Over the course of the holidays, we had family briefly stop by to visit. This gave us a great opportunity to assess how Ziggy does with new people. We saw two very different types of interactions and saw how he was able to respond to each.
Our first visitor loves dogs and was so was so excited to meet Ziggy. He immediately approached Ziggy, wanting to pet him, and even got down on the ground to be on Ziggy's level. Although Ziggy is very affectionate with us, this was waaay too much for Ziggy. He quickly retreated, nuzzling his head behind my back as I sat on the couch. Our guest picked up on Ziggy's cues that he was nervous and moved across the room. Jackie loves this guest and quickly went in to get her share of the attention. She was showered with lots of treats and pets, and over about the course of fifteen minutes, I saw Ziggy start to approach our guest and was even taking treats from him before they departed.
Our second visitor just ignored Ziggy, didn't approach him or make eye contact with him. Within a few minutes, I noticed Ziggy approach our visitor and even laid down next to her feet.
Two different guests,
two different meeting styles,
two very different reactions from Ziggy,
one conclusion.
Ziggy is an affectionate and very goofy dog. He loves to snuggle and be pet and jump up to be with you on the couch or the bed, but he needs to do these things on his terms. This is a very important part of Ziggy's temperament that a potential adopted should keep in mind when deciding if Ziggy would be a good addition to their home. Ziggy needs a family that will be patient with him and respect his space. He makes it very clear if he feels uncomfortable, usually by retreating to another location, and he needs his space honored.
Our first visitor loves dogs and was so was so excited to meet Ziggy. He immediately approached Ziggy, wanting to pet him, and even got down on the ground to be on Ziggy's level. Although Ziggy is very affectionate with us, this was waaay too much for Ziggy. He quickly retreated, nuzzling his head behind my back as I sat on the couch. Our guest picked up on Ziggy's cues that he was nervous and moved across the room. Jackie loves this guest and quickly went in to get her share of the attention. She was showered with lots of treats and pets, and over about the course of fifteen minutes, I saw Ziggy start to approach our guest and was even taking treats from him before they departed.
Our second visitor just ignored Ziggy, didn't approach him or make eye contact with him. Within a few minutes, I noticed Ziggy approach our visitor and even laid down next to her feet.
Two different guests,
two different meeting styles,
two very different reactions from Ziggy,
one conclusion.
Ziggy is an affectionate and very goofy dog. He loves to snuggle and be pet and jump up to be with you on the couch or the bed, but he needs to do these things on his terms. This is a very important part of Ziggy's temperament that a potential adopted should keep in mind when deciding if Ziggy would be a good addition to their home. Ziggy needs a family that will be patient with him and respect his space. He makes it very clear if he feels uncomfortable, usually by retreating to another location, and he needs his space honored.