I took Eli with us to have dinner with friends. They have two female labs, one is 3 and the other is 12. I thought Eli would have a grand time playing with the 3 yr old. Not so. He wasn't interested in the dogs at all. When we were sitting out on the back porch he would lay next to me and growl at the sweet lab who was walking around with her ball wagging her tail. She fetched, he did not. She threw toys at him, he took them and then growled. He lifted his leg and strutted around the property (1 fenced acre) but had no desire to play at all. I was shocked. When we went in for dinner he kept hitting the door handle after letting himself in once. I ended up putting him in the car because it's not my house and we were having a beautiful formal dinner with dogs outside while we were eating. I was so surprised. I did notice that he didn't play with my sisters 10 month old dutch shepherd when she visited this last summer and he did growl at the pup but I thought it was because he was an intact male. Nope, I guess not.
My goofy puppy is totally gone and I have a no nonsense male doberman now. He will still be goofy with us but only us and if strange dogs are around he is all business. He isn't aggressive but he doesn't want to have anything to do with other dogs. I thought it was weird that he wouldn't even fetch at their house and that is what his world is about. The sweet lab girl was fetching but he wouldn't take a turn. I have never owned a dog who changed so much from puppy to mature male. Eli was neutered at 10 months but he still has doberman attitude. He held himself high when we went to my friends and their dogs did not mob him or anything. They basically ignored him. Whatever Eli...LOL. He didn't want that lab by his mama or dad. He was lying between us. The people he was fine with, not overly fawning but friendly enough. Such a change. Boy was I off the mark, I guess play dates are long past.
My goofy puppy is totally gone and I have a no nonsense male doberman now. He will still be goofy with us but only us and if strange dogs are around he is all business. He isn't aggressive but he doesn't want to have anything to do with other dogs. I thought it was weird that he wouldn't even fetch at their house and that is what his world is about. The sweet lab girl was fetching but he wouldn't take a turn. I have never owned a dog who changed so much from puppy to mature male. Eli was neutered at 10 months but he still has doberman attitude. He held himself high when we went to my friends and their dogs did not mob him or anything. They basically ignored him. Whatever Eli...LOL. He didn't want that lab by his mama or dad. He was lying between us. The people he was fine with, not overly fawning but friendly enough. Such a change. Boy was I off the mark, I guess play dates are long past.