Is it wrong of me?

While I love having a velcro dog I dislike the fact that Rory is TOO intuned to me. If I sigh she will jump up from a dead sleep and start pacing. If I cry during a movie she is beside herself and won't settle. If I have a injury she tries to lay on it......when I broke my ankle I'd wake up in the middle of the night from horrific pain becuase she would take it upon herself to lay on my ankle....as if she could heal it, lol, I dont know what she was thinking but she did the same to DH when he broke his shoulder. Thankfully she isnt overly protective nor does she have seperation anxiety but I fear she may as she gets older. I want her to enjoy herself more.

I dont think its wrong at all.  My Shadow, full Rottie was a velcro dog.  125 lbs worth was sometimes difficult but we loved every minute with him.   I didnt think we would find another one like him.  We just adopted a rescue mix and talk about velcro.  In just the few weeks we have had him he has the routine down.   He is supposed to be Newfie mix.  I read somewhere that they make good babysitters, this will help keep my disabled hubby company while I am not home.  I also understand he may be bigger than 125lbs if he really does have Newfie in him. LOL good thing we are used to huge, velcro dogs.

i know the feeling all to well, emiley is very independant where he brother is a velcro dog. emiley though through training has learned that some times shes suppose to be a velcro dog such as when take stuff in and out of the house or checking the mail she now stays with loki and the others. but when shes at the park she is out there doing her thing. i mean when you call her she comes but she also has the side of her that says i know your the boss but i dont have to always do as you say lol

personally both personalities have there qualities thats why when i picked out Boomer i wanted a dog that was a little less independant i mean i love that emiley was a free thinker and would do what she wanted when she was aloud to. i think its one of those things that the dog respounds to your way of things like i dont like dogs under my feet all the time so emiley learned to go lay down or wonder around somewhere else and to only be really close when she was called. her brother on the other hand his mommy liked that fact of him always being there unfoot and all so he learned to be close to her all the time.

I can relate in the fact that Honor is a great cuddler when SHE feels like it.  Part of what drew me to the AKK is that they're independent, yet affectionate.  However, Honor's the type of girl who will be your best lap-buddy when she deems it appropriate.  So I just have to take it when I get it.

Although I will say that I sort of miss a dog who isn't quite so "run, RUN, RUNNNNNNN!!!".  No matter how excellent she may get obedience-wise, Honor will never be 100% trustworthy off-leash.  It's quite a change from my last dog.  Sadi was a rough collie, and she would stay by your side no matter where you were or what you were doing.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all.  I wanted a velcro dog... hence my Logan.  Nik is pretty velcro too, but she's also got her own thing going on.  She's just fine going to my bed, in the other room and taking a nap while I'm in the den. Logan, however, is under the desk!

But, there are times I wish he didn't need to help me in the bathroom lol I think the grass is always greener :)

This is why I have three dogs of three different breeds. :P

 I got my first corgi after volunteering for Sibe rescue and having my heart broken when they adopted a dog that I'd spent months working with out from under me. (Seriously. No apps on him for MONTHS, then I'm two weeks from signing a leash where I'd be able to adopt him- and volunteers had priority, supposedly), and he disappears to a person with a REALLY questionable app. ) I liked the size (30 pounds is a GREAT size for an apartment) and the ability to run her in unfenced areas- and I will ALWAYS have *a* corgi.

 
Collies... I wanted a big dog, was looking for a training project to rehab and then rehome, and that's where Skye came from, and I fell in love with the breed. I'd never really considered them- I'd always considered them not as smart as Aussies and too hairy. But honestly, the coat isn't bad- Skye had lousy coat texture but luckily, not too much of it- and the well-bred dogs have such a nice harsh coat that it's really not as bad to take care of as one would assume.

 
Spitz - well, I wanted something smaller to show, a breed to get really involved in and eventually breed, and had a TON of criteria related to that. (You can go look at Lizzie's blog, germanspitz.wordpress.com, for a really long post about that- it's the first or second one, back a page or two.) I *love* Lizzie, but breed recognition is actually looking further and further away- and I'd like to find someone who shows Poms or Chihuahuas who I can learn how to groom and show those breeds from. I miss having a small dog to take in the ring and there's just not enough opportunities to show Lizzie locally in conformation. (I probably won't msis it so much once she's old enough for agility- there's NADAC events almost every weekend!).

