# Does Your Spouse or Sig-Other Like Your Working Dog?



## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Just wondering, do your significant other and kids or other family members, specifically ones that don't work dogs, like your dog? If your wife is named Lisa Geller or your spouse is named Van Leeuwen or something, I'm not sure you qualify for that.  But anyone can feel free to comment.

-Cheers


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

Guess what my answer was.......:-\"


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## Holly Huryn (Mar 12, 2008)

My two boys, aged 4 and 5 LOVE my working mal. Thankfully, he is a total softie with them and they are able to play together.
My husband, I think he just tolerates Gryff - I think he'd like him more if Gyrff wasn't such an intolerable barker. My hubby has his own dog, a GSD, and it's his first love, she's the princess of the house!LOL


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## Tamara McIntosh (Jul 14, 2009)

David Ruby said:


> Just wondering, do your significant other and kids or other family members, specifically ones that don't work dogs, like your dog? If your wife is named Lisa Geller or your spouse is named Van Leeuwen or something, I'm not sure you qualify for that.  But anyone can feel free to comment.
> 
> -Cheers


My boyfriend does not like my working dogs. I think because he is super jealous of the training time I spend with them. But he knows better than to try and make an issue out of it.

My 2.5 yr old son LOVES my working dog. He comes out on the field with me for training and really wants to be involved and helpful. And he is ALWAYS imitating the decoys!!

Tamara McIntosh


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

My husband is not into working dogs. He wanted an avalanche cat. He thinks I am a freak. (or knows I am one). The SAR thing he kind of gets. My interest in bitework..not so much.

Admittadly my dog is hard to love. Super aloof and unaffectionate. My husband will care for him when he has to, I am thankful for that.....He is not into the day to day work of a dog, or working a dog.


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

My wife is afraid to allow herself to get attached to any of our dogs here, but she likes them. I have sold so many dogs that she was attached to that now she just plays with the puppies and thats about it. My two baby boys love the dogs, but they are also only allowed to play with the puppies, and one or two of our brood bitches. Sometimes my wife does get a little jelous of all the time the kennel takes away from the family time.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

My wife only likes the pugs. She tolerates the Rottweiler and will bring him along when walks alone at night. She HATES the malinois unless he's sleeping. Still, she doesn't dislike them so much that I have to do something with them when I travel. If I'm gone for a week, she's great about bringing them out for exercise and a few times has brought the dogs to the club for a bite while I'm gone.


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## Meghan Rabon (Feb 10, 2009)

My husband loves our personal dogs...he doesn't get involved with the training but loves to watch. He enjoys watching them work, and will always go with me to trials and shows. He's become a really good critic of training/handling and temperament...although if I hand him the leash to do obedience with a dog he is fairly clueless about what to actually do.
He does however get tired of the very high energy level, says one day he wants a lazy dog that just sits around and doesn't do anything.

He is very indifferent to other dogs though, if I bring a dog home from my TD's kennel to train he really doesn't want much to do with them. That is fine with me though, as long as he likes MY dogs I'm happy!

He used to get a little jealous of the time spent with the dogs, but he got over that. He knows how important they are to me, and knows never to pull the "it's me or the dogs!" thing...he probably wouldn't want to hear the answer to that LOL


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

She loves all the dogs she just hates it when I'm gone so much at training. It gets tough for me sometimes. She don't care to go to training either.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

My wife loves Thunder but isn't interested in what he does, only that I'm enjoyiing doing it. She also thinks Trooper is nuts. Likes him but can't handle all the "happyness". 
After 12 yrs she learned to love Pete......especially that my son now has him.  
When I had tons of trophys, silver bowls, ribbons, etc for obedience competitions with my different terriers all she was concerned with is that they could bring her the morining paper. :lol:
Very supportive but not involved!


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## Jackie Mulligan (Mar 15, 2009)

My boyfriend couldn't figure out why I'd want such a high energy, crazy dog as a pet. Until he realized he's not a pet and saw him work. He respects and understands my love of dogs and training, because he has his own hobbies he's devoted to, but wants nothing to do with the dog and/or training. And I don't want anything to do with his hobbies (robotics and engineering), so that works for the two of us! (Although, with his beer brewing ... I enjoy being the taste tester!)


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## Sherry Spivey (Sep 7, 2009)

I guess I am fortunate that my husband loves the shepherds as much as I do. He has been learning to decoy and has been instrumental in getting our club started. His showline male is not really suited to the sport, but he brings him out to training and is learning the ropes with him.

I spent most of the last nine years doing agility, which Mike wasn't much interested in. But when I got my new puppy and started heavy into the schutzhund training, Mike jumped on board with both feet.


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## Terry Devine (Mar 11, 2008)

Jerry Lyda said:


> She loves all the dogs she just hates it when I'm gone so much at training. It gets tough for me sometimes. She don't care to go to training either.


Jerry
I thought she loved the dogs, but that it was you she did not like :razz: :razz: :razz:

Have a good weekend my friend

Terry


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

What's wrong with you? You don't have notheing to do? Later buddy.


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## Corina Annette Gonzalez (Sep 28, 2009)

My boyfriend loves my dogs, yes, _even_ the Malinois! lol. It was great because I was able to get him to do some bitework with Lynx and they both had a GREAT time. 

I'm getting ideas like, "Hey, would like to do some decoy work? We can get you to do a certification!" His response was, "No, I just want to play with Lynx." So, I guess I can't corrupt him into working other dogs, but I might just get my very own personal decoy. I'm training him  . And it really does help his relationship with Lynx. It's cute.

Also, when I go on dog-related travels...it's usually just easier to take 1 dog with me, but there are times in which I can't bring any dogs with me (for whatever the reason, obviously it's not a show I'm entered in, lol). I always invite him to tag along, but he tells me "You go, I'll take care of the dogs."'

He loves dogs. He eventually wants to get a pet dog of his own (a Dane). However, he doesn't understand my need for having "so many" dogs and wanting to get MORE dogs.

He can appreciate and admire all the work I do with my dogs. He thinks it's awesome but when I try to steer him into doing some competition work (anything I can possibly get him to be remotely interested in) with is future dog...he responds with, "I'm too lazy for that."


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

My time dog training is going to get me most certainly going to get me divorced. I do little training fo life at home so my Jett is basically a wild animal jumping and pestering and getting my wife muddy and mad. 
Her friends keep telling her I must running and chasing puss cause my dog dosent know jack shit and is 1/2 nutz.


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

Mike Scheiber said:


> My time dog training is going to get me most certainly going to get me divorced. I do little training fo life at home so my Jett is basically a wild animal jumping and pestering and getting my wife muddy and mad.
> Her friends keep telling her I must running and chasing puss cause my dog dosent know jack shit and is 1/2 nutz.


:lol: LOl. My wife doesn't mind. She would prefer I spent more time at home since we have a 7 month old baby, but she understands. Since I just added a 8 months old mali to the mix it's even more interesting. Between my fishing, dog training, and the baby my schedule is full. It helps that she loves dogs. Maybe not the high energy ones, but she has a nice black shepherd that prefers to lounge around the house and do nothing, so that makes 2 shepherds and a mali. Fun fun fun=D>


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