Excited and hopeful

[stacey_schley83]

Back story:I have the sweetest calmest 7 year old Pomeranian named Brewer who is "that once in a lifetime" special bond for me. I've had dogs my whole life, but Brewer has been different. He was a great puppy. Without much experience in dog training, I managed to crate train him and even now he will go to his crate when he is tired or if there is some stress, like when we travel. He is a great travel buddy. He rarely barks or cries when we travel and he has to stay in a hotel room or Air Bnb. He loves people and our cats. He doesn't have much interaction with other dogs other than observing (mostly my fault, I was over protective). He has stayed at friends homes who had other dogs but not for extended periods. He still has quite a bit of energy and fetch is his absolute favorite followed by tug of war. His fetch skills are pretty amazing and he understands drop and will even put the ball right back in my hand. He knows all his basic commands but can be a little stubborn.

 

Now for the reason I bought Brain Training for Dogs...we recently got a puppy. An adorable full of life, no fear, confident, little female Pomeranian named Gigi. Brewer is really questioning his mom's decision making skills. We are on day 4. I've kept them separated during the night and while I am not home during the day. When I am home, Gigi is confined into a pet corral in our kitchen so Brewer can see her. The first few days he would growl, bark, snarl, and snip at her. Those have diminished in intensity. We are now able to walk both of them on a leash around the yard. I'm doing all I can to ensure Brewer is top dog. Gigi gets her playtime when Brewer is ready for bed. Last night, Brewer really only had one episode and that is when we came in for our walk. While walking Gigi to her crate we had to turn a corner and Brewer's new toy was there and he snapped (Gigi didn't even see it).

 

I know this will take time and I feel like he has got quite a bit better since Saturday. His behavior has improved quite a bit back to his fun loving playful self. Last night I worked quite a bit with him on his commands with Gigi right there in the kitchen observing from her crate. She actually seemed entertained watching us. What I noticed is the the more I worked with Brewer then less anxiety he seemed to have with her there.

 

That is why I purchased Brain Training for Dogs. I am hoping that I can take Brewer's motivation to learn and please to the next level which will help his jealousy and agression towards Gigi. Gigi, bless her sweet heart needs help in the puppy knows-no-bounds category.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello stacey_schley83,

Welcome to the forums!

It's so wonderful that you have raised Brewer to be such a well-adjusted dog who loves to travel, loves people and cats. You need to give yourself a big pat on the back for accomplishing all that. He looks so happy in the picture with the ball. And Gigi is adorable, pom puppies are the cutest things. You scored great in getting a female as male/female combos tend to work best, but of course, this is just a generalization as with dogs we can't never make blank statements.

 

It sounds like you are doing everything correctly in allowing them their own space to adjust to each other and giving attention to the pup when Brewer is not around. It sounds like Brewer has started to adjust more as you report his growling, barking, snarling and snapping behaviors have diminished. Feeding your older dog small pieces of treats or kibble (if he loves it) every time he hears the puppy move or vocalize when behind the baby gate or other barrier may speed up the acclimatization process as he associates the puppy with good things.

 

If Brewer has been living as the "only dog" for most of his life, it will take some time to acclimatize to the new pup just as it happens with children when they gain a new brother or sister. He has been used to having toys of his own for all these years, and it sounds like he feels threatened when the pup approaches them. Generally speaking, mild resource guarding is fairly normal among dogs sharing the home as long as these criteria are met: it's ritualized (just noisy and nobody gets hurt, dog just goes straight to grabbing the toy to make his point), both dogs have a good history of bite inhibition, each dog respects the other dog's claimed belongings (giving distance as the other dog makes his point) and don't show signs of too much tension or stress (they don't get to the point of being overly worried or traumatized).

 

For the time being, it may be best to keep toys or other things Brewer may resource guard (food bowls, buried items in the yard) out of reach. This because we don't want to add more stress to an already stressful situation (all new additions cause some stress to a certain extent) and cause the puppy to assume negative connotations: "not only is this new puppy invading my home but he is also trying to steal my toys and is getting more attention than me!" Stress reduction aids that can turn helpful for new introductions include DAP diffusers, DAP collars, Rescue Remedy and even calming music.

 

As dogs get more comfortable with each other (this may take several days, weeks and sometimes months), it is possible at some point to introduce toys starting with toys that aren't perceived as very valuable, but only with dogs with no history of resource guarding or with mild cases where nobody gets hurt. Close supervision is needed and there should be a plan in place to prevent things from exacerbating (quick redirection, possible noise-making tools should a fight ever erupt.) Of course, if things start deteriorating with the older dog getting more stressed rather than less, it's important to consult with a professional for an in-person assessment. It is best to nip problems in the bud rather than waiting for things to get worse and reach a breaking point where things may no longer be manageable.

