8 week pup/big dog intro. problem

[mamadoodle]

Hey all. Have been reading these forums for some time in anticipation of our new puppy and she is finally here.

She arrived yesterday and is absolutely wonderful in every way.

She has settled in pretty nicely but today we ran into a bit of a problem. A friend of ours who lives near by has a lab who is good with puppies. Since we can only do limited socializing until she (sorry - LUNA)...until Luna has all her shots, we figured it would be nice to introduce her to a lab that we know has her shots and is in good health.

When the lab entered, we put luna down to let her approach at her own pace. She ran towards the lab, and then when she was about a foot away, cried out and turned and ran to hide under the couch, crying.

It was TERRIBLE. We felt horrible for her and she has not really shown fear about anything else since we got her home.

Within about a half hour, they were sitting just a few feet from each other on the floor, and while luna was tired and not approaching the lab, she didn't seem scared either.

Is this a normal reaction for an 8 week old meeting a big dog? Did we rectify some of the damage by eventually getting them closer together while Luna seemed to be calm and comfy?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[blue]

The opposite is what happenned with the Bluedawg. At 6 weeks he would happily approach big dogs but would cowwer if a small breed was around. He knew the difference between a puppy and an adult small breed.

 

[HarleyD]

A friend of ours had a Lab that was outside (for a couple of months) after being inside for most of her life. When she saw them she was so excited and kept running back and forth and back and forth. Well, they had this little chi mix with them that they were trying to introduce and the poor puppy would squeal and cry when the Lab nosed her or ran by. She was just scared. They ended up best of friends once the Lab slowed down and the energy burned off.

 

[Saintgirl]

How did you react when she ran away scared? Did you reinforce her behavior and try to comfort her? You have to remember that she is a baby who has been taken away from her mother and littermates and everything is new to her. How was the lab reacting towards her? If the lab was giving her no reason to be scared and was being calm and friendly then I recommend the next time that you have them together, let her run away and hide-BUT do not comfort her, stay calm and keep acting like everything is fine. She will realize that she is in no danger and her confidence will build. When you reinforce her by comforting her and feeling bad for her you are essentially rewarding her fearful behavior, giving her reason to repeat the behavior again.

Having a new pup is fun, and alot of work! We sometimes make mistakes because we feel that we are doing the best for them when sometimes they only need a few seconds to realize that they are in no danger and will come out of their shell on their own.

 

[doberkim]

I think above all you have a little itty bitty baby whose entire world has been turned upside down and she just met a huge gigantic strange dog, and she was scared - it doesn't mean anything.

Every dog handles things differently. When my friends english cocker puppies first met Rah, they all screamed and ran away - it took 1-2 weeks to get them fully acclimated to him (and one of her older pups still hates rah). When Berlin met Rah and Tyler together (yes, I made a mistake and both ran out of th ehouse, I had meant to only do one at a time), thankfully she didn't care one bit - she cried a bit when Rah hit her newly cropped ears, and she tried to take cover when Rah the giant was doing zoomies, but she ran around with them and wasn't afraid.

Just remember she is a baby and she needs time to adjust. She has just started a new life, potentially meeting a strange dog within 24 hours (that she won't have to live with) was too much for her.

 

[Maxy24]

The reaction is fine, socializing is there so that that is not the same reaction she will have when she is an adult. Continue doing greetings like this, as long as the lab is friendly then things will be fine. Your pup will learn he's safe just make sure you do not force her to go near him because that could make her more fearful. Just let her go at her own pace. It's good that at the end she could be near him that means she's not petrified of him just nervous cause he's new.

 

[bubbatd]

I allowed future owners , the sire , my own dogs etc in to visit my young pups . Of course I knew they were healthy with all shots . To me it was just part of socializing . Take your time and gain her confidence .

 

[Dekka]

I would find a good puppy class. Yes the start before all shots are done. But seriously more dogs die from being unsocialized than from not having all their shots. That said, I wouldn't take her to a dog park, or even out to a park where lots of dogs frequent. But places that have good puppy classes (classes for pups 8 weeks to 3 1/2 months) are cognizant of the risks. Puppy classes are great as pups learn how to socialize together, its less stressful often than adult dogs. And they learn a lot about bite inhibition and manners through play. AND most classes do basic obedience, so your pup will also learn how to focus during distractions.

 

[lizzybeth727]

Great advice by all, nothing I can add, just wanted to comment -

My dog's name is Luna too! She's a chihuahua, so I thought a Mexican name was fitting. Since then I've only met one other dog named Luna, and she was a lab, too!

 

[mamadoodle]

Great advice by all, nothing I can add, just wanted to comment -

My dog's name is Luna too! She's a chihuahua, so I thought a Mexican name was fitting. Since then I've only met one other dog named Luna, and she was a lab, too!

thanks all for the advice. i will update everyone on progress...

little anecdote - we have a wine fridge that she sees her refelction in....at first...she would try to play with this little dog in the mirror....after the incident with the lab...she was a little more reticent...it was very cute...but she everntually worked through it and now approaches the mirror like before. puppies are incredible!


and HI to luna the chihuahua!

 

[lizzybeth727]

little anecdote - we have a wine fridge that she sees her refelction in....at first...she would try to play with this little dog in the mirror....after the incident with the lab...she was a little more reticent...it was very cute...but she everntually worked through it and now approaches the mirror like before. puppies are incredible!

Cute! Animals and mirrors are so funny. My Luna completely ignores the mirror, if I hold her up to it she drops her eyes likes she's trying to avoid it. My cat will sit in front of me with her back to me and stare at me through the mirror. I sneak up behind her and poke her on the head, and it startles her EVERY TIME (I mean, not like running around freaked out startled, just an annoyed meow). Hilarious.