Your Dog's Public v. Private Personas

[Bailey08]

How do you think your perceptions of your dog differ from the general public's? Does your dog behave differently in public versus private?

It's always interesting to me how people "see" Bailey. I think the two most remarked-upon personality traits are his happy disposition and his bond with me. (These are generally with "dog" people -- like vets and veterinary office staff and trainers.) They're both absolutely accurate. He also comes across as pretty active (sometimes people ask about his age, and he is still young, just barely 3), maybe (probably?) as a handful. But in the home, he is a super easy dog. Not at all high maintenance -- which, if you saw him in a specific setting, you may think he was. (Keeping in mind, though, that my idea high maintenance and the general public's may not correlate so closely!) He keeps track of his "people," and he's quite affectionate, but he's not clingy or a "velcro" dog, which one might expect. He is also the sweetest dog ever, and super intuitive, and those are really the things I think of as his most obvious (to me!) personality traits.

Anyway, this also came to mind because I was talking to a woman in one of our current classes about her PWD. I told her that I liked her dog and she seemed to have a really fun personality. Turns out she's a total brat in the home -- lots of barking and attention seeking and general mischief making. (These are pretty savvy dog owners, but of course you never know why dogs act a certain way.) I was surprised, because that was not my impression of her at all. She's definitely more chill in class than B!

So, do tell!

 

[Laurelin]

No one likes Mia when they meet her. Okay I take that back... very FEW people like Mia when they meet her. The only ones that really have have been dog sports people or people somehow really involved in dogs in some fashion. Even my family took about 2 months before they decided they liked her and she decided she liked them. My dad really thinks she's a cool dog now. My sister probably could do without her lol. She takes a special type of person imo. But she is VERY different with me. With me she's a highly interactive, keen, affectionate, fun dog.

She tends to go very cold towards strangers. As in typically she just plain won't acknowledge people at all. There was a lady working at petsmart really just oohing and ahhing over her. She got down on her hands and knees and really really tried to get Mia to warm up to her. Mia didn't even look at her, she just turned away and left. She holds grudges. If someone makes a bad first impression on her well.... I have never seen her forget that. Rhonda is still suffering the wrath of Mia over a year after the one incident that made Mia decide she didn't like her. She'll cohabit sure, but won't interact with her. She will also not go out of her way to appease you and she will certainly not listen to you or your commands if you're not one of a very very select few.

Summer's the opposite. 'Oh this is the SWEETEST dog!' is peoples' usual reaction to her. And she really is just the sweetest dog. She immediately goes full force into best friend ever mode.

I think most people get Summer's personality right off the bat. Summer is a pretty straightforward dog. There really isn't much to her other than happiness, love, and a touch of neuroticism. It all comes out pretty much the first second she meets someone. She's almost like a mini lab or golden who just lives to meet and love on people. any people. I sometimes wonder if she knows I exist because a new person shows up and I'm just not as cool anymore.

I think you'd have to live with Mia for about 2 months before you'd get any kind of real interaction with her. You probably could watch her with me for a while and see some of her personality but I bet most come off thinking she's a mean, aloof dog when she's really probably the clingiest dog I've had. Mia is what I term a complicated dog. I know that's not scientific in the least but there's a lot going on with her and a lot of different facets to her. With Mia you have to earn everything. Very few people get to know her and I feel very lucky that I am one that does.

 

[mrose_s]

I know Buster is friendly, inquisitive, incredibly intuitive, goofy, silly, loyal and soft tempered.
The public probably see's him as en unemotional uncaring dog. He just looks straight through strangers when we are out.
Everyone loves him once they meet him though.

Quinn I know is full of her own importance, puppy-ish, rude and naughty.
The public would see her as an overly shy dog but most "dog people" recognise her potential.

 

[Laurelin]

Oh and yes, there's a reason Mia's been banned from Chaz meets. Erin may be the only chazzer to ever get to meet Mia. Mia likes to make a fool of me.

 

[Linds]

Traveler

Dog Park/Off leash- "Oh my god that dog is fast......and crazy.....and intense.....and nuts....does he ever stop moving....or barking?"

