My boyfriend and I have been dating for five years and we live together. We have a fourteen year old cattle (Aussie/Heeler/Catahoula mix) dog that was originally his dog, but she now seems to treat both of us as her people, but she acts totally different around us. She obeys both of us in a heartbeat if we give her a command.
How she acts around him: She play "fights" with him a lot, and will beg to him first if her water bowl is empty or something, even though I usually feed and water her. She doesn't like playing fetch with him, and will hide the stick after a few throws. When he's home alone she curls up in her bed under the tv and falls asleep. She has gotten mad at him when we were wrestling together and he got a little rough. (He says it's the only time she's ever growled at him.)
With me: She will never play fight with me, even if I do the exact same things that he does to get her riled up. She just sits and looks at me, or gently puts her front feet on my thighs and looks into my face. She begs to me first when she wants outside. She will play fetch with me for hours. When I'm home alone she follows me around the house and sleeps in the same room I'm in. (when we are both home she stays under the tv).
I was just wondering what would make her act so different around each of us, especially with her playing behavior. Could it be that she sees that I'm much smaller and feels like she needs to be gentler with me?
How she acts around him: She play "fights" with him a lot, and will beg to him first if her water bowl is empty or something, even though I usually feed and water her. She doesn't like playing fetch with him, and will hide the stick after a few throws. When he's home alone she curls up in her bed under the tv and falls asleep. She has gotten mad at him when we were wrestling together and he got a little rough. (He says it's the only time she's ever growled at him.)
With me: She will never play fight with me, even if I do the exact same things that he does to get her riled up. She just sits and looks at me, or gently puts her front feet on my thighs and looks into my face. She begs to me first when she wants outside. She will play fetch with me for hours. When I'm home alone she follows me around the house and sleeps in the same room I'm in. (when we are both home she stays under the tv).
I was just wondering what would make her act so different around each of us, especially with her playing behavior. Could it be that she sees that I'm much smaller and feels like she needs to be gentler with me?