What do you LOVE and HATE about your dog?

[Squishy22]

I know "hate" is a strong word. Maybe "dislike" or "can do without" would be better choice of words.

With the things I dislike, I still love Reggin like he is my son. That will never change.

When I got Reggin I went aginst my best judgement as he was very skittish and weary. Scared of people, scared of other dogs. The worst out of a litter of 13. I was the first stranger that he would come up to. To me, that was a sign that he was the one. I've had to work through his problems and he is better temperament wise than I originally thought he would be. He was the most timid puppy I have ever come across. That is not typical of the breed. But I listened to my heart, and my heart told me that he was the one, despite his problems.

 

[jess2416]

I dont hate anything about Chloe....

She is who she is and thats why I love her....

 

[mrose_s]

Things I HATE

His DA is number one, it effects on both our lives so much. If he was better around dogs I could take him more places, he coulkd come into town with me, or to the markets and I wouldn't have brought as muzzle for him just to go to the vet. I do know its my fault he has this issue thouh, bad experiences, not fixing them and notr socializing enough.

He has to crazy mark everything, he's fine in the house. I think he'd rather explode than go int he house but he marks on the verandah for crying out loud! He's sneaky enough to do it when I'm not watching though. lol

That as soon as we leave the house he'd prefer not to interact with me, he's improving but he's still such a weird dog to walk. Toys are a complte no go except for occasionally he will get stirred up and want to play with the leash and occasionally if he is with Mac and offleash and whatever he will chase a ball a few times.
For years he wouldn't even take food treats on walks which made training so much more difficult. He'd grab them just spit them on the ground.

Things I LOVE
That I just went looking for him and found him curled up beside my chair

I LOVE his coat, its so much thicker than it looks and relaly soft to touch, his undercoat is annoying but I love brushing him.

I love his attitude towards strangers, he's just not interested. Once people are in the house for a while he'll start to like them but outside the house, no one else matters in the slightest.

I love his attitude with the other dogs, expecially Mac, he takes just about anything from her but will put her in her place if she gets over the top, never hurt her just make noise mostly.

I adore his face, he is just so bloody pretty, his markings are gorgeous.

I adore his little tail, seriously I never want a dog with a long normal tail now lol,his has so much personality its the best.

I love his snarl, he can get his lips right up over alll his teeth, very impressive. Him and Harry used to play allt he time, Harry would annoy him till he would snarl, then Harry would attempt to snarl (ended up looking like a seal) Buster would grab him in the nose, Harry would wait it out, Buster would let go, Harry would jam his nose into Buster's mouth etc till he finally got him to wrestle.

I love his embaressed face he gets sometimes. When he relises everyone has just watched him do something really silly, he hates to be laughed at.

Taht he is as happy curled up beside me now asleep as he is out jogging.

That he now sleeps inthe same bed as Elliot, the cat he once upon a time wanted to have for breakfast.

That at 21kg, he still likes to sit on my lap when I'm on the computer sometimes.

When he occasionally gets zoomies they are the best I've ever seen.

 

[jacko]

i hate when he wake me up early in the morning...
but im getting used to it.. LOL.. for me its all about getting used to to all of it..

 

[Whisper]

I can't think of anything I "hate" about my dogs.

However, with Lucy, I dislike that she takes any chance she can get at litter-box surfing. I don't like that I can't trust her alone in a room for even a minute, despite all the effort I put into her and time and money into finding and making available safe things for her to chew on and giving her PLENTY of exercise and brain stimulation. She was a pet store puppy and housetraining has been one huge headache.

Things I love about Lucy. She's spunky and energetic, but also has a terribly sweet, cuddly side. She has enormous ears and her face has sooo much expression. When I talk to her she perks her ears, her little forehead wrinkles show, and she tilts her head. She's the best tug partner. She can rival an APBT on a springpole. She has the weirdest conformation and has a long llama neck, LOL. She never minds if I hold her and she rests her head on my shoulder.

I really love everything that makes Lucy Lucy, because I love her to death the way she is, even the parts that make me want to rip chunks of my hair out, because I know if something happened to her, I'd miss her antics and all.

