfriend crazy. In the end I think he's too needy for a lot of people to really enjoy, when they're the subject of it at least, but other than that he would make a good family dog. Dog park 1x/week and some intermittent walks and running around between and he's good to go. Very reliable in all situations.

Riff is not what I consider easy, nor would he be a good dog for the "average" pet owner. Time and time again I wonder what the real reason his old family had was for rehoming him. They told me that it was because he pestered their old dog too much, but I kind of suspect that was just one reason, not the reason. They had two little kids, busy lives presumably, and another dog. Riff is a handful. He needs a lot of physical stimulation on a regular basis or else he gets destructive. He is afraid of strangers, which they did not tell me, but it's so pronounced there's no way he developed it after I got him. In fact he was pretty scared of me the first few days I had him, but I chalked it up to nerves from his whole life being turned upside down. He's not focused which makes him difficult to train, although the more we bond, the easier it's becoming, I've found.

He's a dog that would be way too much for your "average" family, but at the same time he's not what most dog people want, either. He's in kind of a gray area as far as his ideal home. I'm glad I found him, because although I wanted to pull my hair out for the first couple months, I'm enough of a dog person that I stuck it out and now he's wonderful, despite all of his... quirks. If he'd gone to someone else looking for an easy pet, I have a feeling he would have been passed around to several homes. For me, having a dog that I consider difficult is not a positive challenge or something worth bragging about, it's just... a challenge. I'm constantly doubting myself and my ability to provide the sort of life that he needs, but I make it work because I love his silly little face. My relationship with Rowan is much more simple.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

What do you like? We probably got it. What do you hate? We probably got that, too. Shambles was by far my hardest dog in the beginning, but only because I never really lived with a busy, intelligent, persistent asshole before. He's frustrating and believes every thing he can't over come can be plowed through or physically forced and I think he's a blast. My boyfriend, on the other hand, cannot stand him for the most part.

I can see most people not being able to stand Jonas. He's incredibly needy (not just a velcro dog but NEEDY) and incredibly people/dog selective. I'm great, my boyfriend is acceptable, one of his brothers and one of mine are fine, every one else can go to hell. Not aggressive, but he's happy to not socialize with you or your dog.

Other than him, every one is dog and people friendly. Sham is not really interested in socializing with people, but he's happy to be around other dogs. Elsa and Jack would kill each other if given the opportunity, so we have a rotation system and I get most people don't love that and would avoid it but I don't think it makes them hard dogs. Sham is crated but I believe at this point he would not destroy any thing.

 

[HayleyMarie]

I find both my dogs pretty easy. For the average dog owner, not so much. Teagan is snarky and bitchy and has no problem inflicting a small nip and a growl when she is in a pissy mood. She is fully terrier after all. Training is pretty easy, she is highly toy and food motivated and settled easily in the house. She is also pretty aloof with strangers, which I love . I can admit I hardly take my dogs on walks during the week, but on weekend we go on long, fun adventures. I just find walks boring I would rather run around and play with the dogs in the yard.


Pan is so far pretty easy. The breeder did an awesome job picking him for me. He has a great amount of prey and toy drive. He is also highly food motivated. He is just starting to alert bark and posture at things that don't belong so I've been workin at hopefully training him what's appropriate and what's not. Ask me this question again when he reaches maturity lol.right now he is polite, a little aloof with strangers. Obviously panzer would not do well in a home that has no idea what they are getting into breed wise. But so far he is an easy puppy for me.



Mitsu was NOT an easy dog. Mainly because she was high energy and stupid like a bag of rocks. She also has had to be micro managed with other dogs. If she got overly excited her outlet was to attack the nearest dog. I think she would be a disaster waiting to happen if in the wrong home.

 

[MericoX]

Kiba was, and has been, the perfect beginner dog. No behavior or issues since day one, other than being a stubborn bitch at times. All of her bad habits now (begging, getting into trash) are all dumb-handler related. She was so perfect I wanted another one just like her.

