Taffyhorse
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
Looking for some advice as I can't decide on the best scenario... So, we have been invited around to our neighbours on Friday for a BBQ (weather permitting!) which is great. My parents are also coming to stay with their 2 labs. Normally F comes with us as he loves playing with their JRT. But this weekend they also have their daughter staying with her dobie and dobie X and herin lies the problem...
The dobie X can be noisy but is actually ok. The dobe on the other hand is a bit more of a problem and when he and F met on the footpath near our house they had a bit of a dust-up - lots of noise and snarling rather than actual biting but we seperated them quickly before it could get to that stage. However, I would really like them all to be socialised with one another as normally when they come to stay, we keep them apart, check where the others are before we leave the house etc etc which is all fine but I do find it a bit stressful.
It would also be good if we can get them introduced before Friday so that all the dogs can 'mingle' together otherwise we will have to leave F and my parents dogs at home which is ok but not ideal as our dogs have always been a big part of our social life too (and our neighbours). So my thoughts are as follows:
A) Meet at a 'neutral' point out on a walk where there is plenty of space (F is much better then, than on a narrow footpath) and carry on walking together trying to keep it low key and then off lead if they settle.
B) Bite the bullet and put them all in our neighbours garden together and let them get on with it (BTW I don't mean letting it escalate into WW3, I just mean giving them a chance to get the 'I'm the man', no 'I'm the man' posturing and noisiness out of the way). It is only the dobe and mine that I am worried about here - the JRT gets on with everything already and my dads dogs are very non-reactive.
C) carry on as we are, keeping them seperate and trying to avoid each other.
Any thoughts on the above or alternative options would be gratefully received. At present, I am leaning towards A followed by B - generally F is fine once he's been introduced and I think the dobe is the same. However, if it did all go wrong, I'd feel awful - particularly if my parents dogs got mixed up with it as they are the light of my dad's life!
So thoughts please from you lovely, knowledgable peeps on here and apologies for the essay!
Thanks
Looking for some advice as I can't decide on the best scenario... So, we have been invited around to our neighbours on Friday for a BBQ (weather permitting!) which is great. My parents are also coming to stay with their 2 labs. Normally F comes with us as he loves playing with their JRT. But this weekend they also have their daughter staying with her dobie and dobie X and herin lies the problem...
The dobie X can be noisy but is actually ok. The dobe on the other hand is a bit more of a problem and when he and F met on the footpath near our house they had a bit of a dust-up - lots of noise and snarling rather than actual biting but we seperated them quickly before it could get to that stage. However, I would really like them all to be socialised with one another as normally when they come to stay, we keep them apart, check where the others are before we leave the house etc etc which is all fine but I do find it a bit stressful.
It would also be good if we can get them introduced before Friday so that all the dogs can 'mingle' together otherwise we will have to leave F and my parents dogs at home which is ok but not ideal as our dogs have always been a big part of our social life too (and our neighbours). So my thoughts are as follows:
A) Meet at a 'neutral' point out on a walk where there is plenty of space (F is much better then, than on a narrow footpath) and carry on walking together trying to keep it low key and then off lead if they settle.
B) Bite the bullet and put them all in our neighbours garden together and let them get on with it (BTW I don't mean letting it escalate into WW3, I just mean giving them a chance to get the 'I'm the man', no 'I'm the man' posturing and noisiness out of the way). It is only the dobe and mine that I am worried about here - the JRT gets on with everything already and my dads dogs are very non-reactive.
C) carry on as we are, keeping them seperate and trying to avoid each other.
Any thoughts on the above or alternative options would be gratefully received. At present, I am leaning towards A followed by B - generally F is fine once he's been introduced and I think the dobe is the same. However, if it did all go wrong, I'd feel awful - particularly if my parents dogs got mixed up with it as they are the light of my dad's life!
So thoughts please from you lovely, knowledgable peeps on here and apologies for the essay!
Thanks