Millie. . .what can I say about my best buddy? I don't dislike anything about her. I can't think of a quality I love in dogs that she doesn't have. Lack of confidence and being too insecure to think outside the box have been problems for years (which is interesting because I have exactly the same issues), but this last year, and even much more recently, she's been making breakthrough after breakthrough.
I love playing fetch with dogs, and I once found myself wishing Millie had an interest in tennis balls. I read up on encouraging retrieving in The Culture Clash and an hour later whe were ending a 45 minute game of fetch, something she'd never done in the 6 years I've had her but mastered so quickly.

I totally love how in tune to me she is. This dog has literally saved my life, and I'll forever be in debt to her. She's also drastically improved my day-to-day life and with her being my SD I'm not afraid to be a person and go out and about again.
I love how energetic and athletic she is. She will go and go and go, then when I'm ready to be done, she stops and is perfectly content to cuddle.
When she gets cactus in her paw, even if it's deep enough to be bleeding, she walks gingerly over to me without whining and holds her paw up as if to ask me to take it out.
Millie is also fabulous off leash. She has extremely high prey drive, particularly toward rabbits, but when I call her off one she turns on a dime and comes straight to me.

She's my heart dog, my soulmate, and my best friend. She's loyal, beautiful, intelligent, responsive, stoic, athletic, eager-to-please, loving, intuitive, unique, funny, and er- I better stop. Just so you know, if you ever want me to hear me ramble on and on without stopping, ask me to talk about my Millie-dog.

ETA: I also love how adaptable Millie is. She's been all over the place with me, has spent the night in weaird places, and is perfectly fine as long as she's with me.

 

[Renee750il]

I hate the fact I will most likely live to see all of them leave me.

I love everything else.

That pretty much sums it up . . .

Tallulah still has some housetraining issues, largely, I think, due to the parvo playing Hell with her intestines and from having to spend way too much time kenneled previously, and she does love the sound of her own voice at times - like at night when she's trying to prove she's the bestest watchdog EVVVARRRRRRR. But we deal, and it's no big deal, especially now that I've got some ironwork over the windows so she can't go through the screens, lol!

The quirks of the other two that would likely be a pain for a lot of people are part of what I love so much about them, and part of the many reasons we understand each other so well

 

[BostonBanker]

Meg is perfect. I don't think there is one thing I would change about her, even if I had the chance.

She is flawless with people; she adores everyone, but in a quiet, polite way. Her idea of heaven is sitting at your feet and leaning against you. Her house manners are unbeatable. Never inappropriate chewing, she doesn't steal food, she housebroke in less than a week, and she only gets on furniture with permission. She can be off leash all day with me and doesn't wander. She never bothers the horses.

I love the way she is a sun magnet; she is such a southern girl, and will always find the warmest, sunniest spot to nap. I like the way she will happily visit everyone in the room, but if I get up and leave, she comes with me. I love how she can spend 24 hours a day with me almost every day, but on the rare occasions I have to leave her home alone, she just goes up to bed and sleeps on my pillow until I return. I love the squinty-eyed, slow blinks she gives me every morning when it's time to get up, like "Really? Can't we sleep in today?". I love that she will sleep as late as I want to.

 

[youhavenoidea]

Hate:

- The carrying on in the crate when I try to leave - we're talking the loudest / most hideous bark / howl / squeal / "aroo" for I'm guessing at LEAST 10 minutes every time. Though, it's partly a learned behavior from the other idiot-butthead-who-shall-not-be-named *coughs*tan APBT*coughs*


Love:

- The fact that he's such a smiley, happy dog.
- The fact that his personality makes me laugh at least once a day - he's the hugest ham sandwich I've ever met. LOL
- The fact that even at his age, despite his usual "active greetings", he's always uber gentle and calm kissy-face with kids (go figure, I can't stand kids, but my dog loves 'em!)
- The way he'll stand on the other side of the kitchen like a free-stacked little statue (like in my siggie) while I'm doing something, and the second I even take one step towards him, his tail becomes a blur.
- That when he gets the zoomies outside, he tucks his nubbin under his bum and runs around me playing "catch me if you can", and is proud beyond description when I "can't" . . . but STILL comes when called, as soon as I decide the game is over, and it's time to go in.
- The fact that all it takes to make him feel like king of the world, is for me to take him for a car ride to the store with me at midnight, rather than leave him home. Even if the store is only a block away, and I don't buy him a treat.
- The fact that he's sooooooo trainable, and fun to work with.
- The way he works himself into my daily rituals - like how it is his sworn duty to lie patiently on my bath mat (whether the bathroom door is open or not) to lick the moisturizer from my legs when I get out of the shower, and though he gets in the way and makes my legs slimy, I would never remove from him, this honor that makes him so happy. LOL


