Who's your dog more bonded to?

[ParNone]

When I got Gull, several trainers told me, that he shouldn't be having any alone time or play time with Oz. That in order to bond more with me, he needed to be mostly with me, at least for the first few months of his life. Weeellll, I didn't exactly follow that advice. Oz was so much better at really exercising him, that I let them play together a bunch. In fact, except for going off to training class with Gull, once a week, we all did things as a group. So he really didn't spend very much alone time with me at all.

Welp, fast forward a year and half later and who is Gull more bonded to? Me... :) Actually although all 3 get along pretty good, if any of the 3 had their druthers, it'd be just me and him and we'd oust the other 2. Even Oz, as well as he gets along with everybody, after a week of being alone with me on vacation, it took him about a week to adjust back to being part of a pack again. He was a bit standoffish to the other two, not wanting to share any attention with them.

So anywho, I was just curious if those who have more then one dog, find that the two dogs are lil' more bonded to the other dog vs themselves? Also, whether they're more bonded to you or the other dog, how have you handled the time spent amongst the various dogs?

Par...

[finn's mom]

Finn loves everyone. He loves my parents, he loves my nieces, my step brothers, my sisters-in-law, etc.....but, he LOVES me. :D He's most assuredly my dog. He waits at the window and watches for my car. If my parents are downstairs, they know when I pull up, because he goes to the door. They know when I lock my car (it honks, but, they don't hear it), because Finn whines.

Ha, I just realized this was aimed towards people with other dogs. Good grief, sorry! ;)

[K9soul]

We got Tommy when he was about 6 months old and Tasha was 2 years old. He obviously adores her a lot, loves to play with her and follows her lead in many things, but his deepest bond is with his people. He will follow us over her and cuddle with us and choose to be in whatever room I'm in regardless if Tash is there or not. If I call him and don't call Tash, he will come even if she stays where she is. I'm positive both of them are bonded most deeply to us, though they do share a bond with each other too. If I take one somewhere and leave the other, they are both elated to see each other when I come back home, but don't show any distress while the other is actually gone.

[Giselle]

Nope, my dogs don't like each other. In fact, I joke that if I weren't here to supervise them, they'd kill each other (nooo, not really). However, they definitely don't find companions through each other. Giselle would wholeheartedly choose my company over Lucky's. I generally split my time 60-Giselle/40-Lucky. I know I should be paying more attention to Lucky now that he's becoming older and actually NEEDS the attention, but Giselle always finds a way to snuggle next to me. Her head is always on my lap :p

[gemini9961]

I'd say mine have a stronger bond with me than each other. They play with each other and chase each other around but they can get scrappy too with each other. They will always want to be just with me though. When we are sleeping one is on one side of me and the other one is on the other side. I keep them separated when I leave as they tend to fight. I don't think they would rather spend time with each other over me though. In fact, I am giving Sadie more attention then Maggie scraps at her, she's a little selfish sometimes.

[beeniesmom]

We can tell straight away that Frankie is going to be a mommas boy. He doesn't care whn my husband picks him up. He squirms then runs to me.
Beenie seems to prefer both of us both equally. Daddy is for playing catch and mommy is for cuddling with!

[Pam]

Bella and Ripley have bonded more to me than hubby. If I am away overnight Bella sometimes won't eat and it is guaranteed that Ripley won't eat. :( They enjoy each other's company a lot and romp and play in the yard, each one looking to see where the other is when they have gone off to sniff separately. They can't remain out of each other's sight for long. They love a good tug-o-war inside and do a lot of playing with each other, but I am the real hero in their eyes. Silly dogs! :p

[pitc9]

Sierra is more bonded to Buddy
She can't go a second without knowing where he is, and doesn't really care where I am half of the time!

Buddy is stuck like GLUE to me!!

[Chilli]

When we got Frisk, I was still in school. My mum had just quit her old job to go to college again to train to be a nurse. She was home all day to teach Frisk right from wrong (like where to go potty and not to chew on things). He bonded to her more over that time, but he still insists on sitting in my lap on car rides and sitting in the same chair as me.
Ethan, on the other hand, is slightly more bonded to me, mainly because I don't yell my head off at him when he has an accident on the floor. He always lays in the doorway of the office while I am on the computer and follows me everywhere. Also because I am the one who lets him out of his cage when I get home :D But he does seek refuge with mum when a storm comes.