 

One thing worth mentioning: it’s quite normal for an adult dog to “put the puppy in her place,” when the pup engages in some "rude" behaviors. Puppies are socially illiterate and often learn better social etiquette from adult dogs. These adult dog "lectures" should be mostly ritualized (more noise than anything) and shouldn't traumatize the puppy to the extent of causing fear. The puppy may temporary "apologize" by whining, yelping or turning on her back, but it all ends there and both parties are then back to normal.

 

Although adult dogs often grant puppies a "puppy license," it's important to be wary of older dogs who are stressed by rowdy puppy behaviors and trying to repeatedly retreat. In such cases, older dogs should have a "safe zone" where they can go to and relax undisturbed. When pups are overly rambunctious, it often helps exposing them to the older dog only once a good amount of their energy has been drained out, allowing for more peaceful interactions.

 

I hope the course and all the reading material turns helpful to you and your new puppy. Congrats on the new addition and feel free to post when you have questions or just want to share your dog's stories with other dog lovers alike.

Best,

Adrienne

Edited December 20, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

Aw, yes, post pictures of those two any time! I recently found a dog music album that is like Valium to our girls. I've been playing it on repeat lately as I get the year's accounting wrapped up. When numbers are dancing around my head I need the gals to chill out and this one does it: Album = "Dog Music - Calming Songs for Dogs" and the artist is "Dog Music" The cover has a picture of a black puppy, maybe a Pug, wearing red headphones. It's mostly piano music so it's human-friendly, too. :D Searching "dog music" on Spotify, YouTube, or Pandora has yielded good results for me so far so I thought I'd share since it was mentioned as a potential aid.

 

I understand your feelings towards Brewer. Gertie is my "once in a lifetime" pooch. I love Momo, but he's got his way about him (I'm posting our saga as it unfolds) and he Hates cuddles and hugs. He digs scratches, though. Gertie can't get enough lovin' and she puts her head in my lap while I crochet - I eat it up. She's been a positive influence for me, even if she is a rascal sometimes. She's such a gentle soul.

 

Anyway, welcome to the forum - I look forward to hearing about y'alls' progress. It's nice to read and learn from other folks' posts, especially when I need a break from those aforementioned numbers.

[stacey_schley83]

Thank you so much. I have really narrowed down that Brewer does have a little resource guarding issues with high value objects (His favorite toy, his bed, etc.)but that he doesn't want to eat his new sister ;). He is getting closer to her crate and sniffing without barking or growling and I reward him for such. One issue that makes him nervous is when he approaches her, she gets so excited so if I sense he is tensing up, I redirect him and reward him if he chooses to focus on something else. I'm not sure how to handle the resource guarding myself so I've already contacted a behaviorist. She doesn't seem to think Brewer is going to be an extreme case, just probably the normal territorial "I've never had to share before" response. I just don't want there to be issues later on. Right now we are following our routine and everyone seems happy with probably the exception of Gigi who wants 150% of our attention, but what puppy doesn't. She has gotten a little better with us telling her "no" when she wants to make a b-line for Brewer. I have not gotten comfortable with them in the house face to face without her in crate or corral. I think that will come with time.

 

Any suggestions on how to manage "cuddle time"? For example, in the morning Gigi gets up first (Brewer is not an early bird), she potties, gets a little play time, then Brewer gets up. I feed them both. We go for a little stroll on leashes around the yard. She gets a little more playtime in the house and back in her crate when I leave for work. I come home at lunch for potty breaks and either another little walk around the yard if its not raining or some in house playtime. In the evening, she spends quite a bit of time in her corral with toys while we cook and Brewer is allowed to roam around freely. Brewer likes to spend a little time snuggling on the couch between 7:30-9:00 before he really starts getting tired. Then I take him upstairs and put him in his crate. We then allow Gigi to have some playtime out of the pen. Playtime involves my husband and myself sitting on the floor facing each other about 10 feet away and finding something to engage with her, a ball, stuff animal, etc. We also work on calling her name and when she comes to me I give her a treat, when she goes to the husband, treat, etc. She is really good at coming when called. Last night she got a little better at sitting on command. After an hour or so of this, we are both tired. So I feel like I am missing out on just sitting and snuggling with her, no playing, no expectations, just cuddles. I also know that Brewer knows this is going on downstairs. He has been a little whinny in his crate probably because we normally go to bed with him. I don't want him too much off his normal routine or think that he now has less time with us because of her but I also want to have her own cuddle time. I'm kind of at a loss how to manage that under our fairly rigid routine. Do I just need to allow her some time before bed to sit with us on the couch? Any suggestions?

[stacey_schley83]

Jennifer, loved your suggestion and the past two days I've left Alexa to play classical music on Pandora throughout the house. For two reasons, one poor Brewer doesn't have to listen to Gigi cry (boy that girl has some pipes) and Gigi seems to pipe down when she hears other noises rather than it being completely quite.

