People say that dogs develop similar personalities to their owners.
This hits hard when you have an anxious dog. Like others I'm sure, I constantly wonder whether I have caused or exacerbated my dog’s anxiety.
Well-used phrases like "there are no bad dogs, only bad owners" hit even harder.
I don't think I'm a particularly anxious person. I don't worry obsessively about things. I'm pretty stoic, optimistic, and self-sufficient.
But jeez, having an anxious dog has made me more anxious.
When you're constantly worrying about them, constantly scanning the environment for triggers, and constantly micro-managing every little thing in your life, it's going to make you feel anxious.
When your heart races when you see a cyclist, when the neighbour's door shutting puts you on high alert....you get the general idea.
It's hard but I really try not to project my anxiety. Dogs can sense the slightest change in your heartbeat so I'm sure it doesn't always work.
But it got me thinking about personality traits in general.
George and I are similar in a lot of ways (in addition to anxiety).
We both have terrible spatial awareness. George is always bumping into stuff. I do that too.
We are both homebodies but also have FOMO. We like to know what is going on and don't want to miss out. Even if we don't want to go.
We're both selectively social. We each have a few trusted people with whom we are very close. We hold other people at a distance and it takes time for us to warm up.
We're both a bit lazy with bouts of activity. We both love chilling on the sofa but have moments when we are very active.
We don't really like unexpected visitors.
We both like routine and don't really like surprises.
We both love walks and discovering (sniffing) new places.
We both love cheese.
I think overall we are quite well suited!