Enter Stryder. Who was a beast of a puppy. He chewed, he threw temper tantrums, you name it. Everything that Kiba didn't do, he did it, and then some. He finally settled down a little bit around 6-8 months, and then hormones kicked in. He was easier to live with after I neutered him around 3. And when his brain finally came back earlier this year we've started meshing a lot better.

Lincoln is an easy dog. Has since he was a baby boy. He can sometimes be slow to motivate, and he's the NAUGHTIEST DOG EVER. I don't know if a normal person could honestly put up with him, which is good as he's mine forever!!

Charlie... other than having to go to the dog park every other day for 2 months when I first got her to run off all her pent up energy, she's been a dream dog. I can bring her anywhere, throw her in any group of dogs, and she's perfect about it.

 

[mrose_s]

I count Quinn as a hard dog. Mainly due to her lack of early socialisation and crappy genetics. She reacts before she thinks and she will forever be a bit fear reactive with other dogs. She's made me a better handler just due to the fact that I have to be incredibly clear with her, very aware of my body language as well as hers and my reaction time has increased ten fold.

That being said, she's a cracker of a dog but I wouldn't wish her on anyone wanting just a pet. She's a constant effort.

Buster, if he had better early socialisation would have been able to fit in anywhere. Great off switch, really cruisy but enough drive that he probably would have been able to be competitive as a sport dog. Eager to please and loves to be active but also happy to do nothing for days on end if thats what is required.

 

[GipsyQueen]

Gipsy was an easy dog. Esp. now that I'm able to compare to Zora. Gipsy wasn't a goody two shoes by any means. She stole all the things, she escaped, she had her crazy days, but all in all she was really layed back.
She never barked, only occasionally brought you a toy and was actually pretty chill with just hanging out all day.

Zora is different. Zora can be difficult. Zora is NOT a first time pet home dog. She has DRIVE, and she has lots of it. She needs not only physical entertainment but also brain simulation or she goes bonkers on you. To get attention she'll nip at your calves or feet and just generally chew on you. She doesn't really have an off switch (it's gotten better, but if she's over simulated, oh boy). If she's bored? She'll bark at you. She'll bark at you until you throw her out of the room.
She is NOT ok with hanging out all day. She chewed a hole in the wall because she was left alone for over 5 hours. She is not an easy dog, and she is certianly not a dog for your average Joe. You have to be extremly consistant with her.
She is a fast learner though - which is great because it's alot of fun to train her. Brain games? We have to think of a new one every few days because she out smarts them continually. She never steals and is gerally pretty good. But she harder. not hard, but harder.

 

[Elrohwen]

I think Xandra nailed it with the definition of "easy". For me, an easy dog is one that fits seamlessly into my life and doesn't require a lot of management or special care. I don't see anything wrong with an easy dog and it was one of my criteria when looking at breeds.

Watson is pretty easy. He has a stable temperament and even if something spooks him he bounces right back. He loves all people and all dogs, including kids and pushy/annoying dogs, and is able to get along with anyone. He is generally calm and well behaved in public and can go anywhere. He would be tough for someone in an apartment because he barked a lot in the crate for months, but he's really settled down with that. Even his barking in the car when he can see me has significantly diminished. He's a sweet dog who loves to cuddle, but he isn't needy or in your face - he just wants to lay pressed up against you on the couch or at your feet, not crawling into your skin or anything. He's never been destructive except for things like socks or clothing that get left within reach. He jumps on people and counter surfs like crazy, but no worse than pretty much every other pet dog I've ever met. While I've done a lot of training with him because we enjoy it, he's the type of dog who could have almost no training and turn into a good family dog (eventually, after getting through the adolescent crazies). He can be a little wild when he's over-aroused, but again, not any worse than most other adolescent dogs I see out and about. He needs exercise, preferably every day, but a 30min walk would be good enough most days.

