Excellent points Rose. The first berner does not show any fear when he ducks from an unwelcome pat. His tail is still up (he walks with quite the raised 'banner'). It appears as though he's saying "hey, I haven't given you the OK to touch me, I'm still checking you out." Not a bad thing by any means. And the one bark he belts out is quite a deep, throaty bark. Not continual, not annoying, just one "HEY" (in dog language sound like a bark :-)). And like I said he's VERY cuddly with those he knows.
The second berner is still young (18 months), and like I said, the 'baby' of the family. He's got two older ones who seem to do a fine job of being reserved. He may become more aloof, or he may stay his same goofy self. Either is fine. As with everything in dog-dome, I find behaviour of dogs so fascinating. And because the variables had changed so drastically between both dogs, I was wondering what they were born with and what they get from training class, and the rest of life experiences. Jenn Popp ************************************ Healthy Paws Bones and Raw Food Diet http://www.healthy-paws.ca Toronto, Ontario (Canada) 416-264-1313 / email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rose Tierney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> .... You say your first dog is initially reserved with strangers but mushes up with them once he knows them. This type of character is perfectly normal and what one should expect with a breed that has a watchdog heritage. .... ...If your second dog is the goon that wiggles and smooches up from the get go he is actually a more submissive dog, which is sounding like it suits you perfectly. ....
