My first Rotty was put to sleep 2 months ago.He MY dog and we were very close and very protective of one another. We had a bond that i know i will never have again with another animal. I decided that i didnt ever want another dog of my own, loosing after has been so traumatic....still two months on im still struggling. Its was always going to be horrendous, made worse by incompetant and unreliable vets, but thats a whole other story.

So, anyway....my mum and dad have a chocolate Lab, she and Alfy where best of friends and very close. When he was taken out of out house on a stretcher after being put to sleep, i will never forget her face as she watched him being placed on there and covered over. & dont think i'll ever see her look like that again, was really upsetting fro her too and she pinned for him. My dad decided that we needed another dog, for Lexys (lab) sake and as house dog.I felt it was a good idea as i found it hard being in the house, Alfy had left such a huge space, could never ever be replaced but another dog coulf help the house feel more full again and also maybe help take my mind of Alfy & the worst day of my life. But i stressed....it would be a family dog, i would be involved but no more than anyone else and not a rotty.
However, my dad found this most gorgeous 8 week old rotty......how can you say no? So we have him, Woody and he is now 14 weeks.

So, when you  have a certain breed of dog and when they sadly go, if any of you have then got another dog of the same breed, do you find they are very different? Or have similar characteristics?
Woody isnt the same as Alfy in the of how Alfy & I where, or the fact that Alfy was like a human, but he does very simlar things to what Alfy did.

He loves Alfys toys, he hates motorbikes, he hates a particular singing teddy that Alfy hated. He has choosen Alfys favourite places to lie in. He sits a digs with his two front paws at the same time.
I know probably sound like a raving looney, but i'm just curious to know wether dogs of the same breed have the same traits and characterists, is the common or often different? I'd love to know your opinions. Thankyou.

I'm so sorry for your loss; I know from experience how very much it hurts. I've never had a rottweiler, but I've had several dalmatians, and can say, hand on heart, that every single one of them has been an individual. They've shared various breed characteristics but personality-wise each one has been different from any of the others. I've found that to be very reassuring in that it's made it harder to compare one to another.

I am so sorry that you have lost your friend. I also know how much it hurts, When I lost my first dog I was devasted and just didnt think I could get over it let alone have another dog. However  a while later I realised thatI needed a dog around the house there was a dog shaped hole that had to be filled.
In my case I could nt get another gsd becasue i felt it wouldnt be Lisa and I would compare them all the time so I changed breeds to a  flat coat retriever.
Now many years on I have another gsd and as Jean said who has expalined it so well have found him to share the breed traits as you would expect but has his own lovely personality that is different to that of Lisa.
I am just about to add a new flat coat to the family having fallen in love with the breed too and I would expect the new one to have its own indidual personality but may share some things from my Josie.
All my dogs so far have shared a love of licking out yoghurt pots so we will see if this new one does too.

Having lost my first dog of a different breed at only 3 years old, I resolved never to have just one at a time.

All the dogs of my current breed have been related, but still have very different personalities.

For me though it is wonderful to see various traits from the dearly loved and departed relatives coming through in their descendants, and looking at my oldest now 13 1/2 knowing she might be lost any time it gives me comfort to see so many of her traits in her granddaughter.

I am now into the 7th generation since my  first one, and I find it very comforting to still have something of the earlier ones in their grandchildren etc.

If I didn't breed myself then I would choose a new one from the same lines, and go back to the breeder of the previous dogs.

Sorry to hear of your loss it is always hard to lose a friend, you will never forget but the pain goes and is replaced with all the wonderful memories.

Agree with the others no matter how close the breeding they all have their own personality and no two are ever totally alike. Like Brainless all mine are related but are all different - my previous breed none were related but it was the same they were different but shared the breed personalty.

Oh I haven't lost anyone recently Jackie, I just keep looking at my lovely old Kizi, who enjoyed herself so at the club show and was oldest veteran, that statistically she is nto on borrowed time.

She is awfully fit and well at the moment with everyone commenting, that in itself worries you as you so often hear about people and dogs being really well just before they drop off the mortal coil.

She had woken up lame on one leg a few weeks ago and I have now put her and the other two veterans on Glucosamine.

Also she is not on two meals a day as a few months ago she wasn't finishing her meals, lost some weight so I had her on puppy food for few weeks, but giving her a third of her ration at breakfast sorted that out.  do have to make sure on wet days that she goes out to toilet enough as soemtimes she ahs an accident, as she can't hold on either end as well as she thinks she can.

