Yes, so I was back to this thing of comparing dogs. However, an acquaintance who knows dogs said that it is more about comparing the strength of different characteristics, than comparing dogs – and maybe he's right. Regardless, then it's time for further comparisons between Ella and Boyo. 🙂
Boyo and Lilo are looking for treats at the edge of the forest where I live.
Ella always has been a foolish dog. Even as a puppy she was totally fearless. As a young dog and later as an adult, she has climbed huge rocks and then thrown herself down without thinking about what happens when she lands. She has climbed on (relatively) tall ladders up to grating plateaus, and jumped down. She wasn't smart as hell, my dog.
Ella was too extremely amused by looking for candy. It was the best I could offer instead of searching for drugs or missing people, and she loved to search. We did this in various different environments, and indeed also in playgrounds. Playgrounds are great not only for children, but also for dogs. At least for Ella. She absolutely loved climbing around in climbing frames and looking for treats. Not to mention riding the slide. Of course she jumped down from great heights from there too. There's always been a #facepalm alert on her for that matter.
Boyo is something completely different. Now we've been hanging out around the clock for about a week and a half, and I think I'm starting to get a relatively good picture of who and what he is. Now, for obvious reasons, we haven't had time to activate ourselves as much as me and Ella, but what i have noticed so far is…
Boyo is in comparison with Ella, a fairly careful dog. He likes to keep his distance from people he doesn't know, and takes it easy with the greeting until he gets some kind of overview of what kind of person it is that approached. He also does not have the same drive and need to move forward – and I mean both physically and mentally. Where Ella rushed through life at least a thousand kilometers a second, Boyo pushes his way forward at maybe fifteen kilometers an hour.
However, he is interested and amused by using the head. We have on a few occasions, latest today actually, threw out sweets in a forest environment so that both he and Lilo (who also think it's very funny) had to search and received lots of praise when they found the goodies. But unlike Ella, so he doesn't have as much fighting spirit when it comes to, for example, climbing a rock. Ella fought to win. Boyo is fighting, but only a little. 😀
I would like to point out that this comparison I'm making is between two individuals. She, raised by the Armed Forces, had an innate drive and work ethic that I think is hard to beat. I know I'm rambling on about it, but in retrospect I realize more and more that she was not a normal dog. Boyo confirms it, because I guess his desire to do things is at a more normal level. Maybe even a slightly lower level, because he does not come from a breeder who invests in utility lines.
It is possible that there will be more drive in Boyo as he gets older. But somehow I have a hard time believing it, given that Ella was the way she was right from the start. But on the other hand; I'm no expert and maybe Boyo will end up being the world's most activity hungry dog and I will spend all our time together finding different ways to activate him. 😀
I can can't help but think it's quite delicious that two dogs of the same breed can be so diametrically different. Perhaps it is not so strange, but it is still extremely interesting. Especially for me, who has not met so many normal dogs during Ella's lifetime.