Dogsey

Attention seeking does not equal badly behaved. Maybe they got confused with attention focused?

I have to admit my naughty ones definitely have a bigger place in my heart than the ones who were really good. When we got Elsie the vet said oh a Labrador she will be hard work and my heart melted for her she is challenging and I love that.

I would say more needy than badly behaved. But only the owner of a specifically needy dog can possibly distinguish between needy, badly behaved and/or attention seeking/focused.

Oh yeah, because 60 cases are definitely representative for all the thousands of dog-people relationships.
I'd like to know about this study is if they took people from different demographics and social backgrounds etc. and if they did, I doubt a total of 60 divided into different groups could be in any way conclusive.
Plus there is this thing that there is no 'bad behaviours' from dogs, only 'behaviour' and some of those behaviours are unwanted by people. And that is highly subjective.
Anyway, doesn't sound like a well thought through study, or maybe just a very badly worded article.

I've not read the article (bad, I know), but in general terms, you can see the logic.

A dog that isn't afraid to approach it's owner to 'ask' for things, ie fuss, play, walks etc has a more interactive relationship than one that is overly awaiting for commands to be told what to do

YesChris. Pereg is far more needy than a "normal" dog and of course Pereg is not actually "normal".

But I have to wipe her face, wipe her all over, clean her up when she cr@ps herself, so is she needy or just badly behaved?

Of course she is more connected to me and has a better relationship with me - what else would they expect?

And why is it surprising?

Well the closest bond I've ever had with a dog was Dudley my Boxer who broke his neck as a puppy. Quite obvious when you think about it as he was totally dependent on me for everything. We slept on the lounge floor together for months while he recovered. I was pee'd and poo'd on more than I care to remember. He made a complete recovery and lived a totally normal life, he wasn't badly behaved but we were totally in tune with each other.
That said me and Syd had an amazing bond, he was never ill, never needy and perfectly normal in every way and now Tucson and I have a really close bond. I think certain dogs just tune into us as humans and we with them as dogs.

It is logical Shirley. Dudley was like a human baby who needed nappies changing although for himI do not think you put nappies on him.

But the mere fact of having to clean him up must have brought him closer to you in his mind. As Pereg does.

Pee'd and poo'd on and have anal glands expressed all over you.

That is what brings Pereg closer to me.

Wiping her beautiful face from the sickening froth. Wiping her urine-soaked body, wiping her butt...

...that is what makes her special to me and what most other dog owners can never understand.

Some of our dogs are just special. Just different.

And when we love our dogs does it really matter why?