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Introducing a guest dog – Bond makes a friend (#1)
Introducing a guest dog in my home is a regular occurrence. ???? Since adopting Bond two years ago, I learned that I need to focus a bit more carefully on new dog intros with him, much more so than I’ve had to do with other dogs in the past, thanks to Bond’s less than stellar social etiquette. In most cases, Bond quickly likes, and often plays with, many guests, but creating a good intro is really important to set a positive tone. ????
In this video, a very shy dog named Allie has arrived, and she is about two and a half times smaller than Bond. I already know Bond warms up instantly to female dogs, but his goofy approach may frighten Allie. So, I keep him on leash for the early greetings, while Allie is free to move as she wishes, only approaching if she’s ready, and retreating any time she needs more space.
What techniques have you found helpful with shy dogs?
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After about four gradual exposures, Allie is finally ready to make some tentative play gestures with Bond. I continued to monitor Bond very carefully so he wouldn’t overwhelm his wee new friend. I love this video because it’s dripping with interesting body language.
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WOW! There’s SUCH good body language to unpack in these videos!! Way to set them up for success, @virginiad
In the second video, were you cuing Bond to step back or take a break at all, or did he do that on his own? That shake-off is so well-timed!
In both videos, I find watching just Bond’s tail signaling to be fascinating. Tails say so much! We’re only just beginning to understand them. Did you catch this scientific study about right-side tail wagging? Since I read about this research, I’ve been trying to pay attention to which side the dog’s tail is wagging, ESPECIALLY as I evaluate a dog for the first time. Arousal is one thing (speed of the wag) but sidedness can give clues as to to the dog’s intent (friendly vs. um….not).
Bond’s tail is so demonstrative!! Whaddagoodboy. And I do think it helps his new little friend understand he has no plans to hurt her. He backs that up with a bunch of other signals, too, of course.
What else do you all see in these clips!?
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@catherine , I just used a calm voice a couple times with Bond, which tends to keep him on a good path. And YES, tail communication is fascinating. His is quite eloquent.
My latest fascination in the shake-off. I know it helps to reduce pulse rate after it has spiked, but what’s really cool to me is that the other dog seems to recognize it as a ‘safe to engage’ signal, as you see with Allie in this video. It will also show up in another video this Thursday.
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YESSS!!!! Love those shake-offs. Joy used to help me at the shelter – and her shake off was often key to helping scared dogs find their feets. ????????
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I’ve found that using a very gentle dog or a dog that doesn’t pay any attention to other dogs, to start. Then gradually introduce more assertive or more outgoing dogs as the shy dog gains confidence and trust.
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Excellent ideas, @tondabenge ! ????
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