What we have just bitten off is going to take one heck of a lot of chewing. We've had Molly, now 20 months from a pup and she has been pretty good with basic training and with a fairly laid back attitude to things generally. She could always be a bit excitable when meeting other dogs but was just about calming and becoming a pleasure to be with. Due to a family crisis, we now have Sam. He is the same age as Molly, just 2 days older, a lab cross cocker. He is adorable but the spaniel side dominates, unfortunately, totally hyper at times. His arrival has delighted Molly but also sent her into doolally mode - so much so that when even Sam needs to call it a day, Molly is still trying to leap all over him. We intervene in their bonkers stuff to a certain extent, but are being careful with Sam because a few traumatic things have happened for him and I know he is missing his humans very much. Without going into all the details - this is already long enough - I need some ideas on how to train both dogs to a reliable and steady level. At the moment it is impossible to talk to Sam without Molly pushing him away and if I try to work with Molly - now having forgotten everything she used to respond to - Sam barges in to play. Feel I'm a bit too old for 2 young dogs but no choice. Any help will be much appreciated.
Crate! You need to teach both of them to be calm around the other, and a good way of doing this is training one while the other is settled. To start off with, this is easiest in a crate. Do some easy training with Molly while Sam is in the crate, and reward him for every reward you give Molly. Then switch. You need to make the "training" easy so there's a high rate of reinforcement, so that the settling dog is getting plenty of rewards. It's more about them at the early stage than it is about the "working" dog. In time, you can start leaving the door open, transitioning it to a bed, having them both settling on beds etc etc.
Exactly what Fiona says! It's still difficult for me to talk to Wispa and give her a bit of individual attention without Tuppence barging in, "Me too! Me too!" I even have to lock the back door if I take Wispa into the garden on her own because Tuppence can open the door (Wispa can't)! I've also found a baby gate across the kitchen doorway useful, especially when I've been trying to put drops in Wispa's ear. Having said that, though, they're great company for each other and enjoy playing together too, so I hope you will eventually find it works out well too.
I haven't any advice @FayRose , but jolly good luck, I'm sure the replies you've had are the way to go.
You need to get their focus on you. Molly was obviously used to this but now suddenly she has a super-duper new friend to play with. Sam needs to know that you are now his human & the best person to be with. So initially I would work them both separately, walk, train, play etc My two are a couple of months older, I work them together one on a boundary (in crate or pen) while one ‘working’ but I do this in short bursts but also completely separately out of sight of each other. So they focus on me but also they have different personalities & so different needs. One game might work for one but not the other…. Obviously, though separate is more time-consuming. Yes, they are together, sleep in the same room, play together, great company for each other - but I do monitor play closely & step in before it gets tooooo mad, they can go ‘deaf’ in play (particularly Milly), I like to call them out before it gets to this stage also before arousal levels get too high. Calmness is a big ask for young dogs, especially looney labs & speedy spanners, as well as one that has been used to being in a one dog household. Molly hasn’t forgotten everything she’s just a bit too excited to have a new friend
Thanks M&M16, that makes me feel a bit better about this - it might not be a total disaster after all Thanks too selina27 for your good wishes.
Tatze was only 15 months when we started puppy walking. Our saviours were baby gates and ‘fencing’ the main room off so that we could separate them when they over-played (which they did - often!). I taught the cue ‘enough’ and I also taught the shouted version as it’s a word I felt like shouting when loopy play was in full flow. I used smelly tripe at first so they stopped playing quickly and gave it to them, followed by a frozen Kong each, in their separate areas. It worked well. Of course, time flies and now Tatze takes a lot of persuading to play at all!
Good on you for stepping in and taking him in. I've got no advice really except really smelly treats will help get their attention. Good luck
Thanks Naya - in the treat bag at the moment are some bits of sausage they really seem to like - if the dribbling is anything to go by
