Elizabeth77 Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 I have already, written about this topic but it vanished so here goes again, shorter version. A stray dog came to my garden today. Small, male, hungry and at first very scared. Eventually with talk and treats and no objection from Meg he came into the house. He had no collar and I live in the countryside there was no way I could just let him wander off. He has no manners!! He is very keen to jump up at me and puts little paws up on everything. When I correct him poor Meg thinks I am giving out to her. Meg must never feel anxious , she is too good and precious. Meg is being very tolerant of new dog. How do I best reassure Meg she is and always will be NO 1. As it may be some time, if ever, that I find the owners I can't allow new dog get away with bad behaviour from the start, can I ?? How best should I deal with this situation? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaMJL Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 I have already, written about this topic but it vanished so here goes again, shorter version.A stray dog came to my garden today. Small, male, hungry and at first very scared. Eventually with talk and treats and no objection from Meg he came into the house. He had no collar and I live in the countryside there was no way I could just let him wander off. He has no manners!! He is very keen to jump up at me and puts little paws up on everything. When I correct him poor Meg thinks I am giving out to her. Meg must never feel anxious , she is too good and precious. Meg is being very tolerant of new dog. How do I best reassure Meg she is and always will be NO 1. As it may be some time, if ever, that I find the owners I can't allow new dog get away with bad behaviour from the start, can I ?? How best should I deal with this situation? Thank you Good on you for looking after this stray dog! He's lucky you care As for Meg, what does she like to do best? is she food motivated? does she like to play fetch? Whenever I've brought in a new dog, I always make sure that my older dogs get more attention and time than the new ones. So I would often crate the one or put them away and go for a nice walk/game of fetch with my old dogs. I would tire them out first and then work with the new one. You may need to use your body language only too with the stray as to not upset Meg. Body language can do alot of good instead of using your voice and it's less upsetting sometimes to your existing dog that they don't worry you are upset with them. I hope this makes sense! Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grenzehund Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Have you given him a name yet? That may help, to say "Fido, off!" I do think Meg will differentiate soon enough. AmandaMJL's advice is good, to use body language rather than voice, it's more direct to the miscreant! And yes, favor her with time, feed her first, etc. We always crated (for overnight) our fosters in a different room, even the one who "failed" - once we decided to keep her, she joined the others. I do think Meg is secure in her status with you! Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Im a little concerned about letting this dog in our house so soon. You dont know anything about him , if he is sick , or bites , or has issues with other dogs. When they are scared and out of their element , they can act so differently then their true self. My concern is for you and your other pets in the house. Im all for helping strays , Ive dont it millions of times too , but letting him in the house so quickly may be a recipe for disaster. I can understand letting him in the basement or other part of the house away from other pets till you get to know him better and you can see if he's sick or injured in some way you didnt notice when you first seen him. Chances are now that you know more about him. I would be extremely careful about correcting this dog in any way. You dont know how he will react if you give him a correction , either verbally or pushing him off with your hands. If he is intact , he can become a little aggressive with your other dogs and you , so please be careful . I would hate to hear you got injured helping out a dog in need. Just go slow with him. Good luck with him. If possible , get him vet checked for peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth77 Posted February 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Thank you for the replies. I am trying hard to do the silent commands. Ipsy you are so right about not knowing the dog. From being a scared, shivering mass he has now made a take over bid. He is hyperactive and dashes around non stop. The more I watch the more I feel he was dumped as this is not an easy dog to manage. I have notified the Gardai, our police, to see if he was reported missing; also the local pet shop where people post missing pets. Last night while Meg had her usual spot on my bed new dog had a bed in another room. Sadly I won't be able to keep him, he is too active and being elderly I am scared she will get under my feet leading to a fall. I will of course do my very best to find an owner. I Think this is a very young dog and he has markings somewhat like a Rotweiler though much much smaller. Please keep your fingers crossed an owner shows up, this is a difficult situation for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedismom Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 This is a wonderful thing you're doing, even though I can tell it's very stressful for you. You have received some good advice. I would just like to add one more thing, based on what I would do if I had him. I think if you don't use a crate, then having him in a different room to sleep and chill out is just fine. When he is out of the room, I would have him leashed to me, or tethered to something, so that he does not have the chance to practice running like a crazy boy all over the place. This should help calm him down some and make it easier for you to work on some manners. I find "sit" fairly simple to teach, so perhaps you can start with that, and once he has it then he has to perform it before he gets meals, treats, walks, attention, etc. Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth77 Posted February 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Jedismom what a good point you make. Never dawned on me to put him on a lead. i will do that right now. I had put his bed in a shed outdoors as the pooping was getting to me. However it is very cold and I am about to give in and bring him to the warmth. What a hopeless case i am!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariji Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 The lead is brilliant. I do it all the time with my 7 month old pup. Wherever we go she is leashed even if I am not holding it so if she misbehaves I can reel her back in like a fish. At home she is very lucky and has free roam now but I used to block off an area or use a playpen to seperate her and give her toys and things to keep her amused. Take her out only to potty and have some supervised play with the older dog. As for introducing them, I never do anything special, I simply leave them up to their own devices and I've never had dogs that don't get along. Although when I did have my son Myla was extremely put off and hated him and sooked for months. I just did some training with her in which she had to target the baby anywhere on his body. Of course she would pretend to touch hima nd say "I did it!" It just started with touching his toes then i managed to get her to touch his hands and slowly up. Just last week I saw her put her head up on the the arm of the couch and lick him! That is unheard of! She would always get up and move if he even looked at her from the other side of the room, and he is now 10 months. Although that is a child and a dog the dog/dog principle is the same. It takes time to adjust especially if the new dog is an adult as I think dogs can tell if it is just puppy and doesn't really mean anything it does. But you oldest has been the only one so she will of course be thrown off. I just make sure i have seperate playing time and training time, where my oldest gets time with just me. Only now has my pup been allowed to watch our training sessions because Mylie is very sure that training is just for her. So maybe play a game you girl likes the best just with her a couple of times a day. She will cheer up, don't worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth77 Posted February 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 I have had stray dog on lead now for a couple of hours and the change is great. Not to have him dashing around the house is bliss. Maybe I am silly not to have thought of this myself but I have never been in this situation before and am so grateful to be pointed in the right direction. Now if there are any tips to stop him going between my feet when on the lead more gratitude will follow!! But the advice so far is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth77 Posted February 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Thank you again to those who took the trouble to help. An update on stray who I called Tango. The lead helped a lot and he has quietened down a little but as I said there is no way I can keep him. Luckily I found an organization, reputable, who will have him fostered for me until he gets a 'for ever' home. I said I would have him neutered and vaccinated before he leaves me so I take him to the Vet on Friday. I will miss Tango but have to face reality as to what I can cope with. The relief that the situation is sorted( and will hopefully have a very happy ending )is immense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 You did a really great thing and should be proud of yourself. Tango may never had a chance if you two didnt meet . BTW , I love the name Tango ! I need to add that to my list of names... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedismom Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 I'm so glad this story had a happy ending. So many don't. Hugs to you Elizabeth for a job well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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