 

Sounds like Gertie is a lot like Brewer. He was an easy puppy and loves people and children. Loves to have human visitors over. He is a lap baby. I think Gigi will be a lap girl too though she has had quite a bit more energy than Brewer did at the same age.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Having a behaviorist come to the home is the ideal option as he/she can assess the situation and coach you in person as to what to do based on his/her observations. Make sure he/she uses humane, force-free behavior modification as we don't want any more stress to take place.

 

You are on the right track in redirecting him and rewarding him for the behaviors that you want. One important skill that I personally feel all dogs belonging to multi-dog households should learn fluently (where resource guarding food is not a problem) is the :"let's go grab a cookie!" cue. This cue needs to become strongly fluent so that it can be used for redirection as needed in those situations where things seem to be slightly "heating up."

 

It first starts to be trained when both dogs are indoors in a calm state. The owner suddenly gets up from sitting and says in an upbeat tone "let's go grab a cookie!" while rushing to the cupboard to get a cookie (or other goodie) to dole out to both dogs out of a cookie jar. Most dogs don't need much training for this as they voluntarily follow owners who get up and rush somewhere as their instinct tells them something is going on.

 

The behavior is practiced several times a day until it becomes very fluent with the dogs responding quickly, almost reflexively. Next, criteria is raised and the cue is practiced when the dogs are a bit distracted such as when they are paying attention to a noise, and then criteria is further raised when they are playing with each other. Once responsive indoors under distractions, the training can move on outdoors, when sniffing in the yard, and then when they are about to bark at some trigger or notice a person approaching.

 

The goal is to get a very reliable response, so that "let's go grab a cookie" can be used anytime there appears to be tension among the dogs (such as the dogs beginning to fight over owner attention or over a toy) and the dogs can be redirected from each other and quickly switched over to another activity. It's important to use the cue at the very first signs of tension, as once the dogs are fighting, it may be difficult to distract them from one another.

 

To answer your question on "Any suggestions on how to manage "cuddle time"? I would think for now as we are still at the adjustment time, give all attention out of Brewer's sight and make it very discrete (no smooching noises he can hear from another room). If you suspect Brewer may know what is going on, for benefit of doubt, you can make it a routine that when the pup is given attention downstairs, he is given a stuffed Kong or other long-lasting goodie to enjoy. Soon, he may come to look forward to the routine and this may start some groundwork on creating positive associations with you giving attention to the pup (yet, again don't make this attention-making time too exciting that he hears it from upstairs and gets too upset/frustrated about it)

 

Then, as the dogs get more comfortable around each other, one way I have tackled similar issues in regards to potential attention/jealousy issues is by working on changing the emotional response in the dog who appears to be "jealous" (in this case Brewer).

 

So for example, you would call your dogs, ask Mr. Jealousy to go lie on a mat (or in a crate) and provide him a stuffed Kong to keep busy, while you pet or train your other dog. Make it a routine. After several reps, he will look forward to watching you pet or train your other dog because it has come to signal oncoming goodies!

 

Or if your dogs aren't prone to resource guard food, you may call them, ask both of them to sit-stay, pet your other dog while you feed Mr. Jealousy some tasty treats every now and then rewarding him for being patient. You won't have to give treats all the time, mostly at a higher rate initially to let him get the point and then every now and then you can reward to maintain the behavior (and prevent it from extinguishing). When treats are not used, make sure you praise him for being patient when he waits his turn. Your behaviorist will have likely a better insight on how to approach this based on your dogs' behaviors and their behavior histories.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[stacey_schley83]

I was terrible at posting any updates but boy have we made progress. I felt like I needed to provide an update because I know somewhere there is a pet mom thinking she made a terrible mistake by bringing in another dog and she is looking for just a glimmer of hope that with patience, training, and consistency things can improve. There were times I thought coexistence was never going to happen. There were days I cried and felt like a terrible dog mom one for thinking Brewer thought I betrayed him and two for Gigi getting the wrath of Brewer's grumpiness. But with your training tips and a little one on one with a dog behaviorist, we have peace and harmony. There are still a few tussles over a toy or bone but everyone seems to know their place and on a few occasions that place has been right beside me on the couch, one on each side, in perfect harmony.

[JMFS]

D'awwww! Look at those fluffy cuties.

[cammidge]

This is so great! Congratulations on creating your own peaceable kingdom. I'm still waiting for mine. Bracken (13 years old) can't be bothered with Sables (19 weeks) shenanigans, but she gets super focused on him and stares malevolently at him. I have to really work hard at getting her attention off him (making weird noises, throwing a wash cloth near her, chucking a kibble) but it seems to finally be working.