He's crazy when he's off leash and just never stops running, jumping, climbing, talking etc the whole time. Unless you get the Chuckit out and then he becomes super serious need to fetch now dog though still talks. He does run by hellos with a quick wiggle, muddy foot print and away he goes
~~~

When Training-"He's really really focused on you and responds so fast"

When we're working he's 100% on me, eyes never leaving my face and ready to jump at any command. It's just him and I and his voice.
~~~

Casual Encounters- "He's umm, a little high energy huh? Wow, real lover though. Ok and now you're climbing in my lap and making noises. Yes we are totally long lost friends"

When people start ooohing over her he turns to mush and just wiggles up to them, between their legs, jumps on me and falls over onto them and typically ends on his back. All while going about 100 mph and making odd noises. If it's kids I can't get him away, he's on his back or giving little licks. It's adorable.
~~~

When he get's overstimulated he barks, runs and climbs on top of me. That tends to only happen outside the home and when he's really really excited. Like when I took him to a friends graduation party. Oh my god the people, the kids, the people, the KIDS. He was running laps just barking his head off while the kids where screaming TRAVELER and throwing tennis balls to him. He was so good though, listened to all their commands (he never listens to people that aren't me), let them hang all over him all while going 20 different directions. Most adults at the party were overwhelmed

At home, he just is. Lays around with me, quite vocal which he is in almost all situations, is a velcro dog and follows me room to room, plays with his toys but really isn't anywhere as high maintenance as he comes off but always jumping up and ready at a twitch.

He's honestly a great house dog for me, a lot of people would be driven nuts and my dad thinks he's constantly anxious. He's not, he's just not Hannah who sleeps all day. He moves around, he watches all my movements and he's wound tighter than your average dog but not drastically so. He can be a trouble maker with his need to be ontop of things but it's not that big of pain, he just likes to sleep on the kitchen table.

He's just, very intune with me. He's funny, goofy, happy, a thinker, a lover, excitable, energetic, dedicated, gentle, empathetic, loud, a cuddler and throws his whole self into every single thing he does.

Kaylee

The true extent to her Kayleeness is not understood unless you spend considerable time around her. It's less how she is outside and inside the house and more how she is with people she knows vs doesn't know. She's nervy and doesn't typically warm up to knew people. So when she does she comes off as sweet and shy. She always has a "I'm beaten" face going that immediately makes people want to make her like them. She also comes off really really well behaved.

With people she knows she's a creep. She's like your friendly neighborhood molester. She's got a heart of gold, some really weird idiosyncrasies, several odd quirks, doesn't listen to a word I say, raids the counters, garbage can and anywhere else she can find, sleeps till 2pm, can turn her brain off at will and will put up with anything you do to her.

She's just....Kaylee.

 

[RedHotDobe]

Rumor won't give most people the time of day. She gets so much attention and so many people wanting to meet her and pet her, and she just walks in the opposite direction. Even when I can get her to stand still and in the person's relative location, she still will not acknowledge that they exist. She almost never stands there long enough for people to get more than one pet in. Then there are the people who want to give her treats, and I of course immediately get asked if she knows how to sit. She very much does, but if it's coming out of anyone's mouth other than mine, she will not even begin to pretend she knows what you're asking of her. She's very serious out in public. No licking, no tail wagging, no barking, no nothing. She keeps to herself. At home, if they're people I've allowed into the house, she accepts them as potential attention-givers and stands right next to them quietly pleading for some pets.

At home Rumor will sing to herself. She'll surf face-first across the floor making Chewbacca noises. She'll roll around the floor, pawing at her ears like a mad woman. She'll walk up to me and just stand there staring at me, as if she's been expecting to do something and I've been keeping her waiting. She's an absolute professional at annoying me. She knows how to open the doors, so locking bathroom doors is a must. Otherwise she tends to walk by and nonchalantly open it. She'll go out of her way to craft up some elaborate plan to do something I won't like. She knows how to push my buttons, but I tend to push hers right back. She's a huge tattle tale. If something 'wrong' happens, she'll be the first to tell you. She's fairly clingy. If I'm awake and she wants to sleep, she'll stay with me and will not go upstairs to sleep until I do so also. She definitely keeps tabs on where I am in the house. Most of all, something nearly no one will ever see her do, she will so easily go into a wiggly butt tail wag and dance all over the floor as soon as I come home.

 

[Katkoota]

Both Snowy and Crystal are social/interractive with new people. They interract differently though. Snowy CLOWNS around with his goofy antics for them while Crystal showers them with kisses. Just last Sunday, i had friends over at our place and that is exactly how each malt acted.

 

