Okay serious question here... - Page 1

Right.

So by now I've pretty much extoled my little girl's virtues up one side and down the other most of you have probably heard about her ad nauseum.  Now it's time to talk about the little man.

Little man.

As you can see he's only 9 months old and is busy being a big ole puppy at the moment.

Like with Hanni, he is not allowed up on the furniture, he must sit for his dinner, walks politely on the leash, tolerates my hands on any part of his body *I* say they are going, is polite at the vet and gives me that poor put upon 'why me mommy?' glance when I bath him or clip his toenails.

I can reach down and take his food if I care to, I can take any toy from him I wish, my 6 year old son has the same privlages.  The cats, just like with Hanni, rule the roost around him.

Right, so the question.

Little man is a big lap slut.  He loves to put his forearms across your knees and lean his head and shoulders against your chest and just ... snuggle.   He's not rough about it, he never knocks a person over in fact for a big galloot of a puppy he's very gracefully when it comes to how he moves against a person.

My firm 'alpha bitch' heart if you will says not to let him do the lap slut routine.  That by letting him do this he could take it as 'he's the boss'  At the same time in every single aspect of our life together he looks to me as pack leader and my word goes.

In the crate = He goes.
Take food = He yields
In the car = He goes (even though he gets car sick)
I say the vet is good people = He accepts anything they do.
I say leave the cat alone = He walks away.

And on and on.

Should I continue to let him crawl into my lap for snuggles and bonding or should I put my foot down here also and insist he remain on the floor at all times?

I love hug-sluts. 

I know.

My mind tells me 'he's in training pushing him down' but my heart just curls around him and hugs him all the harder.

My crazy-ass old bitch, as 4Pack called her, sleeps in my bed with me when she deigns to. I just don't know why a dog shouldn't be a hugger. I think they become more "intuitive" with more of that kind of attention. I think they should crave it. You must be doing something right, since you titled Miss Perfect. 

Well 'Miss Perfect' -l love that title for her!  I know she's not, no dog is but to me she totally is!!- had a firm upbringing. 

No furniture, no bed, no food without a proper sit, the works until she got her SchH I (and was spayed) then I relaxed and well she's currently sacked out on the bed.  Little man is on the floor at my feet.

In my gut I actually do kinda hope he comes into his own in his 'teenage' years (15 months forward) because right now he just wants to be a love bug (toy?  Screw that I want hugs from the 12 year old girls over here) so I keep an eye out for him trying to dominate because he's got the pedigree for it but in everything else I ask of him he properly defers to me so I wonder if I can relax on this one thing.

Letting a dog know "who's boss" is more about obedience than wether or not you cuddle with them or allow them on couches... or make them wait before eating, for that matter (that is a little impulse control but doesn't mean a whole lot to a dog).  Bonding and affection is important, plus it's the reason most people get a dog in the first place.  There is no reason not to allow a dog to cuddle or come onto the couch if your obedience is in line and you're not having any behavior issues.  I allow my dog onto the couch, the only negative for me is it ruins your furniture unless you cover it with a blanket.  Sounds like you're on the right track.

Why not?

Doberdoodle and Keith,

I say this with all due respect.

Little girl was my first GSD.  I am not a 'dog' person, I am a 'German Shepherd Dog' person and I like a well trained dog.

I grew up in a family where dogs were treated like little people (ie allowed to get away with murder) and I hated it.

I love my GSDs and my working field lap but part of that is the admiration I hold for a well trained 'working' dog.  I simply want to be sure that by letting 'Little man' be a snuggle bug I'm not setting myself up for a dominance issue going forward.

My head said 'be completely clear' my gut says 'he's trustworthy'.

Georgia is dominant with other dogs, but she's an angel with me.  She sleeps at the foot of my bed but moves when I tell her to.  If we're sitting on the floor she'll come over and lay down, roll over on to her back and scoot around until someone rubs her belly.  Then she makes these funny grunting/contentment noises while she smiles.  That's the best part about owning a dog.   I say enjoy it because at some point he won't fit in your lap any more!

Opal

*Chuckles*

Oh geeze AKG we've already reached that point!

But he's still a gentleman about it.  He doesn't try to get all his body into my lap, he just wants his shoulders and head in my lap.