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Different Rules For Different Dogs


Kirty
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Do you think its OK to have different rules for different dogs in your house? I have never been a fan of having dogs on beds or furniture, but since getting Pia (Greyhound) I have relaxed my stance. :D She loves the creature comforts, plus she doesn't shed anywhere near as much as the others. Pia is also a much softer dog than the other two - she doesn't push the boundaries or test me. So Pia is allowed to sleep on the couches and on my bed. Maisie and Champa have comfy beds on the floor. Someone today told me I am mean for having seperate rules for each dog. I feel as long as I am consistent in the rules for each dog, that its OK. What do you think?

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I have different rules for my dogs, my whippet sleeps on my bed but the others all sleep on their own beds.Then there are the fosters they have a complete different set of rules to my own dogs, the fosters arent allowed on furniture, spend more time outside etc.

I also have had people tell me I'm mean but each dog knows what they are allowed to do and just accept it

i dont think they sit and think why is she allowed on the bed and I'm not, its not fair :D

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We have a multi-dog household too, definitely different sets of rules!

Carl is very soft and sensitive. He is allowed to sleep on my bed no question, he makes a great pillow, is not dominant in any way ever, and only gets up when asked (and even then I have to encourage him ;) ). He sometimes is overbearing when I get home from work in his joy, but he doesn't jump on me...he pretty much sits everywhere with me. He is allowed offleash all the time (except on footpaths!).

Mischa prefers sleeping on the floor. She is allowed in the bed if she wants though. She is a dominant girl though so she is generally put away when the boys are having a play session or when food is around because she is the fun police! I do not let her lick my face, she is too over the top and if you are lying down is all over you. She is almost always allowed offlead, unless we are around small animals.

Jag I don't pat very much or invite up on the couch... He is very entitled and quite dominant. My mother enables him - when he cries she pets him. :D He has learned how to work the system. On walks he is never allowed off. Zero recall.

Cleo is timid so over the top reassurance for her is common around here... I don't let her offleash as she is prone to bolting and not returning! She is more my sister's dog the way Jag is mum's dog. Carl and Misch are balanced and calm unlike the other two. I don't believe in spoiling dogs. :p My dogs work for pretty much everything.

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Guest Clover

:D Yes different rules here. We have the granny rule, where old dogs can do pretty much as they like in reason. And then there is the little dog rule, so trips in the car just to go to the supermarket or other short trips, more inside time.

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We have different rules for different dogs i.e Great dane pup is only allowed to play sitting or lying down in the house though Whippet pup can play properly. We also have a lot of general rules for everyone too such as when going for our walk out of the back yard we all wait quietly while the back gate is open before they are allowed through.

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Different rules here too. My Maltese x Shih Tzu is allowed on all furniture and he sleeps in our bed. He doesn't malt at all so no hair left behind and he is just generally quieter, usually just goes straight to sleep. The other little guys (JR and JRX) are loud and active and will play games on the leather lounge so no go there. They also malt alot and I don't want that much dog hair in the bed.

Doberman and Multi Shit (the one allowed in the bed) both sleep inside. Doberman has a bed beside ours and is happy to sleep there the RRB x Amstaff and the JR and JRX sleep outside, can't trust the 2 littlies not to get up on the bed when we are asleep! They all spend a lot of time inside with us when we are home but during the day while we are at work they are all outside.

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We have some different rules. For example, Akira is allowed to sleep where she wants (as long as it's not on the bed) whereas Halo has to sleep in her crate. However Akira has earnt the right to not be in her crate because she's proven she's toilet trained (taking herself out to toilet during the night four times when she had gastro is a good example of that). Halo hasn't proven it yet, though I've relaxed a bit and she's now allowed to sleep on the bed during the day (when I'm at home of course) because I'm trusting her more now and I know she's not going to eat the cords in the bedroom anymore. So for us the different rules are just until they prove that they're trustworthy and then they have the same rules.

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The only consistent rule for all my dogs is that Im the boss and I make the rules.

Equality is a human construct (albeit a very worthy one) but not relevant to dogs. Dogs dont have any notion of equality or fairness, and basing pack management on human values without taking account of the dogs veiw of the world, can cause problems.

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can i ask multiple dog households, if you give both dogs a chewy treat and one finishes it first, and tries to steal off the other do you allow them to steal? or do you teach them this is unacceptable?

Completely unacceptable in my house!

Similar rules here as although I find them to be very different in personalities, they both seem to behave in relatively similar ways.

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We have mostly the same rules, apart from Whitney having to sit and settle before she has her lead or harness put on her, because she jumps around like loony if she can!

She is also let off lead in appropriate areas, but Harry isn't as his greyhound instinct kicks in and he runs!

Usually Whitney finishes her treat first, so she is not allowed to steal Harry's. He does sometimes get protective of it, but if he doesn't eat it, it gets taken away after about 20 mins so that Whitney can't steal it. They don't fight over food, so are fed together, and when they've finished they check each other's bowls out.

Having two breeds with similar temperaments makes it easy to have the same rules for both dogs. This worked with our previous dane and Harry as well.

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