Tuesday, April 05, 2011

introducing dogs

We love doing new dog intros because you never know exactly how they're going to go, so they always bring excitement and surprises. It's key to keep our own body language and voices happy so the dogs don't signal off of any stress we might have about a match up. If it doesn't go as well as we'd like, we know we've just moved a little too fast, so we usually try again on another date. In our experience, most boy-girl matches can succeed if both dogs are reasonably well socialized and the intros are done at the right pace for the dogs involved.

Winnie was pulled from a dog fighter's yard in Florida and Angus is a rowdy little staffy bull from South Africa. Despite Winnie's initial apprehension here, this first meeting was full of happy signals and loose body language that told us they were on the fast track to friendship. The home did not end up opting for a second dog unfortunately, but both Winnie and Angus gained more skills that will come in handy for future greets.

18 comments:

janet said...

What do you mean by staffy bull?

jen said...

that was fun to watch! thanks for posting. we go through this with all our fosters, and meet and greets. I love watching dogs navigate their "getting to know ya" meetings.

Heather Cherry said...

Winnie found such great buddies! I love the entrance of the banjo music on the play bows. So cute. And I get so jealous every time I see someone holding a compact little squatty Staffy Bull because I am totally incapable of picking up my 55-pound APBT's like that.

Donna said...

I hear you Heather. Although those little things are built like bricks and always heavier than I expect them to be!

@ Janet. Angus is a pedigreed Staffordshire Bull Terrier. At nine years old, he's barely slowing down. It seemed a likely match for pit bull Winnie since she likes a lot of action in her life.

J.M. said...

You guys make the best videos.
At the end there`s a couple of views where Winnie looks like she might have some Rabbit in her.The ears looked very rabbit like.
That was really cute.

Boris said...

Edwina,
As in your formal name, you are wealth blessed by friends. A winner!

Aengus,
(spelled like JR and W.B. Yeats 'The Song of Wandering ...')

Maybe, ol' age has led you to find your glimmering girl - do follow her to where she's gone.

Bull-Staffy, Boris

staffords4me said...

Loved it. Thanks so much for posting this great video!

One voice counts said...

Dear Lord what flipping joy to see dog introductions done — no other way to say it — right. With time and respect. Dogs always give that to one another. So much to learn from them. DOGS. Gotta love em. Music is d i v i n e.
T h a n k you. Tony the Tiger GREAT post and video. Four paws up and sixteen pads wiggling.

Linda said...

Those two look perfect for each other! They could be siblings.

This made my heart sing. We lost our beloved Jack to lymphoma last November and are scheduled to meet a new dog in two weeks. I can only hope our intros go as weel as Angus and Winnie! And thanks for the pointers about doggie intros.

Tim said...

Linda - Just know that a loud bark from a dog telling the other that it's coming on too strong is perfectly appropriate and not a sign of aggression. If it happens too many times, then it's up to us to pull the obnoxious dog away since it's not listening, and try again later.

gamebred said...

oh man! just look at those wiggley butts! so cyte cute cute

Pip said...

Waggy tails, wiggly butts, happy dogs. What a joy to watch!

Daisy Dog said...

Thats so great. made me smile!

becky said...

That was wonderful, a great guide for people. I'm so sharing that one, and what awesome looking dogs.

Talloutdrsygal said...

What a couple of cuties! Staffy Bulls...look like miniature AmStaffs! And you've gotta love those wiggly butts! Bogart is the same way with other dogs. I love to watch him play...and love even more when other people watch him play. Get's the message across that they're NOT killer dogs. Thanks for posting video!

Crystal Heath, Boise Idaho said...

I loved watching this video...it took me back to when I introduced my babies Aaron and Daisy. He came from the local shelter and I found her off craigslist. They are life long friends now and of course my husband and I refer to them as our kids. I have never loved a breed the way I love Pitties.

Mike Sweeney said...

I play that music with all my introductions as well, it works great!! Good stuff

The Foster Lady said...

Great video Tim and Donna. I know how easy it can be to tense up and NOT communicate that to the dogs. I just did a meet with another friend's foster (pug-pit mix) and my ONE dog-social pitbull Goober. I always remember that Tim says, go with your gut, if it doesn't feel right, don't continue. For this meet, we just did walks on leashes and they went well and we'll do it again before I proceed with any off leash play.