A "hard" dog, for me, is one who is DA, HA, or very reactive. A dog that needs hours of exercise a day would also be hard, but I'm not sure how many dogs really need that vs people give it to them so they crave it. I would go crazy with a dog who had absolutely zero off switch in the house. Out of my friends' dogs who I know best, one is extremely reactive and would be very hard. One is shy with strangers and new places. One is awesome in some ways, as a super smart high energy herding mix, but tough in others because he's reactive and needy. All of these "average pet homes" love their dogs and do quite well with them and I think there are a lot of other people out there with hard dogs who adapt to them and deal with them just fine. The dog might be better off with a great trainer who would fix their issues, but most people seem willing to work within the dog's limitations. My dogs growing up were very reactive with other dogs and the female was spooky with strangers, but they were great house dogs and good for our family.

Personally, I don't know anyone in the dog world who looks down on the easy dogs. The people we train with tend to be laid back and while they will tell crazy dog stories, they clearly love and value the sweet laid back dogs too. One woman breeds siberians and some of hers are nuts (which she obviously likes), but she also adores her sweet mellow boy who never causes trouble and is a super easy dog. We're just getting into agility (last night was our first class) so that will open up a new world of dog people who potentially value crazy and I'm interested to see if they feel differently.

 

[Taqroy]

... he is also terribly clever and easily bored...a dangerous combination.

:rofl1::rofl1:

I met a couple Basenjis at some dog event around here and one of them just looked intelligent. Human intelligent. It was fascinating but slightly disconcerting. I'd love to meet Watson some day.

I know of a lot of pet homes that put up with insane, what I would call "hard", behavior. My sister's dog barked at her non-stop for the first four months, ate anything that wasn't tied down, broke her leg about three weeks after Megan got her, and is basically a giant pain in the ass. Pixie is 9ish years old now and still an adorable pain in the ass. And her house is the definition of pet home - she does the very basics of training and exercise.

I consider my dogs pretty easy. Aside from our crating/rotating system anyway. Murphy and Tipper would be perfectly fine in a pet home (as long as Tipper was well exercised). They like training but they don't NEED it. Mu needs to be trained, she needs to be engaged, and she needs to have a job. I love that about her but it does make her difficult to live with sometimes. Her dog reactivity bothers me far more than her need to do something though - it's a lot harder to take her places now because I have a hard time managing her and the baby.

 

[Emily]

I dunno, in truth it's so complicated. I can tell you what most "pet people" want, but then there are some that are surprisingly tolerant or that put up with some crazy ****. I'm always shocked when their dog has eaten a couch, bitten a family member that lives in the household, or still regularly poops inside, and they're like, "oh oops, meh." LOL 0_o And they don't want to use a crate either... Go figure.

I temper my answer based on the person, especially if it's a client and I have some idea of their experience and the kind of lifestyle they lead with their dogs. All generalizations are just that - general. They can provide rough guidelines but they're always going to be rough. I am sometimes touched and surprised by the dedication "average pet owners" display. And then sometimes I'm horrified by their ignorance and lack of commitment to even simple issues. I find it more productive to list potential deal breakers or difficult behaviors honestly.

Regarding my own dogs, Macky is easy. No caveats.... well except maybe the whole persistently obtaining and eating foreign objects. :rofl1: But she is a great dog that just about any family would be lucky to have. Keeva is easy too if you don't mind that she's loud and bossy, and not strange-dog friendly. Otherwise she is chill around the house, fun to be around, and listens well. She was an ungodly busy terror as a puppy and literally never stopped moving until about a year old, but now at 2.5 she's really a great little dog and spends most of the day either being snuggly or hilarious. <3

Blossom is not easy. That is not about my ego or how I'm so different than pet people or how my CRAAAAAZAY Mal is a dog no one else could handle. I WISH she were easier because then I could leave her at home without feeling like I'm burdening the hell out of others or worrying about what she's up to. She is just... a handful in many ways. I'm sure nobody wants to read a novel of her shenanigans (though I could probably fill one) so the long and short of it is that her guardiness/territorial/barrier aggression, prey drive, and extreme impulsiveness (if you think, "Would should really go through/under/over that? The answer is always YES even if it seems physically impossible. Learned that the hard way.) She's also a bull in a china shop when excited (hello broken vase...). And she requires constant supervision. I trust only a few people to handle her. Part of that is me being conservative and assuming the worst, but another part of that is just reality. My parents like her but don't want to watch her. So she comes to work with me every day. It kind of sucks, because if ever need to go somewhere for more than 8 hours and can't bring her with, I have to drive her 40 minutes into the city because our PSA club's training director runs a kennel/daycare and there is no where else I would send a barrier aggressive, dog reactive, bite trained Malinois for daycare/boarding.

