Thanks for all the nice comments on the last post. It's been a busy week and I've had very little time for blogging over the last few days. When I posted those puppy pictures neither of us had met her in person, but we have now and oh my goodness! What a sweet little baby! She has the softest fur, and she already shows signs of being a very smart dog. We've decided we want her, but there's a problem. George.
George has never been around any other dogs except Ginger. Of course, he adored her and they had a tight bond, but he was a youngster and she was a steady, responsible adult dog when he came to live with us. This situation is different. George can't see an unleashed dog or a cat approaching him without going nuts--barking and growling and lunging at them. He's very excitable and has a high prey drive, and this puppy is little. We'll have to be very careful about introducing them and I hope we can navigate it successfully. Honestly, I have my doubts.
We're going to try to have them meet up this Sunday at the park (neutral ground) and walk them together to see if we can help him make friends with her. I really think that if George can get over the initial meeting and can calm down enough to sniff her and get to know her that she'll be the ideal second dog for us. I'm afraid to get my hopes up though. I don't want to be disappointed, and when I picked the puppy up for the first time and felt her soft, soft fur (so much like Ginger's!) and saw her serious little face, I was on the verge of falling in love with her. That would be a mistake at this point so I'm trying not to think about it too much just in case it doesn't work out.
The good thing is that everyone who sees the puppy immediately wants her. She has no shortage of offers to take her if we decide we can't, so I'm confident she'll get a good home either way. The manager of the pet store is keeping her at the moment and takes her to work every day. She's getting well socialized to other animals, other dogs, strange people, and new experiences. After Sunday we should know whether or not we can keep her, so please wish us luck! It's all up to Prince George at the moment. Of course, he comes first and I won't make him miserable for the sake of a new puppy. So, we'll see........please wish us luck!
Good luck! I hope George accepts her as a new doggy buddy!
ReplyDeleteThanks Debra! Please send us some good vibes tomorrow morning.
DeleteMy dogs are like that, barking at every dog they see. It's their way of saying hi very loudly. When my friend Justin brought over his 12 week old chocolate lab, there were a few butt sniffs and then they ran away. Odds are you're going to need to monitor the puppy to keep him from tiring out George.
ReplyDeleteGeorge needs some tiring out! He still acts much younger than his age (eight) and has a lot of extra energy. Plus, if a younger dog wore him out and irritated him, I'd laugh and say to myself, "Ginger, that's for you!" because George drove her crazy sometimes. :)
DeleteOh, dear. George is growing old! When we brought home a puppy, the old dog had to be warned off a couple of times, then he realized it was his opportunity to be the boss; the alpha dog he never was. He literally trained the new puppy, because he was The Boss. It was lovely.
ReplyDeleteGeorge is 8 this year but still acts much younger, and he's still very active and shows no signs of aging yet. He's often desperate for us to play very physically with him, and another dog might be able to wear him out, which would be a relief!
DeleteI think the "neutral ground" idea is a good one, so George doesn't feel threatened. But he may surprise and like having a little buddy around!
ReplyDeleteWe've arranged to take them to meet at the campus of the school where I work tomorrow morning! It will be empty and quiet, no other people around, a track and football field and fenced areas, and no other dog smells either. We're going to pack a cooler with water and treats and make an event out of it. Please send good vibes!
DeleteOur Lucy is quite reactive and we have to be very careful with her off our property but she accepts new dogs in our house with great joy so you may be ok.
ReplyDeleteThe right dog will find you.
This dog feels right to us for a lot of reasons. I hope George ends up feeling it too.
DeleteI would imagine that George would like a pal to play with (and dominate). I'm sure after a brief introduction, they'll get on fine.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed! Thank you Cro!
DeleteI think you are handling this very well with meeting on neutral ground first. It may be that if George sees you two with the new puppy he will be more likely to accept her. If it works on neutral ground then try bringing her to your house and see how it goes. It's possible George primarily barks at strange dogs in order to protect you. I'm hoping he will feel different if he sees that you accept the new puppy. He may really enjoy having a friend to play with. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWe think George would LOVE to have a new friend if he can get over the initial meeting and short adjustment period.
DeleteI hope it goes well, she is adorable. Perhaps George will fall in love!
ReplyDeleteThat would be so great! I sure hope so!
DeleteYou are very responsible and good pet owners, and I could imagine George accepting a puppy as someone to protect (and, as some others here have said, maybe to train/dominate). Isn't there a protective instinct in adult dogs towards little ones?
ReplyDeleteAll the best for the Sunday encounter!
