Aquarius dogs: personality, quirks and how to love them

An Aquarius dog is born between 20 January and 18 February, under the air sign ruled by Uranus (and Saturn, in traditional astrology), and they're friendly to everyone while doing things entirely their own way. An Aquarius dog greets every dog at the park gate, joins the game for a minute, then wanders off to invent a better one with a pine cone.

That's the Aquarius twist. They love company, but they won't follow the crowd: an Aquarius dog wants to be one of the gang and the one who changes the rules.

Aquarius dog personality

An Aquarius dog is the inventor of the household, and the experiments never stop.

• The rounds. At the park, an Aquarius dog says hello to every dog and every person on the path, one by one, like a host checking on the guests, then trots on without a backward glance.
• The homemade game. Give an Aquarius a ball and they'll push it under the sofa on purpose, lie flat to fish it out, and do it again. Nobody taught them that game; they wrote it.
• The surprising solution. A gate that doesn't quite shut, a lid that lifts with a nose, a door that opens if you lean on the handle: an Aquarius dog has worked it out before you knew it was a puzzle.
• The head tilt at strange noises. A new ringtone, a kettle whistle, a song on the radio: an Aquarius dog stops, tilts their head and studies the sound as if it might explain something.

Under the quirks is a friendly, open-hearted dog. An Aquarius makes friends easily and holds no grudges, and they treat every new person as someone who might turn out to be interesting.

Aquarius dog quirks and habits

Why does my Aquarius dog say hello to every dog in the park?

Aquarius is the sign of friendship and community. An Aquarius dog sees the park as a gathering of neighbours and does the rounds, sniffing each new friend politely and checking who's new today, before getting on with their own business.

Why does my Aquarius dog prefer the box to the toy?

Because the box has possibilities. Uranus, the planet of surprises, rules Aquarius, and an Aquarius dog is far more taken with a cardboard box, a plastic bottle or a single glove than with anything sold as a dog toy. Novelty beats a price tag every time.

Why does my Aquarius dog walk the route backwards?

Not quite backwards, but rarely the way you planned. An Aquarius dog stops at the turning you always take, looks down the other path and suggests, quite firmly, that you try it today.

Why does my Aquarius dog watch the television?

Something unusual is happening on that screen, and an Aquarius dog wants to know what. Animals, doorbells and fast movement on the screen get full attention, a tilted head and sometimes a trip behind the set to check where they went.

The tricky bit: their own ideas

An Aquarius dog's originality has a flip side: they rarely do the thing in the expected way. Ask for a sit and you might get a lie-down with one paw raised, which is clearly better. Call them back at the park and they'll come, after one last hello to a new friend. Set up the bed in the corner you chose and they'll drag it two feet to the left. None of it is defiance; an Aquarius dog has simply had a thought, and it seemed like a good one.

How to make an Aquarius dog happy

Aquarius dogs run on friends, fresh ideas and a little freedom to experiment.

• Change the scenery. A new route, a different park or a walk at an unusual hour gives an Aquarius something new to puzzle over. Even reversing the usual loop counts.
• Play their invented games. When an Aquarius makes up a game, join in by their rules. You'll learn more about your dog in five minutes than from any training book.
• Hand over safe household oddities. A cardboard tube, an empty box or a knotted old sock beats a shop toy for an Aquarius. Rotate them so something is always new.
• Let them socialise. An Aquarius dog loves company in small doses: a few friendly dogs to greet, a visitor to inspect, then time to go off and think.
• Teach a trick nobody else's dog does. Spinning on cue, closing a drawer, bowing to a particular word: an Aquarius dog loves a skill that's theirs alone.

Best matches for an Aquarius dog

Aquarius dogs click with the other air signs, Gemini and Libra, who love company and a change of plan as much as they do. The fire signs Aries and Sagittarius suit them as well: energetic owners who say yes to a new path and never mind a detour.

The honest wild card is a Leo owner, Aquarius' opposite sign. You like the spotlight, and an Aquarius dog is happy to give it to you, then wander off to greet someone else's audience. It's a double act where both of you get to be yourselves. See how Aquarius pets pair with every owner sign on the Aquarius compatibility page.

Considering a second dog? An Aquarius is usually delighted. A sociable housemate who joins the invented games, and doesn't mind when the rules change mid-play, makes the happiest pair.

Famous Aquarius dogs

Uggie, the Parson Russell Terrier best known for The Artist (2011), was born on 14 February 2002: an Aquarius. He won the Palm Dog Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and his paw prints were placed at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 2012. A dog with a trick for every scene is a very Aquarius kind of star. (Source: Wikipedia)

Aquarius dogs and Aquarius cats: the inventor and the scientist

An Aquarius dog shares their ideas: the new game, the new friend, the new path, all offered to you with great enthusiasm. An Aquarius cat keeps their experiments private and lets you find the results later. Next door in the zodiac, a Capricorn dog is sure the old route is the right one; an Aquarius dog is sure there's a better one round the corner.