[Dizzy]

Outdoors bodhi focuses on moving. Running, sniffing, playing, digging. Dogs are boring, people are boring. We interact a LOT, but she won't look at other people. We talk constantly. If I have a ball, she's obsessive!!

If someone else is walking with me, and we have a ball, she only takes it to them. Usually because her high energy ball play is a novelty for them and she knows it!!

Indoors, she's a total snuggle bug and just HAS to be near someone. Anyone!!! She's soppy, and cuddley.
I've not met many people who don't get sucked in by bodhi love. Everyone comments on her, she's a real people dog.

 

[Aescleah]

well goblin is a easy going gets along with everyone and is very happy if you sit still cause all he wants to do is lick you to death sorta guy simple as that can go wrong with that

argo is aloof snotty bizzy a alarmist and generally all over the place he is a one person dog and does not care if he is rude about it ok nothing special typical min pin but for me he is the best cuddler in the world he is not happy unless he is on my chair with me and if he is not he is pouting.

zeph is a very sweet girl not very sure what to think of other dogs and people. but is not aggressive. she loves to learn very smart. people think zeph is very friendly but she is not really, she gets nervious if you try to touch her if you are a stranger she will shy away even is she bounces in on you but after a while she will warm up but she just needs extra time. so mixed signals.

Ashley

 

[RD]

To other people, Eve is extremely high strung and far too intense. Most people who meet her don't really like her. She's friendly to other people but very disrespectful (that's the only word I can use that seems to fit) of them. I literally see her laugh when anyone tries to give her commands. She is genuinely nurturing to small children and the handicapped. She is quiet in public, except for the occasional frustrated whine/grunt if I'm trying to micro-manage her behavior. If someone is petting her, she likes to wait until I'm not looking and then she jumps up on people. It makes me want to kill her.

At home she adjusts herself based on my mood. If I am under the weather, tired or lazy, she amuses herself or sleeps when I do. She'll play by herself or allow me to do my thing with the occasional orbee thrust into my lap. She is more vocal lately than I would like, but I cut her some slack because I have 3 foster cats and Wink in the house with me.

Wink is almost exactly the same in public as she is at home. She's learning how to settle down at home, but mostly she's actively getting into everything in search of food.

 

[Taqroy]

I've recently found that a lot of my perceptions of my dogs are slightly off....lol. And they all act at least a little different in public.

Murphy - In the house he's calm and pretty meh about exciting stuff. He likes his belly rubs and sleeping on the couch. He loves going for walks but doesn't want to walk very far. Now that I think about it he's pretty much the same in public. He is by far the easiest dog out of our three. He loves people for about five minutes and then he just wants them to go away. He's great with kids and will walk away when he's had enough.

Mu - In the house she's loving and sassy and playful and fun. Anywhere else and she's either super intense focused on me (and throwing random behaviors at me or anyone that has treats) or telling me to **** off and trying to chase squirrels. I get a lot of comments on how focused she is on me and how she's a one person dog. She doesn't warm up to strangers quickly AT ALL and will move away when people try to pet her. She's somewhat better about letting people love on her at the house but she likes to do driveby love. If they're sitting on the sofa she'll zoom past, leap on their lap, stick her tongue in their ear and run off giggling when they squawk. She adores kids (she thinks they taste delicious) but will ignore them too if she feels like it. My trainer says that she's very literal....which is how I ended up with a paw shuffle behavior instead of a sleepy behavior when we first tried shaping. LOL

Tipper - I've learned so much about the McGee over the last couple months. She's a hyoooooge people fan. Someone will walk up to us and she'll go all wiggly butt and jump up o) and love on them, then she'll forget they're standing there for a second and then it's OMGPEOPLELOVE again. Shes' really under confident in public but not so much at home. She loves to snuggle - on her terms though. She's smart and sassy and LOUD and fast and ball obsessed. She's a lot more relaxed at home than she is in public. She gets tense really fast in public places and it takes her longer to calm down. She does the whole body muscle clench when she gets freaked, it's really strange.

 

[Sit Stay]

I think Quinn must seem loads more silly and playful in person, just because she still gets her puppy sillies when a new person gives her any attention. I'd imagine it's hard to believe how quiet and mature she is at home.

Not to mention she's being terribly snarky with other dogs right now, that's always not a good first impression, lol.

 

[GoingNowhere]

haha, can I answer with the ever vague, it depends?

• At home with the close family, Boo is a total sweetheart. She's calm, well-behaved, very sweet, occasionally goofy, and has great "manners."

• The vet would tell you that she's a neurotic, unbalanced mess. She slinks in, shuts down, and is clearly terrified.

