We were not planning on getting another dog necessarily. I mean, we always planned on getting at least two after we move in together, but that's months to a year or more off, and even Matilda wasn't really a "planned dog"...but in the situation, we had to do so, and she's been a joy.
Now, before I tell you about the new dog...Matilda has really opened up. Totally different dog. Fearful and shy dog is gone...and so is the perfect behavior record. She's a digger, we have discovered, and we also have to install thicker wire on her pen because if she sees a person outside, she takes her teeth and pulls on it...it's not the best wire, admittedly though. It's strong enough to hold them, but it was originally for a teacup Yorkie...not a 75 pound ball of energy. So we are replacing that tomorrow. We got ID tags for her (and the new pup), but I would still not want to chance them getting out. Anything can happen.
She's also proved to be a jumper. That's a big dog to be jumping up on someone. When you go in the pen with her, you have to be prepared to hold her back from running out, and then brace yourself for her jumping antics. I think it will improve with time, if we reinforce good behavior and discourage the bad behavior. She's just a little too excitable really. Too enthusiastic. But I love her, she's a joy to us, and she's staying no matter what issues she may cause. She is a good dog with a good heart.
...and she also poops all in one little corner, which is so nice, because when I go to scoop the pen I don't have to hunt and search for her droppings. She's a very neat, clean dog.
NOW. The new pup...well. Some kids were selling puppies in front of Wal-Mart. They "said" they is a purebred American Bulldogs, but I am pretty sure that's not true. They looked like pitbull crosses to me. I expect the kids were trying to avoid people being turned off by the bad stigma that goes with pits, not that lying is okay. They also "said" she had had all her shots and wormer, but no papers were given to me so I don't know if that is true either. Of course, she will be visiting the vet soon anyway. I paid $25, and she's been an awesome puppy. She's around 4 months old. We named her Allie.
She was shy at first, and we were worried she might be sick, but she's opened up as well. She's not too silly, she's very smart and has a "serious" personality. She's already mostly housebroken...only one accident so far. She loves to cuddle up...has a bit of separation anxiety from me and Jessie though, and doesn't like for us to be apart. She doesn't like her "pack" to be split up, in other words. She threw up in the car as we were bringing her home the first night, and it was obvious they were feeding her wet food, so we've been slowly weaning her off it...not only is it expensive, but it's really not the healthiest choice IMHO. A nice balanced kibble is better. She's switching over nicely...little thing eats ravenously though! She can really throw down on the food.
She was very shy of Matilda at first...Tilly's size obviously intimidated her, and although Tilly was only trying to play, Allie was not so sure about her. It was very cold the first couple of nights we had Allie, so we kept her in over night, but during the day we put her out with Matilda and supervised from a distance to see how they got on. Allie was NOT happy about being away from us at first, and still cries for a few minutes when left. She loves the outdoors, we believe she was kept outside with the rest of her litter by the old owner, just doesn't want to be away from us.
She and Tilly have gotten on great though. Matilda has really made the puppy more outgoing. Allie will play fight with Matilda now, and Matilda will "nip" at her, but it's very gentle and I'm so proud of Tilly for being a good "step mom" to Allie. She's even trying to teach her to potty in the "potty corner" she has designated. Allie was pooping in the middle of the pen, and Tilly nudged her over to the corner as if she were trying to potty train the pup. The house that's built onto the pen recently got cleaned out for the winter and we put in some nice shavings, and the two have been very happy to share it. Allie loves to sleep in the shavings.
It's all worked out wonderfully...I'm really glad I decided to buy Allie now, in hindsight. We take Matilda out to play with her and give her exercise every day, but it's impossible for us to be with her every minute of the day, and having a fellow canine friend to play with and to keep her company is really going to be good for her when we can't be there. Not to mention someone to run and romp with at the dog park when there's nobody else out!
Matilda is going to the vet in just one or two weeks for shots, spaying, and wormer. We've decided to take Allie in a couple of months when she is old enough to be spayed and get it all done at once. And my kitties will be going to the vet soon...I realized the other day their rabies vac will need an update soon, and I'm sure they need other updates as well. So all the pets are going to see the doctor soon! I can't wait to see how Garfield handles it...he is not very open to going new places and meeting new people. I have a bad feeling he will need to be sedated for them to handle him. He's a massive cat, and when he is pissed off you can look out! Although he has been rather accepting of Allie. Not interested in interacting with her, but he will come out of the cat house and be around her. Spyro just likes to swat her with his paw playfully and run away like "What? That wasn't me!" I think they understand she's a baby.
Anywho, I think I'm going to wrap this blog up. I'll let you guys know how all the vet visits go. I think the dogs will do fine...I am sure Matilda will be scared though. She still gets very tense and fearful in new places and of new people. I just hope she doesn't try to snap at anyone if she gets that way...we haven't had her long enough to test that out 100% yet, although so far she's simply just been submissive to new people when she is frightened. Allie will be fine I'm sure. Spyro will probably be mischievous and swat at the vet. Garfield...will likely lose his mind temporarily. *sigh*
"Excuse me? What is THAT you brought into our house?"
Congratulations on your new addition! I would like to recommend two things to you regarding training the pups. The first is DAP - Dog Appeasing Pheromone. You can order it online and in my case it was a life saver in keeping my dogs calm when the third dog (a fighter) was introduced. It aids in training because if keeps them focused. Check it out: http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/behavior/a/dogbehaviorprob.htm. My other recommendation is a spray bottle that can spray a stream of water. When the pups are misbehaving, you can squirt them from a distance as you say "NO!". Works like a charm. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think Matilda would roll over and laugh at me if I tried to spray her as a discipline. What works best, honestly, when her excitement level is out of control, is for me to pin her down on the ground and hold her still and talk her down until she focuses, then it's fine. She's getting better.
ReplyDeleteDAP might be interesting to look into though, I appreciate the link!