The dog musing/vent thread
- Thread starter Laurelin
- Start date
So lately I want a terrier. Lol what is wrong with me?
On another note love the new house and yard and neighborhood. Got home from work and ate dinner on my covered patio while the dogs sniffed around. They love the landscaping and trees- much more to sniff and patrol than our previous yard which was just a patch of grass. Then we went walking to the nearby college campus an the bell tower was playing pretty songs. Then home and fetch with Mia down our long hallway. Yes. I like this house a lot.
On another note love the new house and yard and neighborhood. Got home from work and ate dinner on my covered patio while the dogs sniffed around. They love the landscaping and trees- much more to sniff and patrol than our previous yard which was just a patch of grass. Then we went walking to the nearby college campus an the bell tower was playing pretty songs. Then home and fetch with Mia down our long hallway. Yes. I like this house a lot.
I don't know. I don't know if I made the right decision. I've spent a lot of today either deliriously happy or crying.
Astro is visibly distressed that another dog is in his space. Apparently playing with dogs in the great outdoors is kosher, but indoors? Nope! He won't do his usual commands, and not in an "I'm distracted by the new playmate!" way, he's visibly very worried. He is also definitely territorial, 100% - he has charged her snarling a few times.
For her part the new gal seems to be another resource guarder.
Fantastic.
I just....I don't know. I've been wanting a second dog on some level literally since I got Astro but I feel like I might've made a horrible mistake.
Astro is visibly distressed that another dog is in his space. Apparently playing with dogs in the great outdoors is kosher, but indoors? Nope! He won't do his usual commands, and not in an "I'm distracted by the new playmate!" way, he's visibly very worried. He is also definitely territorial, 100% - he has charged her snarling a few times.
For her part the new gal seems to be another resource guarder.
Fantastic.
I just....I don't know. I've been wanting a second dog on some level literally since I got Astro but I feel like I might've made a horrible mistake.
Traveler spent the first week growling and trying to crawl into my pocket when Fergus came home. Traveler right now is laying on his back on the floor wiggling at Fergus trying to get him to play.
When I dog sat a ACD mix awhile back Didgie spent the first day trying to make her die. They became best friends.
Traveler was so incredibly disgusted when I brought Didgie home he wouldn't look at her, let her touch him and just growled. They now play and snuggle all the time.
It's a change but I highly doubt most dogs are instantly happy and ok with a new dog in their space. Take a deep breath, calm down and snuggle with both your dogs. It's going to be an adjustment and you'll have doubts but in the end everything will even out.
When I dog sat a ACD mix awhile back Didgie spent the first day trying to make her die. They became best friends.
Traveler was so incredibly disgusted when I brought Didgie home he wouldn't look at her, let her touch him and just growled. They now play and snuggle all the time.
It's a change but I highly doubt most dogs are instantly happy and ok with a new dog in their space. Take a deep breath, calm down and snuggle with both your dogs. It's going to be an adjustment and you'll have doubts but in the end everything will even out.
This. With both Happy and Cajun, the first couple days/weeks were a bit of a rollercoaster - yay, new dog, who I kind of love already! But OMG what is this hell I've entered into?! Everybody has to adjust and kind of get used to the new normal of this extra creature being around, but it just takes time and if things seem rocky right now, it doesn't mean they'll stay that way.
I had almost forgotten how much I love working with Juno 
I flat-out just haven't done any training with her in a LONG time, but as the "new dog" I've done a bit with Cajun. The 2 of them are just so different, Juno is really calculated and thinks things through whereas Cajun just throws herself at food and would mindlessly follow a lure off a cliff. They both learn new things really quickly, but now that I have another dog to kind of compare to, I'm really starting to appreciate Juno's thought process! She's a bit more my speed lol a lot less spastic!
Other thing I appreciate more: Juno's ability to alternate between food and toy rewards. Once Cajun is presented with food, she can't seem to comprehend that anything else on the planet exists.
Basically, we are just further solidifying the fact that Juno is Perfect.
I flat-out just haven't done any training with her in a LONG time, but as the "new dog" I've done a bit with Cajun. The 2 of them are just so different, Juno is really calculated and thinks things through whereas Cajun just throws herself at food and would mindlessly follow a lure off a cliff. They both learn new things really quickly, but now that I have another dog to kind of compare to, I'm really starting to appreciate Juno's thought process! She's a bit more my speed lol a lot less spastic!Other thing I appreciate more: Juno's ability to alternate between food and toy rewards. Once Cajun is presented with food, she can't seem to comprehend that anything else on the planet exists.
Basically, we are just further solidifying the fact that Juno is Perfect.
Reminds me of a dream I had, where I found litter after litter of Guinea Pigs and Kittens in a hole behind a house I've drove past numerous times, and they had all different types of fur and colors. I was very sad to wake up and not have 20 new Guinea Pig babies and 20 new Kittens.
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Going to take Chomper to the park and walk this morning! Mostly just excited to try to get pictures in the woods, in front of Lake Superior, and with Duluth in the background. But since I'm looking forward to it, probably won't have any thing turn out.
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Going to take Chomper to the park and walk this morning! Mostly just excited to try to get pictures in the woods, in front of Lake Superior, and with Duluth in the background. But since I'm looking forward to it, probably won't have any thing turn out.
