MollyMuiMa

???? I have had some dogs I've really bonded with in my lifetime, but never like my Molly. Where my other dogs obeyed my commands without hesitation, Molly seems to question, then obey or ignore sometimes, even when it's a simple command she has known for ages! I think, rather than being a 'pleaser' she thinks of me as a friend, not her 'Mistress'. But lord forgive if I ignore her requests! We have a close bond, yet she is not 'glued' to me. She enjoys being social on her own....she'll go to anyone for a head pat. She'll play with any dog or child who wants to play and when she's had enough she just leaves, and then ignore the playmate!
We've just started on naming and retrieving objects to keep her mentally challenged. On request she will, "Get your bear", "Get your GREEN ball" "Go get Lambchop" (her fav toy) and "Go get your leash" which is on the doorknob.
When we are outside and I let her off leash she always keeps me in sight & returns to me every few minutes.
Then when all is said and done, she goes to sleep at my side but then moves to my feet when I start dozing.
Yeah, sometimes I think I'm just raising another well adjusted child!!!!
All the parallels match........
(With all the same bumps in the road!)

phrannie

LOL...I don't know! Lola can be pretty independent, and I've been treating her when she comes back and checks in....she wouldn't do that on her own, tho. She's kind of a space cadet with an attention span of a 2 year old child. Any distraction (usually her nose) will detract from anything I say. If I couldn't tell by looking, I'd think she was part Basset Hound. I'm probably not as strict with her as I have been with dogs of the past...some things don't seem as important anymore...and then let's face it at 62 I don't have the same energy as I did when I was 32.

We're working on jumping up right now....it drives my husband crazy that she is so exhuberant in her greetings of people she knows. He's right, of course, so now I'm leashing her anytime someone comes to the door. One thing about her tho...on a leash she actually can hear...it'd be nice if I could just train the people who come to visit...ha! Don't give her any attention until she's four on the floor....Hubby is a yeller, and I'm a treater...I'm sure she gets confused by the differences in our approach to discipline.

If being "happy" is a sign of well-adjusted, then she must be....GSD's take life very seriously, and Lola is a ce le vie kind of girl. She's happy with everything.

p

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My babies

Sounds like a female toy poodle to me. Just like my Miu Miu girl. My Gucci boy also has a mind of his own but he's a huge mama's boy. He has to stick next to me every minute that I'm home. Miu Miu has a mind of her own too and also likes to think about whether or not the trick/command is worth it for her but she is pretty independent. She'll lay be me if she wanted to. But a lot of times she'll lay on the other sofa by herself.