And the biggest one of all (though I could still go on and on):

- The fact that he's my dog, everyone knows he's my dog, and that even in his every day normal activities, it is abundantly clear to anyone who sees us together, that his loyalty belongs to me. He comes to me for comfort, craves me for play, looks to me for direction, and is most content in my presence. I know it sounds kind of weird and bratty, but I bond fiercely to my animals, and it swells my heart to an untold degree, to have that fierce bond reciprocated. And even though I take opportunities whenever available to teach him independence so that he doesn't develop problematic separation anxiety, I secretly love that he tracks where I've walked through the house, looks for me, and waits by the door for me, when I leave.

 

[SmexyPibble]

I hate how Bailey barks & barks. Love everything else.
I hate how Georgia doesn't do what you want her to do until you do something to make it clear that she HAS to do it. Love everything else.
I hate how Elly is so obsessive over her toys & lets Molly bully her. Love everything else.
I hate how Molly is a big, annoying bully & how she loves jumping on everyone and everything. I hate that we've had to make the decision to put her to sleep. I love how sweet she is to me.

 

[ACooper]

Phoebe, what I dislike:

She needs to be bathed constantly because she gets a stinky funky odor. I have never had a dog that stinks like she does so quickly. It's baffling. The shedding..........not one but TWO different color hairs (black/white) so nothing you wear is safe! LOL
Her snarkyness towards Orson.........sometimes it's warranted and other times she's just, well, a BITCH!

Phoebe, Likes:

She is GREAT with children, no better childhood dog on the planet.
She is a very friendly dog with people and other dogs. She has very good judgment on when to be protective (proven in the past) and when to be friendly. Very good example of a well socialized dog that can still retain the power/instincts to protect.
She has too many "likes" for me to post them all..........those are the main ones I can think of ATM

Orson, what I dislike:

His male aggression. It makes it very hard to take him everywhere I go like I used to.
His trash raiding, but that has been solved by the trash fortress of doom! LOL
His weariness of people he doesn't know. I know it's part of who he is, but I wish he were more pliable in that area.

Orson, Likes:

His never ending zest for fun. I love the fact that he can be a total clown even at the ripe old age of TWO! LOL
His attention and love for everyone who lives in this house.
His smarts..........the way he can watch you do something and try to do it himself (like taking the trash lid off )
Again, there are way too many likes for me to list.

 

[adojrts]

I hate the fact I will most likely live to see all of them leave me.

I love everything else.

DITTO

Chokes me up to even think of loosing them especially Petie.

And they don't hate me for any of my faults therefore I hardly have the right to even dislike an of theirs.

 

[Whisper]

Boston, that's another thing I love about Millie, that she lets me sleep in. Lucy's bouncing around on me at 5:00 AM, sticking her tongue up my nostril, or dropping a sticky, drooly toy on my face. Millie sleeps when I am. She's content to cuddle or sleep when I want to, and when I want to go out she'll come with me and behave wonderfully off leash for a 3 hour hike.
I love how much she's taught me. She's taught me about love and life in ways I know they'll never leave me.

 

[Whisper]

DITTO

Chokes me up to even think of loosing them especially Petie.

And they don't hate me for any of my faults therefore I hardly have the right to even dislike an of theirs.

Agreed.

I get choked up, too. Sometimes I look in Millie's eyes and just start crying. She's been with me since I was nine years old. She's truly my soulmate and best friend. Then when she comes over to me to lick my tears away I just feel even more afraid of losing her.

I worry about losing my monster, too. She's a fabulous little dog, and she has the ability of cheering people up immensely. In the last two weeks I've had my friend and my mom's ex-roomate want to come over to see Lucy because they were down. Forget me, they wanted to see my dog, LOL.

My pair are a perfect cure for depression. Millie, the sensitive one that keeps a watchful and intuitive eye on me, and Lucy, who is so incredibly funny and silly, who can get a smile or laugh out of me just by being her hilarious self.

 

[Squishy22]

I forgot something about Reggin that I really really hate, and its really gross. Sometimes he will pee on his front legs while urinating. He lifts his leg and his angle is off. And the fact that he pees like a pressure washer. The streem goes way out there. All over his front legs. GROSS. Yes, that I HATE! LOL. And there is no way of training a dog how to pee correctly, unfortunately.

