tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post3246238726507165804..comments2024-02-28T23:27:13.346-08:00Comments on BAD RAP Blog: Fostering: Drive in the slow lane for dog/dog introsTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654993049959218916noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-71396261526740291242015-04-15T16:54:58.754-07:002015-04-15T16:54:58.754-07:00I have 2 3yr old maltipoo and just got a 2mo old l...I have 2 3yr old maltipoo and just got a 2mo old labradoodle whos really full of energy. My male is ok with her playing with him but its been 2 days and he keeps trying to hump her not letting her out of his sight. My other one is scared of her own shadow so shes very slowly coming around but growl and snarls at the lil one but wags tail as doing it... so not sure if thats a good thing. Id like to know best way to go about this. The puppy is bigger than my older dogs. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-42265349076529215482014-06-12T10:14:02.126-07:002014-06-12T10:14:02.126-07:00YES YES YES YES!!! I tell our fosters and everyone...YES YES YES YES!!! I tell our fosters and everyone wanting to add a new dog to their home YOU CAN NOT GO TOO SLOW! Nobody ever got hurt because you were too cautious. Some dogs take only days to be comfortable and respectful with each other, some take weeks and even months. Until both dogs have a solid base of obedience to you and are demonstrating they are comfortable with the other dog and would like more interaction, just be patient. Even when they indicate they are ready, keep it brief and interrupt to stop it while it's still good, praise, and then allow to resume if appropriate. The more dogs you have the slower this whole process will be. I have six personals (all but one are bully breeds) and 8-12 fosters also bully breeds at any given time. Putting the dogs in the pack with the best chemistry for their need, patiently following the steps, rotation, supervision and excitement management are the keys to a peaceful home. Thank you for a great article!<br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18005448594027814390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-76978622130886341642014-05-28T10:41:25.626-07:002014-05-28T10:41:25.626-07:00Thank you for posting a play-by-play! Hoping this ...Thank you for posting a play-by-play! Hoping this will help me introduce my dog-selective female rescue with my parents' dog-selective female. I have a feeling we may be going slower than 3 weeks, as they are both female and mine is unaltered (she's HW+, which I'm working on, but wanted to wait until she was well, or mostly well, before she goes through surgery). Also, I have another dog and my parents' have two other dogs. Will be a little difficult to juggle all of them, but doable! I'm hoping we can get them to at least tolerate each other within a few months. Again, thanks for posting!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11532310177207440919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-60638585701534428082014-04-17T11:37:29.821-07:002014-04-17T11:37:29.821-07:00We have four dogs and adopted a blind female dog a...We have four dogs and adopted a blind female dog and her male "companion" dog (both pitbull mixes). The blind dog was not able to be around any other dog, and turned on her male companion dog, so we found her a new home. Unfortunately, during her tenancy with us, our male pitbull and this male often squabbled (no biting, but any face to face confrontation that happened by accident) resulted in a fight. Now that the female is leaving this weekend, we want to try to acclimate our two male pitbulls (the new one is about 1 1/2 years, our resident is 6 1/2 years old). The young male gets along with our other three dogs. My concern is he loves our female pit (who is 2 years old) and I'm worried that the two males may fight over the female. Is it possible for them to get along with these odds against them? Our male was neutered at six months and we just had the younger male neutered about 2 1/2 months ago. Thank you for any help you can provide!Denise M.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-23928541842591811452013-10-12T23:03:31.240-07:002013-10-12T23:03:31.240-07:00I can't remember if I had replied to this befo...I can't remember if I had replied to this before or not. I had read it awhile back and then found it again. Your story is so much like mine. When I adopted Jessie off death row in May 2012, her dog/dog test said she just rushed in, ears back, tail erect but she didn't react any other way. I thought I could handle this. Brought her home, had her in her own bedroom due to kennel cough and started trying to think of how I was going to introduce her to my other 2 dogs. <br /><br />Eventually, I got the bright idea to do a fence meeting. I let our 2 out back while my husband took Jessie out front and slowly walked around. As you can imagine, it didn't go well and I should have known better. Spit went to flying (Jessie's) and I seen more teeth than I ever wanted to see at one time. <br /><br />So I hired a "pro"...someone that was supposed to be good with aggressive dogs. What a joke that was. He came out and got my 8 yr old pit mix all riled up (he's over protective of the home). He took Shadow out and walked him up & down the sidewalk with a prong collar and said he wasn't mentally stable. He had my husband bring out Jessie and they took the dogs close to each other but the dogs were nervous, Shadow was already riled up so when the inevitable happened (squabble) they got separated and he told me I'd probably never get them to accept each other. <br /><br />I was a nervous wreck, sad, crying off & on, not knowing what to do. Did some research and decided, I was going to tackle this no matter what. My husband and