# Different Dogs



## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Sometimes it amazes me how two dogs that are the same breed can be so different. 

I took three bumpers outside tonight and put them in a vertical line about four feet from each other. I'm horrible with distances, but I'd guess I started about 30 yards from the first bumper and sent the dog for it. Backed up about 10 yards for each resend. Then reset them and sent from the other side of the yard.

Conner was so bored with the whole thing. He was technically perfect on the first five sends, but with a ho hum trot out there that let me know he was only doing this because I told him, not because he got any enjoyment out of it. After the fifth return he went into his "Conner Daze" that he gets when he doesn't want to do something and then kept trying to give me go outs to the fence post instead of getting the last bumper. 

Then I repeated with Flip. He doesn't really have any experience with "dead" retrieves other than really close up ones from force fetch, so I wasn't sure what he would do. I lined him up and it was like he went "OMG mom, there's BUMPERS out there! Let me go! Let me go!" He raced out like a rocket and raced back. He had a blast.

I did purposefully get a pup that I knew would be very different from Conner. Conner has stolen my heart - everytime I look at him I break out in a grin. Yes he has a lot of weaknesses that come through in training but he is such a happy boy. I originally was going to get a type of golden that I thought would be similar to Conner, just hopefully with a little bit more drive and not quite so easily spooked. But then I decided if I got a dog too much like Conner I would spend their lives comparing the two and I didn't want to find myself disappointed in one of them. That's how I ended up getting this little tornado of mine. And now my heart has been stolen by two completely different dogs in two completely different ways.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

As different as any two children. It sounds like you are really enjoying them both for their individuality.


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## Allan's Girl (Apr 16, 2009)

Oh I know how you fell. My two girls are as different as night and day. One is sweet and shy and the other is rambunctious and quirky. I love both of them fiercely. You and your boys are lucky to have one another.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

My three are much more different than similar, but we love them each equally for who they are!


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I like the differences. I would have hated to have to compare Teddi to Maxine. However I am hoping my next golden is more like Quinn than any golden I have had before. However I have NO idea what Max would have done if we trained her on birds. 

I need to get this puppy, poor Teddi is being tortured doing things she really doesn't like because mom needs someone to work.  I did whistle work with Teddi and Quinn yesterday. Teddi kept looking at me like "what the heck are you doing?" She was great but really looked confused since I have never used a whistle on her before. LOL 

Ann


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Loisiana said:


> Sometimes it amazes me how two dogs that are the same breed can be so different.


Jodie,

If you ever come across two of them that are identical, please let me know!

EvanG


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

It's funny. I got a linebred nephew of my beloved dog Gus after he died, and I worried that I'd spend too much time comparing the two. Even though they're as "similar" as they can get in terms of genes, size, color, head shape, and drive, the two of them are so packed with individuality that I feel silly for worrying in the first place. 

In Jax, I do see similarities to Gus, but they're little fleeting things. I've never felt like I had a new version of the older dog.


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