Sammy has been living with my parents in Illinois while Justin and I got married and I moved from Texas to Portland. She had lots of fun on her farm vacation, digging everywhere and hunting mice. My parents made the drive with her from Illinois last week and our household is now complete, two dogs, two cats, two people.
I’ve been spending every spare second working to restore balance in our household, helping the dogs to get to know each other and trying to convince the cats that a second dog isn’t so bad!
Dan has been a spoiled only child since we got him and he wasn’t sure what to think of this bossy older dog in his apartment! We were very careful for the first few days while introducing them. We walked them separately. We had several crates around the dining room to give Sam a break from the enthusiastic puppy or to let Dan settle down and give Sammy some one-on-one attention. If they were out together, we were watching closely, making sure all of the body language was friendly and interrupting any interactions that looked unfriendly.
The second or third day, we took the two of them to the big dog park together. They had only spent a small amount of time in the same room together and I thought this might help them figure each other out. I think that this experience was very important for them. It gave them wide-open spaces to get to know each other on somewhat neutral ground. This environment was much more natural to both of them too, being herding breed dogs (actually it is more natural for almost any dog – apartments are a stressful environment for dogs!) They ran together and sniffed each other on their own terms with plenty of opportunities to take a break and go hunt, dig, or come to the humans for attention. By the end of the 4-mile walk, Dan was racing after Sammy wherever she went, but was being very respectful, giving her space and not plowing her over.
It has been really interesting to watch the two of them interact and get to know one another! One particular interaction has stood out for me and I wanted to share it with you.
In general, they are starting to entertain each other, rather than constantly seeking my attention while I’m working. They follow each other waiting for the toy the other one has and take turns stealing each other’s bones. And Dan is constantly putting on a show for Sammy, trying to get her to play. And this has been the best moment of all for me – he got her to engage in direct play! I happened to be nearby, and decided to take a quick video of him showing off for her. He’s so funny, he flips his whole body around, play bowing over and over asking to play. I was lucky enough that this was the time he was successful and got some footage of Sammy bowing back.
This shouldn’t be an unusual interaction for most dogs, but Sammy has never been interested in playing with other dogs at all, unless it is the game of fetch or she is herding them like sheep. She averts her gaze at the park making it clear that she would prefer the other dogs to just ignore her and play with someone else. I’m not sure exactly why she is this way, I was pretty young when she was a puppy, but we lived in the country and she was rarely in a place where she could interact with other dogs. We have been to many obedience and agility classes and trials, but that isn’t the same as free play with another dog.
The way this behavior was elicited is just so interesting to me and brings up so many questions that I hope to find answers to. For example, what is it about Dan that got her to play? Did she learn from him or did he do something to elicit a behavior she already knew but was really, really rusty on? Will this change the way she interacts with other dogs?
It is amazing what your dogs can teach you in the most unexpected ways. I’m glad they like each other so much and I’m so excited to keep watching their relationship build.