• People at the barn would tell you that she is very well behaved and that she ignores most people unless they approach her or it's the couple that brings her treats on every visit.

• Strangers that enter our home receive one of two "Boos."
  
  • If they're lucky (more often with smaller people and during daylight), they get the "oh hi, glad I saw that you're here, now I'm going to go somewhere else" Boo. This Boo appears to be pleasant, but not exuberant, and very well mannered.
  • If they're unlucky (pretty much inevitable with all large, strange men and most people at night), they get the "OMG, scary person, must act vicious!" This generally results in Boo barking, growling, and occasionally jumping up if the individual doesn't get the fairly obvious message of "stop moving towards me." This is invariably followed by Boo being escorted out of the room into the office or banished to the trunk of the SUV (her favorite place ever!) The Boo that most strangers in this case see is a vicious, protective dog who undoubtedly thinks she is "alpha" and needs to be "taught who is boss." What they are actually looking at is an insecure dog who feels cornered and doesn't want the scary monster person walking into her space or house.

• On walks, people that pass by would tell you that she is very well behaved and has great manners. Usually she's great with them coming up to pet her as well. I've only seen two incidents actually in public in which Boo got afraid and started her little barking thing. In one, a little girl tried to give her a hug and in another, a policeman in uniform came to say hello. Fortunately the mother of the little girl was very understanding and told her daughter how to correctly approach a dog, at which point Boo was fine. The police officer knelt down and managed to coax Boo over to him.

So yes, it very much depends. Generally it is one of four states: sweet and adorable, slightly aloof but well mannered, barking frenzy, or shut down and terrified. Fortunately, the first two are much more common.

 

[Maxy24]

Tucker is different in public. When we are out in a pet store or something he seems very well behaved. I've taught him to sit or lie down when I stop for a length of time and so for some reason this has people very, very impressed. He walks well on the leash because of his no-pull harness, he's quiet and listens to me.

That is until someone tries to talk to him and then he looks vicious because he barks and growls and his hair goes up and his eyes bug out.


At home he is naughty and can be hyper and mischievous. But he's also super loving and affectionate, he's really an attention hog and one of the cuddliest dogs I know. From meeting him in public you'd expect him to be snappy and cold at home and you wouldn't expect him to be athletic and active.

 

[*blackrose]

With Chloe, it all depends.

At the house she is both better and worse than she is in public. Better, because when it is just family or people she is comfortable with she is very calm. She just picks a corner to sleep in and sleeps with one eye open watching everything. If we interact with her she'll run and get her toy and she likes to sneak pets and give kisses to the familiar visitor.
If said visitor is a larger, older (40+) man we typically have to shut her up in a room somewhere because she will never stop trying to eat him. I can get her to down/focus on me on leash with a man in the room, but she is very uncomfortable and does low woofs the entire time. Thank you, oh neighbor that scared the **** out of her when she was a young puppy. Thank you for making my dog hate all large males on our property.
If the visitor is not a larger, older male and is just someone new, she is a complete and total SPAZZ the first few minutes. LOL People are typically very overwhelmed by her. It doesn't help that me trying to curtail her enthusiasm just makes it 10x worse and she has to get it out of her system before she settles. I just tend to let people know, "She's going to be all over you for about a minute, but I swear she'll settle down soon." And sure enough, after she gets her, "ZOMG, PERSON!!!!!!!!!" out of her system she typically relaxes and acts like a sane dog. She gets excited around them much more easily than with familiar people, but she's still okay.

In public she behaves very well on leash and, I found out the other day, off leash as well. When people ask to pet her she typically does the, "ZOMG, PERSON!!!!!" routine, but she has gotten a lot better about just calmly accepting pets. My coworkers at the vet clinic think she is psycho because she jumps and hops and dances whenever she sees them. LOL And then, of course, if they say, "CHLOE!!!!!!" and get all excited that makes her 50x worse. People who meet her out in public would probably never guess that if they came out to the house she would probably try to eat them.

And then, of course, there are always those exceptions that make me out to be a liar. My boyfriend met her for the first time Tuesday. She a.) only had slight interest in him when she first met him out in public, then she b.) ignored his dog, c.) behaved like an obedience champion when we let her and his dog run loose at a park and went trail walking (her first time ever off leash in a park setting and she did FABULOUS) and then when he came out to the house later that night she d.) went to go eat him until she realized who it was, then she e.) wavered between politely ignoring him or jumping up into his face to give him kisses the rest of the evening.

