Arrived in England early this morning and went straight to Chertsey Meads for a run and to meet my sister's cocker spaniel, Bo on neutral territory. As expected, my two went to say a brief hi, but pretty much ignored him for the rest of the walk. My sister was throwing a ball using a chucker for him and my two occasionally had a half-hearted run after it, but let Bo get it every time (to be fair, he wouldn't have a chance if they really wanted it, with his stubby legs! ) Then we went home and he "supervised" them around the garden. The pups were overtired and had a huge hooley, which he was a bit bemused about, but he stayed out of it. An hour later, though, and things started to get a bit awkward between Bo and Shadow. They had a bit of a fight, with Shadow pinning Bo down. They went for each other at the same time, so I wouldn't say either of them was really the aggressor. They didn't contact with their teeth, but we obviously separated them immediately. It seems Bo has a habit of staring, which I know can be seen as aggressive and I think Shadow is interpreting it as such. Bo has growled very softly at Shadow a few times, too. However, Bo, like Shadow, is a submissive dog and won't even walk past Shadow now! I've done a bit of clicker work with Shadow for acting nicely in proximity to Bo, but any other advice will be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping the nap Shadow is taking now may help him be a bit more tolerant.
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo I think they will work out the pecking order pretty quickly. You are doing all the right things - careful supervision and all play stops when things get growly. I find that when a new dog is added to the mix it takes a few hours for them to decide who's boss, then all is well. I always intervene if they are doing any pinning down or growling - otherwise I let them sort it out between them. Peace seems to reign quicker that way. So long as they all know that you are in charge and all play stops when you say. Zaba, my friend's dog, is staying with us. He's an extremely muscular entire male - but a big softy. Gypsy is very much the boss here and keeps both black labs in line!
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo Welcome back to the UK I have had this issue with Harley and Spero since he arrived. At first we would separate them and distract, but it didn't really work for us or them. We now let them get on with it, but monitor very closely and intervene if one looks at all distressed or is trying to get away. This seems to of worked and they are settling down with each other a lot more . It is difficult for some dogs when a new one comes into their house. When we are out and about Harley is really tolerant of all dogs, but at home we have realised she is quite dominant towards dogs. We are working on her being more accepting, but this will take months.
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo Oh no. Annoying but glad no harm seems to have been done. I'd just supervise them as best you can and intervene if things look to be getting out of hand, but I wouldn't personally hold out much hope of it being sorted quickly (as in hours or days). If they were going to live together you might have a chance of getting them to "sort it out" but if you are just there for bit, I doubt there is much that can be done. [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=10793.msg160697#msg160697 date=1430568662] It seems Bo has a habit of staring, which I know can be seen as aggressive and I think Shadow is interpreting it as such. [/quote] I think this is over egged as an aggressive response once dogs are in close contact. It can be as much defensive as aggressive, I think.
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo That's a shame, but unless you can keep the dogs in separate rooms I would go with Naya's approach with Spero and Harley. Introducing dogs is not always easy or plain sailing, particularly when you return to one dog's home ground.
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo Glad you arrived safe Fiona...how was the drive? I'd only agree with what's been suggested already....hope it's manageable for your trip so it doesn't get to be a pain x
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo Thanks for the advice. It's certainly manageable at the moment, just a bit annoying and surprising to see Shadow like that! [quote author=Dexter link=topic=10793.msg160710#msg160710 date=1430571168] Glad you arrived safe Fiona...how was the drive? [/quote] Long! It rained almost all the way through France and we had a fair bit of thick fog, which meant it was slow. We did about 15.5 hours door to door. The pups were a delight, though, and slept most of the way. They were quite happy in the makeshift tethers for their mesh harnesses that J had made, too, which was a bonus. I'm a little jaded after two hours' sleep, but will hopefully sleep well tonight!
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo Ah they did great,sounds like you did too in the driving conditions .get a good kip in tonight then you will be sorted to enjoy the rest if your trip.....I arrive as you are leaving so I don't think we will meet this time,unfortunately x
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=10793.msg160716#msg160716 date=1430571741] Long! It rained almost all the way through France and we had a fair bit of thick fog, which meant it was slow. [/quote] And it's still raining in France and foggy. By my reckoning this is the fourth day of rain - even put my heating back on Wednesday evening Enjoy your trip to the UK and I hope the weather is better for your return
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo Pongo's dad is cycling from Bristol to Paris this weekend.... I hope he manages to avoid that French rain! Welcome to the UK, Willow and Shadow...
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo [quote author=Rosie link=topic=10793.msg160762#msg160762 date=1430585300] Pongo's dad is cycling from Bristol to Paris this weekend.... [/quote] Wow!
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo [quote author=Rosie link=topic=10793.msg160762#msg160762 date=1430585300] Pongo's dad is cycling from Bristol to Paris this weekend.... I hope he manages to avoid that French rain! [/quote] Have fun Pongo's Dad! (He'd get on well with Tatze's Dad who's cycling from Amsterdam to Salzburg in June ;D )
Re: Not all smooth sailing with cousin Bo [quote author=Rosie link=topic=10793.msg160762#msg160762 date=1430585300] Pongo's dad is cycling from Bristol to Paris this weekend.... I hope he manages to avoid that French rain! Welcome to the UK, Willow and Shadow... [/quote] That's some ride. Not sure about Paris, but I think it's raining there - it certainly is here (still!)
