Well, Blackie and Duchess did well on the ride home. Blackie stared at my rider’s lap until she deigned to allow him to sleep there. Duchess mourned being left out in the backseat. That is, until my rider’s granddaughter hopped in. She then took advantage of a small, comfortable lap and settled in for lots of great pats.
Once home, they spent some time getting to know my dogs and exploring the backyard. We all tromped inside to eat and then spent some more time outside. Then, we all tromped upstairs – me to read before bed and them to find their sleeping spots and settle down for the night. Duchess was a little wary of the huge flight of stairs, but she stormed up them like the good little trooper that she is.
Ella has been following Duchess around like a nursemaid. The poor old girl needs to lose quite a bit of weight and grow back her coat. Since she is hypothyroid, she needs to take medicine with each meal. She was so happy to be in the (too) long grass that she tried prancing around like a puppy.
Maggie doesn't mind either Blackie or Duchess. She pretty much ignores them.
Robbie barked at Blackie quite a bit. At first, it was a “you are a stranger and you don’t belong here” bark. After we all started playing ball and tug, though, it became a “play with me” bark. Robbie tends to be insecure around strange male dogs, so Blackie was crated while I am at work today. He showed this behavior to Buster, too, so Robbie and I are going to start a little more comprehensive training program to help ease his fears.
Bear is scared of Blackie, though it isn't Blackie’s fault. Since Bear can not see very well, Blackie looks like a moving shadow to Bear – much like my oldest cat (who cuffs Bear whenever he gets a chance). With time, Bear will start to recognize him.
Blackie also needs to be crated because he urine marks – inside. Saying his name distracts him enough to stop, but he spends a large amount of time sniffing and lifting a leg. Hopefully, with time and training, he will discontinue doing this inside. Bear did the same thing when I first rescued him, so I know that time, patience and consistency will help a lot.
1 comment:
Good luck with all the integration. We adopted our older dog Sam when he about 8. He used to mark inside all the time - but only on my belongings, never Mike's. It finally stopped once we he'd been with us for about 6 months. Well, that and we had him neutered.
Have your chicks arrived yet?
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