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Introducing a guest dog – Bond makes a friend (#2)
Logan is an adorable male cockapoo puppy who came to my home for some training. From previous experience, I’d learned Bond could be a bit of a jerk with small, male dogs specifically. By jerk I mean he’s on his toes, stiff-bodied, tail high, and ready to take offense at an imaginary slight. ???? (He’s universally great with larger dogs of either sex, the little stinker.)
I have also discovered that Bond tends to match the energy of another dog, so if that dog comes on fast and boisterously, in a friendly way, his arousal levels spike and he’s then more likely to make social mistakes.
In the video below, you’ll see I have a gate set up with Logan on one side and Bond on the other. I regularly toss treats behind Bond to divert his energy and give him some time to get used to Logan’s presence. It also gives Logan a bit of time to calm down. When I see two specific body language cues, I know Bond will now be okay with our new visitor.
Which signs did you see in Bond?
▶ You can see the first installment of doggie intros here.
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5 Replies
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That body shake-off by Bond often precedes very nice play. In this case, new guest Linus, also seems to take the shake-off as a good sign that it’s safe to begin play.
There’s an interesting field study that was done, showing that ‘shaking it off’ lowers the dog’s pulse after there’s been a significant increase.
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I also see a side-to-side tail wag and a play bow.
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Yes indeed, @Shari !
I wonder if anyone notices Bond’s hackles are up a bit, even when he jumps up onto the sofa. I can tell by the speed of movement and height of his tail that he still needs a bit more time to relax and let go of the posture-y nonsense.-
I was actually commenting on the video where he’s behind the gate. In the second video, with the couch (and no barrier), I agree he looks a little more hesitant — but still willing to check out this stranger. Good boy!
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