 

[MyHorseMyRules]

What I love about Raja:

-She wakes me up in time for work, but lets me sleep in on the weekends. I have never had a dog do that. She is my oddly accurate furry alarm clock.
-Her happy dance that she does when I am about to set her bowl of food down.
-Her weird fascination with Gwen's ears. She has to try to chew on them at least once a day.
-Her brown/green/gold eye that changes constantly.
-Her ability to charm even the most avid dog-haters in my family.

Well, I could go on all day. So, I'll just leave it at that for now.

Raja's Faults:

-

Well, I'm sure there are things that have irritated me... But none come to mind at the moment...

EDIT: I wish she could just finish taking a poo instead of trying to walk off in the middle of it. Does that count as a fault? Or just one of her many quirks that make me laugh?

 

[Bailey08]

What I dislike:
Well, he's a puppy, so all of the "normal" puppy behaviors. The house training, the jumping, the humping, the insane barking when he's in his kennel and wants out, and the cat chasing. Also, his stubbornness on leash (he doesn't go unless he wants to!). We are making progress, slowly but surely.

What I love about my Baileybutt:
His crazy happy energy and absolute love of everything, others dogs and people being his two favorite things in the world (followed very closely by treats and his toys, of course!). His complete lack of fear of anything. His goofiness. His mismatched ears (one up, one down, and I really hope they stay that way). His sweetness – my favorite time of day is when I wake him up during the night to potty, and he comes out and sits in my lap and snuggles. And how good he's been for me.

 

[wcladymacbeth]

I hate that Maggie is still so shy around new people. I hate her separation anxiety - how she howls in agony whenever we leave. I hate that she thinks the basement is okay to poop in.

I love how excited she gets - when I get home from work, when I even whisper the word "walk" even if it's in the middle of a sentence, and how excited she is to see even Justin when he gets home I love how cuddly she is, how she lets me use her as a pillow. I love how she loves to lay on pillows and under blankets just like she's a person. I love how cute she is. I love how she loves other dogs and isn't a bit shy around them. I love what a good girl she is!

 

[Hairy&Stumpy]

I love:

Their minimal shedding
Their discriminating tastes
The way they think about things
Their long coats and expressive ears
Their sloughing coat
Their sturdiness
Their speed
Their tendencies toward couch potato-ism
Their empathy towards me

I don't appreciate:

Their general mistrust of society in general
The sadness they can exude
That the boys don't get along
How quickly their nails grow

 

[girlbuffalo1]

love and hate

Honey:

Love: how tiny she is, her cute little tooths bucking out from her lip, that she is like a real live little teddy bear, she does so well on walks and is finally coming out of her shell

Dislike: she is still very fearful and it takes a "good girl come here, aww baby it's ok" in a sickening sweet voice to let her scurry your way. She doesn't like to sit by us on couch and would rather be on the other side of the room--oh and she likes to eat Wrigley's poop.

Wrigley:

Love: that I can trust him whenever and where ever and he won't rip things up or go to the bathroom where he's not supposed to. He knows tons of tricks. He is rapidly improving in agility. He doesn't mind it when I hug him and flip him every which way and carry him like a baby.

Dislike: he HATES kids--even from 50 feet away a silent child not moving swiftly or anything will make him growl. He is food obsessed--to the point where sometimes his agility classes do not go so well due to him trying to eat every spot off the floor. He pulls terribly on leash--I have tried leash corrections, going the opposite direction, harness, slip leads, treats--nothing seems to work.

 

[Kela]

I love that Tribble: (my poodle)
Doesn't shed
Is very affectionate and even knows when I'm sad or just need to hug him
Is just beautiful and is complemented everywhere we go
Was potty trained almost instantly and so easily

I hate that Tribble:
Doesn't know how to behave around children yet. Anyone have a kid I can borrow to teach this? lol

I love that Monkey: (my chi)
Is the most affectionate dog on the face of the earth
Is the smallest dog most people have ever seen
Loves everybody and is great with kids (he even lets them hold him akwardly!)

I hate that Monkey:
Will never be completely potty trained
Is really dumb and difficult when it comes to any kind of training
Doesn't have a tail, it broke off when he was a baby before I got him
Is so fragile