 I like different things about all the breeds I've worked with- even the golden puppy I trained for a family friend, and I know it's made me a better trainer to learn how to deal with different mindsets!  

 

I love my velcro dog!  I had her off-leash from day one.  She has NEVER run off on me, never runs up to strangers or other dogs, and is fairly easy to call off prey (just say her name like I mean it and she turns back).  Heck, I've never even worked on recalls (besides formal obedience practice) because I've never had to.  She is off-lead in training class as well.  It's such a relief to be able to go out to shovel or get the mail and not worry if she follows me out.

However, I do not take her for granted since Coke has nearly uncontrollable prey drive and is 100% NOT trustworthy off lead, something we are working on a LOT. 

I guess the one con of having such a velcro dog is that she stresses out or is just shut down when she can't be with me.  When I'm at work, she stays in her "dens" (her crate, or under the kitchen table) all day.  She won't eat without me.  She won't play or work with anyone but me.  When I'm home, I can even go to the bathroom without her pushing on the door.  When I'm cleaning or moving stuff around, I have to crate her to keep her out of the way.  Unless there is a physical obstacle, she is never more than 5 feet from me.  Right now she's sleeping on my feet.  When I get up to put my dishes away, she will follow me in heel (naturally) and sit in front of the sink while I put stuff away.

I don't think it's wrong of you to feel this way at all.  I have my "Goddog" Buckey.  The most perfect yellow lab--loves everyone, gets along with other animals, no leash needed, you can take anything from his mouth with no "grumblies". 

It's not wrong at all. Maggie is very independent. She doesn't like held, she wants to lay by herself and not snuggled with, and she doesn't care where I am in the house...the only time she wants to lay next to me is when DH wakes up and goes to work really early and I let her on the bed with me..and she has a really high prey drive so she can and will never be able to be trusted 100% off leash...

Hence, Teddi. He's my velcro dog. He follows me everywhere, he's sitting under the computer desk right now looking up at me actually. He only listens to me though, hardly for DH..but Maggie is pretty much his dog and Teddi is mine even though I care for both. He's very partial to Maggie, I guess because she's so independent. Downside is Teddi follows me everytime I go to the bathroom no matter what I'm going in there to do, and if I completely close it he will paw at it and keep trying to open the door...alot of occassions I will open the shower curtain to get out and he's sitting there looking at me..in a small bathroom that begins to get annoying.

I have two velcro dogs and one who is semi velcro...and Lady, well she does her own thing.  Right now Benny is curled up behind me and Buster is standing here staring at me.  I have always wanted a more active dog, one that would play fetch with me, which I found in Benny (Buster was in his younger days and Max just never was too active).  I think I've found the activeness in Benny, I just wish he were larger.  My next dog will be a larger more active dog

I do love all my fur - kids, and it's always great for when I'm feeling tired or lazy, because I know they are all fine with just curling up on the couch with me instead of going for a walk.

It's not wrong, at all. I wanted a velcro dog so bad, that Emma turned velcro.  I'm not quite sure when it happened, but she is totally attached to my hip, now. It's great! I like both velcro dogs and more independent dogs, for their different personalities. I've lived mostly with velcro. Emma isn't at my feet, but the floor is not a place she's ever spent time. I think it hurts her. She's on the chair, behind me.

I totally understand the guilty feelings. I feel sooo guilty for wanting a second dog. Like, what, Cherokee's not enough for you, you selfish witch? She is of course, but it'd be really nice to have that "go anywhere, do anything" kind of dog, which Cherokee definitely isn't. She's a dog that needs every outing to be managed. Pockets full of treats, a head halter, extra leash, and possibly a muzzle in the car, just in case. I love her to death, and I wouldn't trade her for the world, but..sometimes I'd like to just grab the dog and go to the beach, or to the pet store, or the park, or a friend's house..or anywhere, really.