Thanks for the advice and positive messages you guys. I've doing some elements of lock down (no classes or going outside the neighborhood, crating everybody when I'm not home, leaving leashes on inside, etc), but maybe I will do a full-fledged lock down. The thing is, I live in a condo association and have neighbors, so I can only let her bark it out in her crate so much.
I guess I'm just having a harder time with this than I thought I would. Astro is my baby, I pretty blatantly think he's the best dog. I woke up this morning incredibly stressed because I couldn't have our usual nice Astro-and-owner morning cuddle time in bed, because lil miss was shrieking in her crate. I hate dogs that make noise so, so much....
She also herds Astro away from me, which - no. Absolutely not. You will not herd my favorite dog away from me. I love that he follows me into the bathroom and up on the couch, but he can't right now because she'll drive him away. I can redirect her but honestly it's not a good way for me to learn to like her. And it makes me worry, she's already this bossy about staking out me/the couch/the bath mat from Astro, and it's only Day 2 - is she going to get worse?
On the plus side, she knows what to do with a frozen stuffed kong, she sleeps through the night, she rides silently and politely in a car, and she hasn't had an accident. She knows to go outside to potty and her stool has been solid and normal.
I guess I'm just having a harder time with this than I thought I would. Astro is my baby, I pretty blatantly think he's the best dog. I woke up this morning incredibly stressed because I couldn't have our usual nice Astro-and-owner morning cuddle time in bed, because lil miss was shrieking in her crate. I hate dogs that make noise so, so much....
She also herds Astro away from me, which - no. Absolutely not. You will not herd my favorite dog away from me. I love that he follows me into the bathroom and up on the couch, but he can't right now because she'll drive him away. I can redirect her but honestly it's not a good way for me to learn to like her. And it makes me worry, she's already this bossy about staking out me/the couch/the bath mat from Astro, and it's only Day 2 - is she going to get worse?
On the plus side, she knows what to do with a frozen stuffed kong, she sleeps through the night, she rides silently and politely in a car, and she hasn't had an accident. She knows to go outside to potty and her stool has been solid and normal.
I only have one dog, but I do have some experience with this.
I got a second rabbit, Hannah, with the intention of bonding her to my first, Otto. From the first day Hannah was kind of crazy (digging, shredding, chewing) and bonding was not easy. Otto was polite, but she chased him, bit him, tried to hump him, and generally terrified him. I very seriously considered sending her back for a couple weeks. I stuck it out and fully bonded them, so then I couldn't send her back, but I still wasn't sure. It wasn't until we owned her for about a year that I felt like she really fit in and I was able to see all of her great qualities. I think this is all really normal.
As far as bossy dogs go, Watson's best dog friend is a bossy ACD. It definitely requires management when they're together - no high value chews unless they are closely supervised, and we have to make sure the ACD isn't controlling who Watson can get attention from. But really, they do very well together because Watson is easy going and they have worked out their relationship. It *can* work quite well, and just requires that you let the bossy dog know that her bossing isn't necessary or tolerated. I think this type of behavior is something that is definitely worse at the beginning, not something that gets worse over time (unless you mamage it the completely wrong way, which I don't think you will).
Good luck. I think what you're feeling is totally normal, but that doesn't make it easier. I know that awful feeling of "oh my god, what have I done?!"
I got a second rabbit, Hannah, with the intention of bonding her to my first, Otto. From the first day Hannah was kind of crazy (digging, shredding, chewing) and bonding was not easy. Otto was polite, but she chased him, bit him, tried to hump him, and generally terrified him. I very seriously considered sending her back for a couple weeks. I stuck it out and fully bonded them, so then I couldn't send her back, but I still wasn't sure. It wasn't until we owned her for about a year that I felt like she really fit in and I was able to see all of her great qualities. I think this is all really normal.
As far as bossy dogs go, Watson's best dog friend is a bossy ACD. It definitely requires management when they're together - no high value chews unless they are closely supervised, and we have to make sure the ACD isn't controlling who Watson can get attention from. But really, they do very well together because Watson is easy going and they have worked out their relationship. It *can* work quite well, and just requires that you let the bossy dog know that her bossing isn't necessary or tolerated. I think this type of behavior is something that is definitely worse at the beginning, not something that gets worse over time (unless you mamage it the completely wrong way, which I don't think you will).
Good luck. I think what you're feeling is totally normal, but that doesn't make it easier. I know that awful feeling of "oh my god, what have I done?!"
The dog I want to look at is an ACD and that is giving me pause. Not sure Mia and an ACD bitch would get along. But there's also an adult male 'ACD' ( hard to tell if he is an ACD or rat terrier mix) also catching my eye.
I wonder if Sheltie dream is trying to twll me anything. I went to the shelter and about half the dogs were Shelties. I walked out with a sable puppy, a bi black 1 year old, and a cockapoo. Yeah no idea why a cockapoo.
Now I woke up wondering If I should call that Sheltie breeder...
My friend just got a tricolor Sheltie pup so that might be why I'm dreaming Shelties.
I wonder if Sheltie dream is trying to twll me anything. I went to the shelter and about half the dogs were Shelties. I walked out with a sable puppy, a bi black 1 year old, and a cockapoo. Yeah no idea why a cockapoo.
Now I woke up wondering If I should call that Sheltie breeder...
My friend just got a tricolor Sheltie pup so that might be why I'm dreaming Shelties.