The funny thing is that mum was against me getting a dog, now she doesn't mind them following her around and taking naps with her :D She won't admit outloud that she loves them, but I know she does!

[micki76]

Chester is 100% bonded to me. Hubby says Chester & I are soulmates. :D

Millie is about equally bonded to all of us. Perhaps a bit more to me. She looks to me when she feels insecure or scared. She also defends Chester all the time against any other dog, including Cinny.

Cinny has bonded mostly to Millie, then hubby. She has very little to do with me, even though I take care of all her needs. :rolleyes:

[Jamieejo85]

Both Chico and Guapo are bonded more to me. They will have fun being around anyone but as soon as I come home or come in the room they are like glued to me. I can't say I don't enjoy it;) :D

[My Peanuts]

Sylvia is SUPER bonded to my dad. We have something called the six inch rule at my house. If Syl is more than six inches from my dad she starts to feel uncomfortable. That’s how obsessed she is with him.


Harley is bonded to me. He freaks out when I come home and won't stop until I pick him up. He sleeps with me always & he comes to me for approve. He’s my special little man!

I think Morty is too new to figure out. He's only been here for a month and he's still adjusting. Poor little guy is only one year old and has had at least 4 homes. His first home, then the home his foster mom got him out of, then the foster home, and now here. There could have been more for all I know. He doesn’t realize this is his forever home yet. I don't blame him for not getting close to us yet. I have a feeling Morty is going to be a total lover and just love everyone. :)

[ParNone]

Oh that's okay finn's mom...:) I was just kind curious if people who's dogs were more bonded to them were following the expert's advice. And if so, did that cause friction amongst the dogs, since you're keeping them more separate and spending more alone time with each one or do they all get along?

I guess can you have the best of both worlds, where everybody gets along and spends time together as group, but the dogs would still choose you over any of the other dogs?

[luvofallhorses]

Jenny-she loves everyone! She is such a lovebug! :) but here at home she is more bonded with me. I think the reason is because I trained her in 4-H. She listens to me when I tell her to come inside and not my mom :rolleyes: She is a family dog, though.

Rocky- He is more bonded with my dad. When my dad is home and we have company, he won't go to anyone but my dad. But when my dad is not home, he isn't as 'stuck-up' towards the company. Him and my dad are like two peas in a pod.

Ginger- she is more bonded with my mom. well she's more of my mom's dog than a family dog.

Buster- He is more bonded with my mom, I think. But he loves everyone, he is more of a family dog.

[RobiLee]

I keep pondering over this question. I remember when we first got Tori that for the longest time we felt like Tori was Katie's dog;). I felt like I never had any one on one time with Tori. The girls are almost always together. It took some time but I feel Tori and I are pretty well bonded now. She is my baby. Both girls seem to always want to be with us and even if they aren't they have to know where we are in the house. I would have to say that Katie may have a tighter bond with us though. She not only has to know where we are but what we are doing. I don't think Tori really cares about what we are doing...lol.

LOL..you have no idea how long I have been sitting here trying to figure out who is more bonded to who. All I know is that it seems to work;)

[Glacier]

It varies alot. The dogs are all more attached to me than my husband, except Muskwa. Muskwa is Stuart's dog, unless he's sick, injured or in trouble. In those cases, he's a Momma's boy! I think they are more attached to me because not only do I exercise them, I feed them. Everyone loves the food lady!

The dogs have little groups within the pack that they formed on their own. Mac & Ozzy are very attached to each other as are Delta and Antare. Both sets are littermates, timid and spent extended periods in the shelter. I think that created a dependancy. The more timid ones (Mac & Delta) rely on their more confident sibling(Ozzy & Antare) to check things out for them.

Franklin and Preacher are the same way. Fortunately, Franklin has really come around and isn't soley dependant on Preacher anymore. Preacher's time in this life is growing short and sometimes I think he's hung on this long for Franklin's sake. Franklin still adores Preacher and spends lots of time with him, but he can function on his own now too. When the time comes, Preacher will be able to leave knowing that his little buddy will be ok.

All of the dogs adore Earle. He's the one dog who can go into just about any pen, anytime and the other dogs are thrilled to see him.