There might be some protective instinct in adult dogs towards little ones in some cases, but it's hard to say about George. The first 6 months of his life he was in a bad situation and then at a poor, underfunded, overcrowded shelter. He's come a long way since we got him, mostly due to Ginger sort of taking him under her wing so to speak.
DeleteI hope all goes well with George. Good to be very cautious.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. The LAST thing we want is for the puppy to get hurt. If we can't get George to accept her and be gentle with her, we'll just pass on the whole idea.
DeleteYou have the advantage that the puppy is female, so won't pose a "macho" threat to George. He will still feel top dog and hopefully be very protective towards her.
ReplyDeleteYears ago we introduced a male Labrador puppy into the family, and from the outset our six year old male Lab. disliked him, and when we weren't looking he'd take a swipe or nip at the pup. They eventually settled on an uneasy truce but we realised two males don't always hit it off. Since then we've only had females, who have been no trouble at all.
She's such a beauty, so I hope all works out for you.
I've heard that the best combinations are, in order: male/female, male/male, then female/female when it comes to introducing new dogs. I dread the thought of George disliking the newcoming and taking a swipe at her when we have our backs turned. I hope we never have to deal with that, it must have been awful!
DeleteI am not sure that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would approve of having your dog named after their first child - Prince George! As for the puppy, I hope that Prince George approves of her!
ReplyDeleteOur Prince George was born the same year as theirs!
DeleteAwwww, George! Just defending his territory, I guess. I hope it all goes well. I think, like you said, once he's had a chance to meet the puppy and settle down he'll be fine. (Although he may think once you all go home, "You mean this thing is going to LIVE with us?!")
ReplyDeleteHe's a jealous boy sometimes and I can imagine him thinking that! Of course if this works out, he'll be treated with the respect his position ahead of her in the pack deserves! The new puppy will be the low man on the totem pole in terms of pack position, just like George once was. :)
DeleteI do so hope that George can be accepting of the wee pup because I think he would make an excellent uncle figure for him. And the puppy would probably enrich his life a great deal. Unfortunately, I am obviously terrible at getting animals to accept each other. I am thinking of Jack and Maurice...
ReplyDeleteI agree that the pup would enrich is life and make him happier. He adored Ginger and I think he could grow to adore this baby too if we can get over the initial hump.
DeleteGeorge's looks so much my my mother's dog Lily in the face. I think your idea is a good one. It's best to introduce the dogs on neutral territory and gradually and supervised the first couple times, since puppies love everything and everyone, and will most likely love George. And most older dogs know a puppy, so he may even surprise you.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping he'll surprise us, but I'm trying not to have too many expectations. George had a rough beginning and some things continue to be hard for him.
DeleteGood luck with the meet up on Sunday. Let us know how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteI certainly will!
DeleteAt our adoptions we always had to bring our dogs to meet and greets.
ReplyDeleteI think it will go well. Winston barks like crazy on walks but when Agatha came here she ran up to him touched his nose and the they both ran off chasing each other. The puppy may have to be kept apart when you both are at work till they really know each other.
If it works out, we will definitely keep them apart when we're at work. In fact, we're hearing the little girl is beginning to chew things up (as puppies will) so she may have to be confined to a small space with plenty of toys but nothing of ours she can damage for awhile at first. Now that the weather is getting nice the back porch may be perfect. There's a doggie door leading to a fenced yard, a ceiling fan, a clean tile floor, screens to keep the mosquitoes out....and much better than a tiny crate.
DeleteI will be thinking of you on Sunday. Maybe George will fall in love with the little girl pup.
ReplyDeleteWe would like that very much. I have my doubts, though.
DeleteI love your approach. Careful and well thought out. The only thing that I can suggest is when he first meets the puppy, have the person holding it standing up. The puppy is out of reach and it gives you a chance to gauge whether or not his response is going to be aggressive, and how aggressive, and whether or not that aggressiveness seems to ease. Pass the puppy around. Take the puppy from the handler and you talk to it while watching your dog. Pass it to Greg. Dogs are fairly easy to read, and this gives you a chance to study the response while keeping the puppy out of reach. The next step, I would suggest is putting the puppy in a cage while allowing them both to sniff, etc. I really like that you are taking this so carefully.
ReplyDeleteGregg and I are going to drive separately to the school; George will ride with me, and Gregg will pick up the puppy on the way. It will just be the four of us. We're going to try to walk them together (with a plenty of space in between) around the campus and the track. We'll take turns holding the puppy and will try to keep calm and be patient with George while he sorts things out. Then we'll see. Thanks for the advice, Debby!
DeleteI cannot wait to see how this works out.
ReplyDeleteThat's an adorable pup. I hope everything goes well with George.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
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