But I know I'd feel too guilty leaving Cherokee behind while taking the new dog out, which is why I'm still a one dog girl.

Her "velcro-ness" is perfect for me though. She's independent enough that she doesn't feel the need to follow me around and be at my feet constantly (which would annoy the crap out of me, to be honest), but she's also really cuddly and only a whistle away at all times.

 Having a velcro dog has it's pro's and con's. It's great when you go out on walks and never have to leash them because they stick close by. But when at home it's a different story.I have 2 velcro dogs,one more so than the other. She is never more than 10 feet away from me and follows me around everywhere,i even bought a special pillow for them to lie on when i'm in the shower so they dont have to lie on the cold hard tiles If i don't let  them in with me they whine at the door the whole time!

I sometimes feel sorry for them,especially when they're in a deep sleep and  i have to get up,they'll haul themselves up and follow me.It has become second nature to look behind me when i roll around on the computer chair as i have run them over a couple of times...They always lie right next to the wheels,grrr.It's almost like they think that they wont miss me leaving the room if they are that close??

I'm lucky though that neither has any sign of SA and are fine left alone when i go out.But like Liesje's kenya they wont eat when I'm not there and no-one but me can take them for a walk as they refuse to budge if someone else tries. I can also walk out the front yard,or leave the door wide open and KNOW that they wont bolt.

Having a velcro dog is good in some ways and not in others.A happy medium would be nice,i just wish they could let me out of their sight for 5 minutes.
 

Edie

 Having a velcro dog has it's pro's and con's. It's great when you go out on walks and never have to leash them because they stick close by. But when at home it's a different story.I have 2 velcro dogs,one more so than the other. She is never more than 10 feet away from me and follows me around everywhere,i even bought a special pillow for them to lie on when i'm in the shower so they dont have to lie on the cold hard tiles If i don't let  them in with me they whine at the door the whole time!

I sometimes feel sorry for them,especially when they're in a deep sleep and  i have to get up,they'll haul themselves up and follow me.It has become second nature to look behind me when i roll around on the computer chair as i have run them over a couple of times...They always lie right next to the wheels,grrr.It's almost like they think that they wont miss me leaving the room if they are that close??

I'm lucky though that neither has any sign of SA and are fine left alone when i go out.But like Liesje's kenya they wont eat when I'm not there and no-one but me can take them for a walk as they refuse to budge if someone else tries. I can also walk out the front yard,or leave the door wide open and KNOW that they wont bolt.

Having a velcro dog is good in some ways and not in others.A happy medium would be nice,i just wish they could let me out of their sight for 5 minutes.
 

Haha, this is EXACTLY what it is like with Kenya.  This morning was a memorable day indeed, it was the first time EVER that my Kenya has voluntarily left my line of sight.  Every morning I take her out with me and she sniffs around the driveway while I scrape off my car.  Then I take her to the back and stand there while she potties (b/c if I don't say "go potty!" and stand there and wait, she will not go).  Well this morning she had to go so bad, she sat there pouting at me and finally trotted off, looking at me over her shoulder.  I stopped and let her go, waited 10 seconds expecting her to turn back, but nope, she was gone.  Albeit, only about 50 feet from me around the side of the house and back where she potties (because she will ONLY poop in a certain spot under a certain tree).

There's a difference between a dog that is a true velcro dog and a dog that is well-mannered and biddable. If Kenya was more social, minded other people, and actually enjoyed their company I wouldn't call her as much of a velcro dog as I do now.  She is attached to me and me only. 

 I agree, sometimes having 2 velcro dogs can be tough. When I lay on the couch they both lay ON TOP of me. Not beside me or at my feet. Nope. They want to be touching me with their entire body. So, I watch TV with 2 50 lb dogs laying on me and my husky laying on her bed near by.  I've come to really love that feeling though - with them wanting to snuggle so close. But every time I get up and go out of the room they are at my feet. If I want to close the door - say to go to the bathroom or go outside when I don't want them to follow I have to shut the door REAL fast!