Chase and Goldie are very attached to each other. Chase brings great joy to Goldie's life. They like me and my hubby, but their strongest bond is to each other. Chase has been a true gift to Goldie. She didn't have any good doggie buddies before he arrived. They are a funny looking pair, but if you've ever doubted that dogs feel love for each other, you need to see these two. A couple nights ago, Goldie yelped when I was brushing her--for no reason, she was just being a drama queen! Chase ran over and stepped between us and would not let me brush Goldie anymore. Not aggressive about it, Chase isn't capable of aggression, but he kept his body between me and Goldie, like he was protecting her. Too cute.

Paxil has no use for the other dogs. She thrives on human interaction and especially with me. She's all mine. She's not mean to the other dogs in any way. She just believes that she's a person and shouldn't have to play with other dogs!

Hobo and Sleet are good buddies. Hobo brings out the puppy in Sleet. I hadn't seen her playbow in two years until the first time I walked her with Hobo. He knows the "sleet rules"--no wrestling, chase only & she always wins the races. It always makes me smile to see my 12 year old girl play again! Sleet is my soulmate dog. There will never be another quite like her for me.

Heyoka has the loyalty of a house plant. He'd go anywhere with anyone, any dog, any person, whatever.

I understand where the trainer who gave the original advice was coming from. I have a friend who adopted two Golden Retriever puppies--littermates--at about 8 weeks old. They were far more attached to each other than to her. Unfortunately, one of them died very young from a rare, aggressive cancer. The remaining littermate did not cope well and almost two years later, she remains a very stressed out, nervous dog who is prone to stress related illnesses (hot spots, fur problems, ect).

[Kfamr]

I didn't follow that rule and all 3 dogs would much rather have my attention than that of eachother or other people.

While all 3 love eachother and love to play together, if it came down to it they'd much rather play with me or spend time with me.

[Almita]

Muneca gets along with everyone but she always with me when I'm on the computer llike right now she sits with me on the chair and Chiquis he gets along with my brother though but if someone has his toy he'll go with them.

[lizbud]

Smokey is much more than bonded to me, he's glued.:D

When I first got Maggie at 4 mos old, I allowed her & Smokey to
play together all they wanted and that lasted about 3 months. After puppy classes with Maggie she did become much more attentive to me. So I would say she is also bonded with me.:)

[KYS]

I had Sheba solo for 6 years before adding Rocky.

Sheba hands down, I am her favorite.
Even though Rocky is very attached to Sheba
he prefers being with me too.

[Chica]

Chica is bonded to me. I am her mommy. :)

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

The dogs all really love eachother and get along great but they're definitley more bonded to their human family:)

[Bigyummydog]

I'm pretty sure MAXIMUS thinks of me as part of him, not separate. Kevin, Pressely and I can all come home at once and he will run right passed me to them. He gets all excited when they come home and won't even play with me when I've been home all day. But let me be gone for a night or longer :eek: , and he won't eat, and he'll wander around most of the night like he's lost. He clings to me when he's sick or doesn't feel well. I've had him since he was six weeks old. I think I'm just a "fixture". It makes me sad sometimes that he doesn't get all excited over me. But, he can't function without me :D . Even more so since I stopped working outside the house this past year and a half.

Just what am I anyway? :confused:

[Ginger's Mom]

Originally posted by Bigyummydog
Just what am I anyway? :confused:

:D Sounds like you are Mommy to me. :D

[Bigyummydog]

Oh yeah. Thanks.:)

[jesse_3]

I am Jesse's fourth leg!-and she is my third leg! As for Sammy, she isn't my dog, but hates to be without Jesse.

Steph and Jes

[Cincy'sMom]

LIke Robin, I' don't really know. All three are very bonded with both Ralph and I. But yet, all three of very close to each other. We each try to do things with one dog at a time...take them for a ride or a visit alone, from time to time. And they are okay being alone with us at that time...but as soon as they get home, they run to check each other out.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Buster- is very very strongly bonded to me.
Bitsy- is bonded most to Justin. I come second with Bitsy.
Charlie- he's a momma's boy, he's bonded mostly to me.
Nacey- she is very bonded to Nova, but she is more bonded to me. She won't even go outside without me (unless I'm not home then she will go with Justin).
Nova- she prefers to play with Nacey, but prefers to sit or lay with me. When I'm at the computer she is laying under my desk.

[Amber]

Even though Katie has always been close with my mom, we have our moments together, but if anything she would most likely go to my mom. It's always been that way since she was a puppy.

Since Elvis is my dog in the family, and i've spent all the time with him as a puppy and now, me and him are bonded and close.

It works out.