Sorry Brainless, it was the OP that I was commiserating with I did not think you had lost anyone - it is just my bad phrasing.

I have one on borrowed time as well, he is lame but very happy, still eating well and wanting to join us on our walks so we are all enjoying the time he has left.

> So, when you  have a certain breed of dog and when they sadly go, if any of you have then got another dog of the same breed, do you find they are very different? Or have similar characteristics?

Both, although I've not lost any of my same breed yet.

I have 3 dobermanns and they couldn't be more different in personality - Remy is utterly lazy and cuddly, Paige is always on the go and has a fierce determination, Soli is cautiously considering but also a bit loopy - like chalk, cheese and chives :-P

But they all share dobermann characteristics - they all like to sit on my lap, they are all protective, they all like to leeeeeeeeean on me for a cuddle, and all have little quirks and expressions in common.

Part of going for a particular breed is that they will have things in common - it's part of what makes them a breed.  But within that they are all different to a degree :-)

bless you,its so hard when you lose a much-loved dog,as i know to my cost.,you have to hold on to the fact that you gave them a good life,and loved them.Ive always had collies,but each has been an individual,despite often looking similar,but ive often thought theyve shared traits-to the whimsical idea that one is a previous one reborn,in fact,ive actually looked for similarities!and there have been many!Woody sounds lovely and ive no doubt he will soon become your soulmate-i wish you well.

It's worth recognising too that you help shape the dog you live with and can inadvertantly set them up to demonstrate similar habits and tendencies.  Even on a subconscious level you are giving big signals to your dog when you see something you like (which might be a behaviour you remember from your previous dog).  Your new dog/puppy will recognise your approval and may repeat the behaviours, thereby reinforcing it for both of you.

Does that make sense? I may not have phrased that particularly well :)  It will work in reverse too and you might reject the similarities, thereby helping your dog to be different.

I have two of the same breed (gundogs), uncle and nephew from the same breeder.  I often wonder how much is the breed, how much 'runs in the family', and how much are learnt behaviours.  I know the parents and some other siblings of my boys pretty well too and you can really see elements that come through the family line.  Our terrier type mongrel provides the clues to behaviours and tendencies that my ownership and management has shaped in my dogs.

I was so sad to read about your loss of Alfy and its brought back my own feelings of how I felt when I lost my beautiful beloved Golden Retriever, Winston, just over four years ago.   Also a story of the most awful horrible vet but Ill that leave for now.   Four years down the road, the pain has eased but Winston is still a part of my life and I think he always will be.   I will always miss him.
Ofcourse the pain of loss was so intense, the loss unbearable and the feeling of helplessness immense.   The emptiness in my house was so great that I too could hardly bear to be at home.   I looked for another Golden - mostly to fill that enormous hole in my home and in my heart.   And so, entered the then very handsome baby Sherlock into my home and eventually galloped into my heart too. 
In a way both the dogs are similar and also different.   Winston was a 'grand gentleman' but Sherlock (now 4) is a boy with such a naughty sense of humour - it often feels as though he is laughing at me!   Winston was my very beautiful boy, Sherlock is a gorgeous handsome boy.   Winston liked squeeky toys; Sherlock has his teddies!   The biggest difference is that Sherlock is MY dog and where I am, there he is!   Sherlock is my Golden Boy.   I adore him in a way I never believed possible when I remember how hard I found it to bond with him when he first arrived and all I wanted was someone with a magic wand to turn him into Winston!
Both sensitive, pretty, loving, clever dogs.   Winston was slower, a definite people dog.   Sherlock is an athlete!!   He is nosey, loves dogs, has a VERY wide vocabulary, understands immediately what I want from him!  I could go on and on and on...!
I suppose that in a way its like you and I.   We look the same - or similar! - BUT we are different in that we have different personalities, different likes and dislikes.   I'd say to you, enjoy the puppy and let him fill your heart with warmth where it feels cold and sad from your loss.   They wont ever be exactly the same.   The shape of the head, or the movement of the body will be a gentle reminder of Alfy sometimes but eventually everything will be Woody's.
I hope you enjoy your Woody.

I am sorry you had to say goodbye to your Alfy, it is a very difficult time...i know your pain, it has only been 6 weeks since my last loss of my rott boy.

But i do have 9 rotts and have now lost 3 and must say there is similar things about them as a breed but their character is individual just like us, all mine are different and i love them all for being them.

You will never replace Alfy but you will love this puppy also, when time heals a little and you can remember all the good times you had. This new little bundle will develop his own personal character.

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