*shrug* I don't take that as some sign that she's some ultra hardcore dog; it's not a sign of drive or intensity IMO but rather a side effect thereof, and the result of a lack of early training that could have instilled better choices and impulse control. My lifestyle makes her very livable but a great many people don't want that and she's not for most homes. And I don't think she's atypical for her breed. Meh. As my mom said, "Blossom, I do love you but... you're just not easy." She is happy for me to leave Keeva home while I'm at work but asks that I take Blossom with me unless I really just can't for some reason.

But lest I make her sound like a monster, she chills around the house when nothing exciting is going, and is super duper sweet and silly and fun to be around. And gives great snuggles in bed. A really enjoyable dog. I don't consider her a burden or something I deserve a pat on the back for. I chose to keep her knowingly exactly how she was. Just not easy and not what "most pet owners" want. Her sisters live in pet homes - experienced, well-equipped, and very dedicated pet homes (one is an retired K9 handler), and they're doing very well. But "average" pet homes, no, it would not go well.

And yeah I sure as hell don't look down on easy dogs. Mackenzy is baby-gated in a side room at work where she can see passing clients, with a sign on the baby gate that says, "Yes, you can pet me." And I love her for it. And I love taking Mackenzy and Ollie to the dog park and enjoying their social, bombproof natures.

 

[Sekah]

I always find questions like this hard to answer.

Journey as an example, I find to be an incredibly easy dog. She's busy and she's energetic, yes, but she is also quite content going multiple days without much in the way of exercise and is just a really good house dog. Never has been destructive, is quiet, sleeps and cuddles... just really easy. She's also super easy to train because she's so motivated by food or play and also just loves to make me happy.

However, with another person? Journey could be a nightmare. She's easily over stimulated, if there are things moving (particularly other dogs), she wants to chase and will bark in frustration if she can't and needs a lot of practice with focusing and impulse control. She needs a lot of people time, whether it's just sitting and snuggling or actually doing something. For as easy as I find her to be, I know that she would actually most likely not make a very easy family pet for a less dog savvy person. She certainly could do it, but she'd probably drive people crazy with her business or I could see a non dog person accidentally creating an activity craving, "go, go, go" Journey by accident. Because she will go for hours and hours on end, and a lot of people believe that if a dog will do that, that they need that much, and it's not true. So yeah, in short, I think Journ could be a bit of an annoying, neurotic dog with the average family. Pretty much like most of the Aussies I meet with people who didn't know what they were getting into haha.

Yep, this sounds about right.

Cohen is easy in that she can settle if asked and isn't destructive. She's resilient in the face of stress. There are weeks where I don't so much as bother to put a collar on her, let alone a leash, and she'll join me on walks around the neighbourhood, through parks or forests. Though I've often thought that if she ended up in another home she'd likely be moderately-to-severely reactive.

The hardest part about Cohen, I find, is related to her resilience. She just doesn't care about mild reprimands and will push boundaries constantly. For instance, she knows she's not allowed near the garbage cans, but every single time I take her out off leash she'll wander to the cans and start sniffing. One quiet cue from me and she'll happily turn around and leave them alone, but every. single. time. she needs to be asked not to. I walk her off leash constantly, but I find that I chatter at her constantly to keep her out of trouble. Harsher verbal and physical reprimands seem to roll off her like water off a duck's back. I'm sure in part this issue is due to my training (or lack thereof) but I find it's the most exhausting part of dealing with her.

I find the Chihuahua as easy as I do due to her being content with sleeping all day every day, and due to how sensitive she is to verbal reprimands. It's horrible to say, but I don't much care about her so I don't put much effort into training her. She'll come when called, and if she's being a pest I can send her off to bed and she'll stay out of my way for a while. Easy peasy.