If that was the way she acted in all settings I would be one happy person. LOL She accepted him like she accepts family and I just wish more people could see that side of her instead of the bouncy, spazzy, reactive mess she at times appears.

 

[~Jessie~]

Like Laur said about Mia, Emma has no interest in people in public. She's very, very good in public, though... perfect leash walking, doesn't bark, ignores distractions well... but wants nothing to do with anyone. I'm sure people probably think that she's unfriendly but that's their problem and not mine.

Emma is very silly and active at home... always running around and playing. She loves being with her people and is just such a crazy goof of a dog.

Tucker is also great in public... he is a little attention hog and after 5 minutes of being around someone he is their best friend (especially women... he LOVES girls). He's very good with distractions... he stays right by my feet and hasn't made me look like a liar yet

At home he's definitely crazier... he goes into work mode when we're out places which I definitely appreciate.

Rylie is... embarrassing out in public. She loves to bark at everyone and everything. She just gets so excited and happy... she wants everyone to come say hi to her and give her attention. lol. At home she's such an amazing, solid dog... she is everyone's best friend after a couple of minutes with them.

Chloe is the same in public as she is out home. Very loving, wants to meet everyone and be their best friend. She's such a sweet dog in any situation.

Rory loves everyone and everything at home and in public. He thinks that everyone should pet him and give him love. lol. We were at Petsmart one day working on his training and some little boy LOVED him... he was running through Rory's list of tricks with him and Rory was loving every second of if.

I really don't think he's much different in public, except he's not always in the mood to listen... at home he is very quick with commands, and sometimes when we're out he decides he's a 6 month old puppy who doesn't need to listen.

 

[noludoru]

Middie has gotten less and less obsessive about people in public. He went from dragging me to every human being he could find and launching himself into their laps if I couldn't drag him back in time to ignoring them in mildly distracting environments unless I tell him to go get petted. I've had people tell me what a good dog eek he is and how he must be so easy and low-energy. :yikes: Apparently that's the vibe he gives off in public now.

At home, he's massively door-reactive, and I'm afraid he'd bite someone if they tried to push their way through it and he didn't know them. It sucks, but my dad has been reinforcing the behavior and it's pointless to try to work with him on it. If I have him with me or crated and let him loose when they're inside, he's fine. He's all wiggles and wags and happiness at meeting his brand new best friends. He grabs toys out of his basket and shoves them at people and just generally acts like everyone is there to see him.

 

[BostonBanker]

Meg is the same creature at home as in public. She adores people in a quiet, respectful way for the most part - she's far more likely to sit on your foot, back to you, and gaze up adoringly into your eyes than to jump on you. People who meet her tend to fall madly in love with her, and it is just the same with me!

 

[Babyblue5290]

For Artimis it depends on the place we are at.

Dog park:

"wow your dog is so fast! And brave, look at him play with those big dogs" or "what a adorable dog" usually followed by them trying to bend down to pet him. He may smell them and then just walks away to play with another dog, or ignores them completely.

Outside on leash:

Pretty much every where else people are amazed at how well behaved he is. What they don't know is he's well behaved and so focused on us because he is scared of them and we've done so much training to make him comortable enough to walk around by people without reacting.

It's rare that we will let people pet him, only when he shows interest in them, so people think I'm crazy when I tell them "no he isn't very fond of being petted by strangers" I tend to get a lot of "oh dogs love me" Yeah well, he doesn't.

He seems to be able to tell (wether from body language or scent or wahtever) if someone is a dog person. Every person he's let pet him has been someone who has dogs and knows how to behave around them. I love these people lol

If he's having a bad day, people tend to look at us in disgust. I get the "how dare we have such a viscious little dog" vibe/looks. Or "how dare your dog bark, what's wrong with you?" look.

Inside: he is such a big lover! Anybody he knows he absolutely loves to sit in there lap and be patted or lick them. All he wants to do is be played with or snuggled.

For me he is the perfect little gentleman inside the house. He is outside too most of the time now, but inside he's relaxed. He wants to help with everything, weither it's just gettin gme the remote, o rletting me know when the oven timer beeps. He just wants to be involved and useful.

 

[PitBullLove]

Kenai is really gentle at home but when he's out in public it's like he has to play tough guy and pee on every single tree or telephone pole in sight. He does great on the leash at home but horrible on the leash in public. Karma is pretty much the same anywhere. She's a little lover girl smoosh. She is very submissive and sweet and generally pretty obedient unless she is very overwhelmed. And she's always wagging her tail even when she's scared shitless at the dog park. She rolls over and gets submissive but her tail is whipping away!