Postby luvnstuff » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:43 pm
Oh and whatever you do.. if you have another dog. Keep them seperated until the dog knows where it stands.
I dont know if you already have a dog??
I made this almost fatal mistake for my dogs and learned a heavy lesson from it.
A new dog doesnt know where it stands in the pack of your home.
To walk into a home and be confronted with another dog it may (not all dogs will..some are very submissive..) feel instantly on guard. For here it is.. in a new pack, it doesnt trust you enough to know that you will defend him or really keep him safe.
Are you truly the alpha of your home? Do your other dogs know that you are? Or are the dogs going to size each other up. And wait.
Most dog confrontations are not on day one, two or three for that matter.. usually it is at about the two week mark. One of the dogs will posture or bully the other dog. And the other may say.. no I dont think so.
There is the start of a huge common mistake with dog owners.
The dogs may look like they are "playing" , one jumping on the other, etc.
Do not let this happen, They are not playing as much as they are seeing who is king of the hill.
You will want to avoid any competition, this includes feeding together, playing with a toy together etc. At least for the first few weeks.
(actually I reccomend never feeding dogs together.. throw a huge steak into a pack of dogs and tell them to behave.. yea..right! L O L. They are what they are ...DOGS)
You must establish yourself as top dog first and formost. Dog packs dont let in newcomers that easily, wild or our domestic.
Many times it works.. but read posts from multiple dog homes of any breed.. usually sooner or later, something got into a scuffle when left to run and romp and "work it out" on their own.
The dog at first wont think you have the "right" to reprimand him or challenge him. This is why it is so important to take things slowly..and with food (food is the most natural and basic thing to a dog) , let the dog know you are there for it and you are also the caretaker. You will become a leader to the dog!
Once you establish who you are.. and you hopefully already have with your other dog then you can introduce , slowly and playing no favorites.
As I said, I dont know if you already have a dog. But just in case.
I ended up in a mess....oh my did I. It turned out ok and it taught me alot about myself and dog behaviour. And how easy it is to rationalize dogs by my own human behaviour and not by the pack instinct of a predator animal. That really wants and needs to be a part of a pack. And you and your family and pets are that pack! This is what you can tap into by going slowly, the dog will WANT to please you and work for his or her alpha leader.