The twelve Animal Signs

for Men

Dog man
His love behavior

This sign provides more bachelors than any other sign of the Chinese duodecimal zodiac. The fact is no mere coincidence: The dispositions of Dog-born people, it is true, do not incline them very much toward love and marriage.

The Dog male is never very sure of himself or of the female he is hung-up on. Mistrusting his own sentiments, he has much difficulty in ascertaining that he is not mistaken and in deciding to take the final plunge. It always takes him a considerable length of time to make sure that he loves - infatuation is something absolutely beyond his comprehension. Any woman with serious designs on this man should arm herself with much patience and refrain from prodding him into making a declaration of love, let alone a proposal of marriage. Suspicious by nature, he is also afraid to be rejected, ridiculed, abandoned, or to suffer in a way or another. For all these reasons he enters the realm of love only on tiptoe and often with an unapproachable comportment. Few people would be as cautious in love matters as he.

This man is all the more reluctant to commit himself as he is of a faithful nature. He knows better than anyone that his "Yes" is meant to be final and irrevocable. Besides, he abhors change, not only as a matter of principle but also of temperament.

The norms he adheres to in his choice of a mate frequently constitute additional obstacles on his way to love. Wedded to his high ideals, he would not accept to share his life with a female who falls short of his almost impossible ethical standards. Moreover, he tends to idealize his mother to whom he attributes all sorts of virtues - be she dead or still alive - and make a comparison between her and his prospective mate; in such conditions the latter cannot but appear under a disadvantageous light, thereby discouraging him from proceeding further.

The Dog man's fine moral qualities do not necessarily help him to be easy to live with as a lover and husband. Any woman, even the most patient and indulgent one, would find it hard to handle him. He gives the impression of being a cold fish because of his extreme detachment. It proves most difficult for him to come out of his protective shell, to give himself up to love. Communication is not his strong point. He reacts very slowly to advances. Although he may shower his wife with presents from time to time, expressing his love verbally seems to be something utterly above his forces. However strong and sincere his sentiments may be, he is not inclined to be demonstrative - it is up to the woman of his heart to know once and for all that she is loved by him and not to demand anything more. He appears to be unaware that true happiness can be attained only through a perfect communion of bodies and souls.

His lynx' eyes are not likely to facilitate things for him. No weakness or blemish on the part of his mate will be allowed to go unnoticed. True to his moralizing propensity, he will air complaints or level criticisms at the first opportunity. This perfectionist is not expected to relieve his pressure until all the wrongs have been definitely done away with. And there is every likelihood that his tongue will be as sharp here as elsewhere.

Of all members of the stronger sex this is doubtlessly the most sincere, the most honest, and the most faithful in affections. A disloyal Dog would be as much a queer rarity as a constant Goat. Once the native of the Dog sign has pledged himself to a woman, all other women immediately cease to exist in his eyes; he will fulfill all his obligations toward her in the most scrupulous and exemplary way. But his irreproachable comportment has its price, which not all females are able or willing to pay. He will demand absolute loyalty from his mate, which is only normal and fair; what is abnormal and unfair is his jealousy and possessiveness which are so excessive and absurd that she cannot but feel humiliated, traumatized and paralyzed.

Not every female appreciates his particular sense of decency and puritanism either. He is shy, awkward, having difficulty letting himself go or giving some rope to his imagination. He is constantly on his guard for fear of taking a morally reprehensible step. Not rarely do his masochistic tendencies come into play to further complicate the already tense and confuse situation.

If at first glance this man does not seem brimming over with sentiment, he is actually one of the most affectionate men in the world. His feelings run very deep, so deep that much shrewdness and patience are needed for their discovery. The true intensity of his emotions can be felt by a woman only when she has walked a long way with him and secured his confidence. But if he so apt to hide his sentiments, he craves on the contrary for tangible proofs of devotion, for tenderness and verbal endearments, which, in view of his chronic anxiety, are to him a most precious reassurance.

The Dog man's numerous problems in love may be summarized as follows: His emotional maturity comes along much later than his physical, psychic, and intellectual maturity. In other words, everything cannot be changed for better through the sheer alchemy of love, but primarily through age. There will come the time when his love behavior becomes "normal," when his defense mechanism will ease up, and when he can show his true self in its entirety. He would be a perfect mate in tardy unions!