[Dailydrool] Adding a second hound

[Dale Rutz]

Hi Esther,

We learned a lot when Snoopy came home.  Cyrus had been an "only dog" for 6 
years.  Cyrus loved having Snoopy around when there were no people to play with, 
but both dogs had (and still sometimes do have) concerns about who is getting 
what (attention, food, toys).  Here are some things that worked with Cyrus and 
Snoopy

1)  having TWO of favorite toys.  There are two orange squeaky balls and two of 
those squeaky kong balls with feet and about 10 stuffies ... having one for each 
dog and offering the dog who doesn't have one his own when he sees the other guy 
playing with one helps a TON.

2)  For a long time we walked them separately.  Sometimes my husband would take 
one and I'd take the other (till he lost Snoopy one night!!!) but other times 
I'd walk one and then the other.  It really seemed important to both dogs to 
have "me" time, especially early on.  This is all 8 months ago now and we all 
walk together most nights.  I got the boys those martingale harnesses (that clip 
in front) that everyone raved about and no one pulls anymore, instant solution.

3)  Cookie time!  Yes, every time it looked like one dog had offended the other 
I'd shout COOKIE TIME and run for the kitchen and we'd have a two dog sit and a 
cookie each .... and they'd forget what the fuss was about to be about.

Cyrus and Snoopy love each other and sleep together with us on our bed and while 
Snoopy still snarks at Cyrus on occasion (especially if there's beef invoved 
.... we call it MY COW talk) we know they are happy to have each other and we 
just love them both.

Have fun with the new Foster.  Good luck!

--Dale ... with Cyrus and Snoopy



________________________________
From: Esther Strom <esthermstrom at gmail.com>
To: Daily Drool <dailydrool at lists.dailydrool.org>
Sent: Thu, September 22, 2011 5:15:51 PM
Subject: [Dailydrool] Adding a second hound

The DAILY DROOL
An internet mail list designed to
entertain and inform basset hounds
and their people.


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Sometime in the next few days, I'll be getting my first foster from Basset 
Buddies. This will be the first time I've ever had more than one dog at a time, 
and I'm feeling a little nervous! I know there are a lot of you Droolers who 
live alone with multiple dogs, so hopefully someone can answer a few questions.

	1. Basil is very submissive and shy. What if the new guy is an attention hog? 
How do I make sure Basil doesn't feel neglected?
	2. I've decided (for now) to try using a coupler with a single leash instead of 
two separate leashes in order to hopefully prevent getting pulled in two 
directions. What happens when the dogs don't want to walk at the same speed? 
When one wants to stop and sniff and the other wants to keep moving? Do I let 
the sniffer do his thing on the assumption that the other one will eventually 
find something he wants to sniff, or do I keep them moving?
	3. What if the new guy needs a lot more exercise than Basil? He's supposedly 6; 
Basil is 10. Do I take them home when Basil gets tired, then take the new guy 
back out for more walking? (Refer to question 1...) Or do I just take them to 
the dog park, where Basil can sniff at his own speed, and the new guy can run 
and play with the other dogs? Basil isn't particularly fond of the park; he 
tolerates it but because he's completely deaf and now starting to lose his sight 
he doesn't want to get more than a few feet away from me, so he doesn't really 
enjoy it.Thanks for any advice you can provide! I know it's "just" a foster, and 
if it doesn't work out I know it doesn't have to be permanent, but I don't want 
the new guy to be bounced to another home before he can be adopted just because 
I can't figure out the logistics of living with two dogs.

-Esther, Basil (do we really need another one?), and Waldo ATB
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