Ying Yang Doodles

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Many of you know that when we added Auggie to our family last summer, I naively hoped I was getting a clone of Monty. I mean, same dad, just a different mom, how much variety can there be? First time dog owner with Monty. Boy, was I mistaken! The difference is apparent in the looks, everyone sees that. It's deeper than the looks, though. I was thinking what makes these two half-brothers so different. And here is what I came up with:

Monty does everything with a verve. And I mean VERVE in capital letters!

His tail, if not the whole butt, is wagging all the time. He  might be napping but when I talk to him, he wags his tail. The tail does not stop the whole time we are at a dog park. Heck, he is the one that would push my foot on the gas pedal if he could on the way to a dog park to get there faster. A red light? Who cares, woman? Just hit the gas! He whines in the car once he realizes we are nearing a dog park. Does not matter which one. He knows them all, no matter from which direction we are coming.  It does not matter that he does not play with the other dogs anymore. He just wants to get there, find a ball, chase the ball, monopolize the ball, and let the whole world know he has the dirtiest ball in the whole park by barking his head off.  Yes, and then he tries to take the ball home...

He is the excitable one with million different tones of barks and whines, and I know exactly what each of them mean.  We talk a lot together. You give him a treat and he takes it with half of your fingers.

Monty is also the cautious and claustrophobic one. Even when he was the only dog, he never tried to squeeze himself behind the bushes in the back yard. He never liked the crate. If his ball rolls under a chair, he won't stick his head under the chair to get it. Instead, he would bark in squeaky voice to get your attention. I remember the first time I asked him to jump up against the wall to look out of the window, he jumped up on me with his front paws, not the wall.

Monty is a sensitive "poodle". If there is anything in his fur, he needs to get it out no matter what. And when he is not feeling well, his look can be quite pitiful. He is our drama queen.

And yet, he is the calm one at the same time. He loves his therapy work. He heels best when he has his vest on. He loves riding in the car. When he was still able to fit my Ford Focus, he would sit in the passenger seat and paw at my hand until I lifted it and we would drive in the car "holding hands". I would be watching the road and he would look out of the window. Hand in hand. Just driving around.

Then there is Auggie. He was supposed to be the wild child.

I only heard two tones out of him: a bark and a play growl when the boys play. Oh, okay, and a laud yawn, but that does not count. He wags his tail when he is happy, but I have not seen him do the whole body doodle wag just yet.  

Auggie has no self-preservation instincts. He is the one to bolt through bushes, scratches or no scratches. Who cares. I've seen him chasing a wasp, which almost gave me a heart attack. He does not know the word "careful".

For example, here he is on a rocker chair gazing out of a window. Something that Monty would NEVER do.

Auggie used to throw up in the car for the longest time. I got him some homeopathic drops, but it wasn't until he stole the bottle from the kitchen table and chewed it all up, that his car sickness stopped. I guess he needed a higher dose.

He will follow his brother to the car, but won't jump in. My jumper won't jump into the car. That's the dog that never got the memo saying puppies are not supposed to jump until they are a year old. If our neighbor is in the backyard, Auggie would bounce along the fence so the neighbor only sees his bobbing head clearing the fence. But I have to hoist him up into the car.

He does not sleep in the crate anymore, but goes in it when I need to leave the house. He is the explorer as we learned last December while attending a Christmas dinner. We had no problem leaving Monty out of the crate while gone. Auggie finds things to keep him occupied, so we need to crate him. But he does not mind. He knows when I'm leaving the house and goes in the crate by himself. No fits.

Auggie seldom smiles. He has this serious look that occasionally changes into a mischievous look.

He loves playing with other dogs at a dog park. He is getting better at checking in and sticking around me once he gets tired. He terrorizes Monty with constant biting and pouncing. Yet, he does not bite or growl at other dogs when he plays with them.

Auggie is the patient one. He won't put his head in your lap while you are trying to eat dinner and drool all over your pants like his brother does. Instead, Auggie sits down nicely next to you and stares you down. He can wait for minutes to get his treat. And when he takes his treat, he does it very gently, his lips barely touching your fingers.

He is calm. If our daily schedule is not the same, he won't whine to get me going just like his older brother does. Auggie just plops down and waits for our next move.

He is a good eater. No need for toppings on his food. And if Monty does not want to finish his kibble, Auggie will take care of that bowl as well.

So, it's kind of strange. My older, once I thought well behaved dog is a restless impatient dood.

My crazy wild puppy is patient and calm.

I have no idea what's going on in this house anymore. They are both very different, in a very strange way. And now I'm thinking I would not want to have it any other way.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I enjoyed reading your blog.  Interesting to me as I have a similar situation (two doodles same father, but different mothers).  One very intelligent and responsive and the other NOT SO MUCH (but he is a barrel of laughs)!  Jarka, your boys are very handsome doods.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I smiled the entire time I was reading this blog.  As I read about the differences in Monty and Auggie despite having the same father, I kept thinking of how incredibly different my brother and I are (thank God!) and we have the same mother AND father.  I also thought about my new grandson, wondering in what ways his personality will be similar to his big sister's and in what ways he'll be different.  Isn't nature mysterious and miraculous!!?? 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

What a wonderful household you have, you have all personalities rolled up in two. Someday I hope to have two.

[Charlotte and Bo]

Two very handsome interesting doodles.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Jarka, this is so nice and I loved it!  So nice to read the differences, but in some ways they are the same too.  Sounds like these brothers have their rolls in the family down pat and you definitely know your boys.  How cute Auggie is when he is going to the parks and seems like nothing is going to stop him.  Monty seems like a sweet soul!  Both your boys are beautiful and thanks for sharing this blog. Your picture is adorable:)

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

I love this blog!!! It left me a little confused but the contradiction in each dog that is least expected feels like a nice surprise ( kind of like a sweet surprise inside an ice cream cone!) love them both, love seeing their pictures and reading about each of their personalities!!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

They are all unique aren't they. Sounds like a happy doodle household.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

The photo says it all.  Cute