Wednesday, August 17, 2011

And in the Left Corner...

Weighing in at a whopping twenty pounds...  our first fuzzybutt four candidate!

Our dear friends at the Bowling Green and Warrent County Humane Society have a 9-10wk old pyr puppy and the Hudser and I are headed there this weekend to have a look at him. 

Honestly I'm a bit overwhelmed at the prospect and I would appreciate your advice.  It's been five years (since I got the nutless lurcher) and I really didn't know the first damn thing about puppies even though Hudson was technically my third. 

I had girlfriends through them all who seemed to have a more innate ability to understand the needs of puppies and I was just fine with outsourcing their 'troublesome two' phase. Now that I'm a single dad, I want to learn how to raise a pup properly.    

The first question I have is what is the best way to introduce the two?  Other than a connection, what else should I be looking for? 

I have all of this criteria for an ideal mate for me & Hudsy but at 10 weeks it seems unrealistic to determine whether they can travel by car without getting sick or have an affinity for water since I'm a sailor at heart.  So are there environments I can expose them to briefly at least get a gauge for their personality? 

13 comments:

  1. Oh what a great thing...on the hunt for a new puppy! It's such a wonderful time filled with so much potential! We have always just put the two together with supervision and allowed them to sniff each other, etc. You'll get a feel from there if they will need extra supervision in the beginning or not...just go with your instincts!

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  2. I got two five month old puppies that had to be introduced to each other as well as the 15 yo. The old boy was just as patience as could be. He never minded them following him around, eating his food....nothing they were jumping on him, whatever. He was great. My old boy was an intact male Pyr. The puppies were one Pyr and one C.O. My older dog passed away at 17. The two younger dogs (both male) do not get along so very good anymore so they are not allowed in the pasture together anymore.

    Cheryl

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  3. Honestly, Luke when you figure it out, let me know! There are some general basics when it comes to introducing two dogs, the biggest being that it's on neutral territory. I don't think you have anything to worry about with Hudsy. Think of all the thousands of dogs he's met in your travels together. Any issues there? With puppies, the smartest thing is to crate train them. Makes everything so much easier. You've got a built in teacher with Hudsy, who will show the new FB the ropes. Of course Malcom and Murphy will be helping in their own way as well. ;-)

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  4. You will know it is the right one.

    Let Hudson connect with the new Fuzzy Butt on his own time. When showing affection or attention to the newest one, always make sure you are always speaking to Hudson with "Hi Hudson, I love you!" Reaffirm that he is not being replaced and newest is not replacing Murphy. Trust your instincts, Luke and just let the bonding happen naturally.

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  5. Hi Luke,

    I would expect that the little guy will exhibit some normal fear of Hudsy. If he does not, then I would wonder about what type of aggression he'll have. As for other things...you can play with water guns to see what the little dude thinks of getting wet. If you decide that you love this little fuzzybutt, then see if there is a blanket or towel he has scented and leave that somewhere that Hudsy can investigate at his leisure. Thats all I can come up with. Hope it helps

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  6. Well, first let me say that this canidate is too cute! He looks like he needs a visit! Adorable!

    Neutral enviroment first, somewhere outside, I would suggest, that neither one have claimed. Of course I would think growling would be somethng that you wouldn't want to see or hear. Let one individual hold the leash of one and then you hold the leash of Hudson. Walk by, with some distance between you two a few times, eash time working your way closer. Eventually work it to where they meet. I was always told that the 'newcomer' should allow the other to 'sniff his hiney' I would say to look for that. Of course, no aggressive behavior.

    As for a 'newcomer' and car rides that is something that you will have to just try and see. I wouldn't let them eat or drink much if at all right before you set out.

    Take them to a nice park, dog friendly, maybe when there isn't a lot of folks out and about. I would try a park where there is water close by so you could venture that way, maybe step foot in the water yourself and see how that goes. See if the newcomer will follow.

    Puppies usually have a mind of their own and you already know that Great Pry's do too. So don't be terribly surprised or upset if it doesn't go the way you invision at first. You know Hudson better than anybody...watch him.

    Have a grand ole' Puppy Up! time!

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  7. Sometimes adult dogs don't like puppy energy, so if you see Hudson growling or just plain ignoring (i.e. showing no interest in, keeping a distance from) the puppy, then it's wise to move on. Some puppies really look up to older dogs, so a "mentor" type relationship would be good, keeping in mind that Hudson should want to be around the pup.

    As for gauging personality, I would suggest having someone come by and simulate a few different situations. For example, someone could walk by and be boisterous or bang on a bowl and make a ton of noise or something to see how he reacts to startling situations, etc. Umm, that's all I can think of, though...

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  8. I have never introduced a new pup to the old and felt there was an instant connection! Have had everything from the older dog ignoring to growling whenever the pup came close. But, always within a few days they are playing together and have been accepted into the pack. As for introductions, in my opinion it is not such a big deal when one is a puppy; puppy license (to be an idiot and not understand signals etc) is good at least until 8 or 9 months of age. Hudson has been so well socialized that I am sure he will warm up to whoever you decide to bring home!

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  9. Well, if this is at a Humane Society I'm not sure how much liberty you are going to have to expose the pup to much to know what it does or does not like. I don't doubt that they will let you and Huds have alone time and a chance to walk and play. They might have a kiddie pool but at this age they might have no clue what to do.

    The puppy is going to love everyone. As Huds has been exposed to so many animals he is going to be more accepting than say my dog would be as she is used to being mostly with my one. So, how did Huds react when Dash first came to the house as a puppy? Was he indifferent, curious, or stand offish?

    I doubt this puppy is housebroken so that is going to be your biggest hurdle. With any luck it will want to do what big brother does so hopefully he will learn fast. Puppies pee and pup often and wherever so you have to watch them like hawks. When that little nose goes to the floor to start sniffing grab the leash and run for the door. For our Rottie, we would put in our pocket small treats and when she would have a successful pee or #2 she was praised and given a treat. So going potty became associated with something good. Eventually she would go potty without a treat. And while on the potty topic we also got a bell and put it on long ribbon and tied it to the door. Everytime we would go out I would shake the bell and say "Let's go potty" or whatever you want to call it. Now she rings the bell whenever she needs to go.

    Just let them introduce themselves and Huds will let him know he is the big man on campus. Good luck. Hope they love each other.

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  10. Car Rides! Most dogs love them but when I brought 4-month old Lady home from the pound she was very sick. It's wasn't her fault though and after 2 complete courses of tummy worm treatments, her car sickness disappeared. She loved car rides, walks, visiting, anything that meant she could be with me. Usually its the older dog who is the trouble with non-friendly ideas but yours has already led a very social life so I would be very surprised for there to be any trouble. It will be your reaction that he will respond to, when you say Nice Puppy, Hudson should follow along as long as he doesn't get the short end of the attention getting.

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  11. If you crate a puppy to potty train, it's a great opportunity for them to check each other out without jealousy getting in the way.

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  12. http://www.petfinder.com/videos/petfinder-introducing-dogs.html

    I am unaware of exactly how to post this video here but it is worth checking out. If you can't just click on it then copy the link, paste to your browser section and then search. The video should start playing automatically.

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  13. http://www.petfinder.com/videos/petfinder-puppy-socialization.html

    The same goes for this video as well. Copy the link, paste to your browser section and then search. The video should start playing automatically.

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