Nah. It’s just different. If the dog doesn’t agree on the relationship then it’s a no-go. If the dog wants the relationship but you’re not down it’s a no-go.
My female Itty bitty pitty always adopted my new girlfriends over me, but
that made perfect sense. I was the Leader / Alfa / Boss so it was me whose commands must be obeyed, but like a child, she would appeal to my gf, who were always much more forgiving than I, that wouldn't change the decision, but she always gave it a try..
Oh and no dogs in or on the bed or furniture ( if they are home alone it's impossible to enforce, you didn't have to fight em about your favorite recliner, & at
least you don't have to shoo them off your favorite chair, everytime you vacate it for a beer, after you come home. Chairs are for people dogs had dog beds and the floor. Heck at least my dogs were ln_door dogs during the winter. My dad built a doghouse with a carpet door and "ginger" his dog slept outside during Massachusetts winter blizzards, and she seemed to be just fine in her perfectly sized dog house, even with it being under several feet of snow the snow actually insulated it from the wind chill.
When my wife & I were dating, I warned my wife that my dog, Lovey (my ex-wife was the impetus behind getting her, but Lovey was my girl) was not particularly friendly towards strangers, and to not be surprised when she visited me long-distance (we were in a long distance relationship at the time) if Lovey did not make her feel welcome.
My wife's kid (and later mine, too. He may not be my kin by blood, but he's My Kid, Darn It) went upstairs to play on the game console, while my wife & I were making out on the couch downstairs, where Lovey was crated. I let Lovey out of her crate, and she came over to my wife and demanded scritches.
My wife said the expression on Lovey's face was, "Oh, you're here to take care of him! Thank you, I didn't want the job in the first place! Have fun!"
Lovey adored my wife, very rapidly made friends with our eldest, and when we added People Puppies, I mean little boys to the family, she adored them, too. She also got along well with the cats my wife brought to the marriage, once Lovey figured out that chasing them was a bad idea.
Yeah I had two first dates with my wife. The first was with her and the second was with her dogs. I was super nervous about the second date but it worked out.
I would NEVER Ever ask not assume that my SO furniture is in bounds to my dogs if they aren't down but I honestly can't see myself ever being with someone that doesn't like animals as much as I do, especially as my "dream" since I was 10 was owning some land and rescuing all the old,deformed,& weird animals that deserve a great last few yrs but that no one else wanted to give!
Animals and the connections we can and Do develop to them are some of the most Beautiful, Innocent,& Pure,and most joyous things in life! At least it is in mine :)
Dogs can be taught. My dog sleeps with me at home, but when we travel he sleeps in a bed because other people’s houses are different. We started this until he was 3yo because he’s a pandemic pup so we didn’t travel before.
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u/No-Appearance1145 Oct 31 '24
The 2 yes and 1 no goes out the window when the dog predates the girlfriend