I brought Jessie's cage out to the living room and we rotated cages/crates. At first, the original 2 dogs wouldn't walk past Jessie's cage no matter what. We never had any squabbles at the cage surprisingly. They each got to watch us feed the other dog and interact with them so they each knew we were in charge and we loved them all. After a couple weeks of that, we started the group walks. Started out one in front of the other so they could each get butt sniffing time w/o the other really knowing. We'd rotate who was in front. Then we did the side by side walks with my husband and I in between. Then one person in between. Then no one in between. We actually did this for 2 months because I was scared crapless to try a real introduction. During the beginning stages of the group walk, we noticed that Jessie would semi lunge at Shadow when Shadow would bark at something. It was as if barking, growling, etc were the triggers. She was fine until a dog barked or growled. <br /><br />THEN the unthinkable happened...my husband had let out our 2 dogs and then a while later, he had forgotten and let Jessie outside as well. They had all 3 been out back together for about 10 minutes or so by accident. Thankfully nothing happened. From then on, we let them out together but only under strict supervision. They were actually playing together, etc. She no longer reacts to the other dogs barking and has even came to accept our neighbors 2 big dogs (running up & down the fence together) but as far as any "new" dog, she is still very dog selective. <br /><br />RhondaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-54766404789012608852013-10-05T21:05:55.163-07:002013-10-05T21:05:55.163-07:00This was an AWESOME set of instructions for how to...This was an AWESOME set of instructions for how to introduce dogs and not end up in the ER. How I wish I'd seen this before I took on my first foster dog! She'd seemed really sweet but clearly hadn't been temperment tested with other dogs. It took her about two days in my home (with free run--which they all have ) to bully my two elderly dogs and challenge my dominant female. I now realize how incredibly LUCKY I have been that I drop different dogs into my home without incident (until this one, which ended with me and both dogs with puncture wounds and all three of us requiring medical attention). Please keep posting these kinds of blogs!superherosandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04057960840116796037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-33625955727245347522013-06-30T17:46:59.647-07:002013-06-30T17:46:59.647-07:00brilliant article, thank you. Just added a 4th res...brilliant article, thank you. Just added a 4th rescue to my family of 2 elderly English BT bitches and 5 y .o EBT boy. Newby is biggr, younger and has tried to be a bit dominant, but we are getting there, with time out, lots of walks to lower the energy, particularly just before and just after meals which is when trouble is most likely to start, mainly with one of the older girlies. All dishes washed and put away after separate feeding stations. After tea time & last walk, the older girlie is keen to settle down and this is when we find it is easier to let them relax together. I find a water pistol invaluable. The last squabble was just that, no-one got bitten and I could break it up instantly with loud voice command and a water jet. All your process is so relevant and I am going to bookmark this and keep it on thand, thank you so much !RosieFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-77714451080271546772012-02-14T15:00:30.993-08:002012-02-14T15:00:30.993-08:00Another thanks for the article! I have a dog with...Another thanks for the article! I have a dog with a few issues and would love to get a second dog but worried about how he would cope - now I know just how to get everybody comfortable with each other! <br /><br />A few questions about the tie down - firstly what length is it and what is it made of? And what happens if the dog on the tie down has leash reaction issues? Could this be a major problem, or theoretically if you've done the groundwork properly would the potential for problems at this stage be minor? <br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />AmyMehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06515797630948894517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-53574248587650645572012-01-22T10:47:35.584-08:002012-01-22T10:47:35.584-08:00Thanks so much for this article. I am about to fos...Thanks so much for this article. I am about to foster a dog and my rescue pointed me to you for guidance on a low and slow intro to my existing dog. Great stuff!Scooterdognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-8952878153786724542012-01-04T12:37:46.797-08:002012-01-04T12:37:46.797-08:00Hi Jess - We're so glad to know you're thi...Hi Jess - We're so glad to know you're thinking of fostering someday.<br /><br />'Squabbles' (noisy exchanges with little or no injury) can be fairly normal between dog friends and don't tend to bring grudges, although it's best to learn what caused the argument so the triggers can be removed for future peace. <br /><br />Full on battles though are another story. Once dogs begin to battle to the point of bad injury, you have a big management job on your hands. Dogs that have been properly introduced and are smartly managed normally don't battle, so handlers have lots of opportunity to spot little issues that need to be resolved pronto. Resource guarding, for example - That annoying behavior brings up some of the biggest conflicts between dogs, so handlers should keep an eagle eye out for body language cues that are typically used to broadcast "this is mine and I don't want you to have it." Nordic breed people can tell you ALL about that problem!Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05881171300084907158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-56018504006592533752012-01-03T13:47:50.334-08:002012-01-03T13:47:50.334-08:00Thanks for the detailed write-up! I hope to be abl...Thanks for the detailed write-up! I hope to be able to foster someday, even with my very reactive picky dog.<br />Now my question ... in your experience, if there is a "setback" (i.e. a squabble) at any point, has this ever completely poisoned the whole process and made it impossible to get the dogs comfortable together? I'm just wondering because it seems like my dog holds some crazy grudges, which makes me think that one wrong move could make all future interactions tense. I wonder if you have dealt with any other dogs that hold grudges like this.Jessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-18879260605905140972011-12-20T12:45:26.539-08:002011-12-20T12:45:26.539-08:00this gives me new hope that i can work out my dogs...this gives me new hope that i can work out my dogs issues i have one pit and a mix lab both i have rescued they do not get along and ive had to keep them seperate. ive been at my wits end with this and was close to finding a new home for one of my babys wish brakes my heart, but now im ready to start again .. thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-660148573625867942011-11-25T23:58:57.737-08:002011-11-25T23:58:57.737-08:00This was a wonderful example! I have a picky dog o...This was a wonderful example! I have a picky dog of my own and a foster dog! And I have 2 others as well... My dog is not good on the leash! Although she went to daycare all her life, she has a lot of issues with dogs! My foster is very excited on the leash against other dogs as well... We had 2 incidence at home! Right now, my dog has a grudge about my foster, but my foster just wants to play... My dog has fear and dominance issues! So she attacked the foster 10 days ago and I stopped with my arms and hands where I got a lot of bitings by my own dog! The foster would die but not bite me! I wish I lived closer to BAD RAP but all the trainings we got so far didn't help! We are in Atlanta, GA. I would appreciate any recommendations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-39855098978987274402011-09-12T11:02:26.743-07:002011-09-12T11:02:26.743-07:00Thanks for the feedback anon. Nick was neutered, b...Thanks for the feedback anon. Nick was neutered, but under socialized. Humping is so often just dumb and excitable attempts to 'play' from dogs that haven't been around other dogs enough to learn more appropriate 'games.' Once they've had more practice learning new play styles, they usually drop the humping. And if they don't, this is when the handler needs to step in and pull them off with clear reminders not to repeat.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05881171300084907158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-5450258362607020132011-09-12T10:50:48.426-07:002011-09-12T10:50:48.426-07:00This was VERY interesting and so informative. Fran...This was VERY interesting and so informative. Frankly, everything I read "out there" doesn't tell you HOW to do many of these steps, just to be sure and "socialize" or "introduce" but not really how to do it. Thanks for that!<br /><br />Also, I was wondering if Nick has been altered, or was the humping his way of showing dominance? Just curious about that aspect. Thanks again for this great info!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-12958823429226133452010-11-19T14:37:54.658-08:002010-11-19T14:37:54.658-08:00Thanks very much Amanda. You're more than welc...Thanks very much Amanda. You're more than welcome to use this text for your hand-book, provided you don't alter the text. And yes, give credit to BR.<br /><br />Maybe we should create a hand out at some point from this blog post since it's been so helpful? We'll try to do that at some point.<br /><br />Best luck to you with your work and thanks again.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05881171300084907158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-81705839335260636392010-11-19T11:57:15.624-08:002010-11-19T11:57:15.624-08:00I would like to talk to someone about using BAD RA...I would like to talk to someone about using BAD RAP's blog posts in our foster handbook. I would like to take the text and format it into a document, then put "Used with permission by BAD RAP". I think these posts will help our fosters understand how successful these methods can be.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15847022024621960947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-57708437414696919932010-01-20T22:43:01.936-08:002010-01-20T22:43:01.936-08:00Thank you so much for this write up! I have recen...Thank you so much for this write up! I have recently started fostering Shiba Inus (but have owned them over the course of 20 years). The introductions are critical - and I love this step by step with photos. Thank you!<br /><br />Hope you don't mind, but we crossposted your instructions on our blog.<br /><br />awinnieday.blogspot.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16213447960390490902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-91102605240476733322009-11-20T14:49:46.305-08:002009-11-20T14:49:46.305-08:00I wanted to commend you for this wonderful article...I wanted to commend you for this wonderful article on bringing home a new dog. Regardless of the breed - EVERYONE should follow this!!<br /><br />Keep up the great work!!LauriSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-79825671945099307202009-09-22T13:40:37.134-07:002009-09-22T13:40:37.134-07:00I have done a similar intro for my dog selective m...I have done a similar intro for my dog selective male. I foster over in MD and it has worked well everytime.<br />Great story!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-19779058716789915162009-09-03T08:52:46.384-07:002009-09-03T08:52:46.384-07:00Yvette and Steve, you ROCK! Awesome write-up, ver...Yvette and Steve, you ROCK! Awesome write-up, very helpful info. So many people are just excited to throw dogs together and it can so easily blow up in their faces. YAY for patience and self-control (by both humans and doggies). =)<br /><br />One thing I would personally add is that for us, with our resident girlie and any fosters, each dog's relationship and connection with US, the humans in charge, is paramount and comes FIRST! We like a foster to be in our home, bonding with us exclusively and exhibit a trust in the fact that we have things under control before we even think about intros. For some dogs, that comes super fast, for others, it takes weeks. It is always worth it to ensure that connection is there though.<br /><br />When we first intro--with dropped leashes--hubby and I practice calling the dogs out to us and rewarding them profusely for listening, to make sure they still get it and don't get too wrapped up in each other's presence or playing. Then we let them get back to it, assuming it is going well, and always with supervision of course. ;)<br /><br />THANKS for taking the time to highlight so many intricate aspects of responsible doggie management!!! I am constantly referring folks to your website and blog. =)Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04734245100938410152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-80385714120508015162009-09-01T15:37:16.782-07:002009-09-01T15:37:16.782-07:00Such a great account of how to integrate a new dog...Such a great account of how to integrate a new dog into a multi-dog home. We have a 3 dogs, a male senior pit mix (CGC I might brag), a 5 yr old male coonhound and our newest addition, a little pit girl (18 mos?). Our boys were been used to living with a bossy female we had to put down in December so this probably made her introduction go more easily. However, we did very much the same things that Yvette did and slowly -- thanks to my husband's patient manner. To keep our minds at peace while at work, our pit girl is crated when we are not home. Her play style is very rough which suits our senior pit mix (10.5 yrs) fine and has invigorated him but we always supervise. Goofy Coonhound tried the humpty-hump with her a few times but we got that sorted out. He's really a big chicken around other dogs. (Really should have named him Jethro!) It is important to be vigilant about toys, treats and such triggers and even an equal allotment of affection. Multi-dogs make life hectic, require lots of vacuuming and mopping up but they are a constant source of joy, affection and entertainment. Our new pit girl needs a lot of obedience work still but I'm determined that she earn her CGC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-38141492689638141202009-09-01T09:45:50.361-07:002009-09-01T09:45:50.361-07:00Thanks so much for the play by play and instructio...Thanks so much for the play by play and instructions. We had to put down our Hank down in June and would like to get another dog. We weren't sure how to go about it since our girl, Jessie, has never known any other buddy than him. We will use your tips when the time comes. Thanks for your GREAT work for our breed.PBOforlifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03267847109834475350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-36583802118974374972009-09-01T09:43:37.219-07:002009-09-01T09:43:37.219-07:00This is so helpful, thank you for sharing this! I...This is so helpful, thank you for sharing this! I have two female pit bull mixes at home (one mine, one a foster) and they do great together, but I just brought a male Neopolitan Mastiff foster dog home and have not been able to easily integrate him with the rest of my dogs. It's great to have a step-by-step process to follow.<br /><br />Laurie<br />http://dogfostermom.blogspot.comDog Foster Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05397597808629183126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009181.post-1450075261509121352009-09-01T09:14:52.513-07:002009-09-01T09:14:52.513-07:00Ingrid - The intro time can take anywhere from 10 ...Ingrid - The intro time can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 6 months, depending on the personalities of the dogs involved. Frida had been exposed to other dogs for several months during near-daily sessions while she was living at the shelter, so she had been prepped so to speak for her date with Nick. Had Yvette taken her straight home from the shelter the day she was dumped (she was an owner surrender), I'm pretty sure her outline would've been a few pages longer. ;-)<br /><br />Pitfriend - Many of us in BR run multi-dog packs at home with same sex dogs 'course, but we generally recommend opposite sex placements to most of our adopters for the best long-term success. If someone's really motivated and into dogs (a skillful reader of dog body language, etc) they can make it work with same sex pairings, but it can be so much more work. These recommendations comes from many different breed rescues so is more of a 'dog thing' than a pit bull thing.<br /><br />Millie - It's hard to know how to advise you about your BT's rude play style without seeing the dynamics in person. In many cases where dogs don't play well, we'll intercept and use a combination of corrections and time-outs for inappropriate play and praise for when they do well. Most dogs can learn to alter their play style, but its up to us to make sure we've designed good play matches since not every pair is going to bring out the best in each other.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05881171300084907158noreply@blogger.com