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So my cousin is planning for me to watch over his husky for a bit, since he was gonna be gone for the weekend.
Got any tips on how to prepare?
Got any tips on how to prepare?
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- Thread starter Sharkoman
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Huskies are not known for being handler focussed, or for having good recall. Is your dog a Chi? Do they know each other? I would be prepared to have them separated, just in case, so plan for two separate walks each time, separate feeding, separate sleeping areas etc.
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He's a beagle, and will probably be the first time they meet if my memory serves me right.
Thanks for the info
Thanks for the info
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Did the guest-dog arrive & depart already? - How did it go?
If the guest-dog didn't come yet, try to introduce the dogs on neutral ground - not in Ur house or garden, but walking distance away. Also, a brief follow-me walk as a virtual introduction often makes face-to-face intros less fraught --- Both dogs are on leash, & one dog walks ahead, while the other walks behind at a distance that allows the front dog to relax & engage in sniffing, etc, rather than turn around periodically & stare at the stranger behind, or lunge, bark, etc.
After 5 or more minutes, the dogs & handlers turn around IN PLACE & go back the way they came, but the dog that was behind, is now ahead. Again, no set distance, but far-enuf apart that they don't react to one another, while remaining aware that there is another dog.
When U have both arrived at the starting point, the handlers stand relaxed & chat with each other from a distance, while the dogs sniff, pee, lie down, _______ . If both dogs appear relaxed & unconcerned, reduce the distance slightly & keep talking. U don't want to let them rush toward one another, nor let one dog charge toward the other, who freezes in place & then freaks-out -
polite approaches to a dog by another dog are made in an arc, with lots of broadside body-language to indicate the approaching dog is not hostile, but is curious & friendly.
Head-to-head / face-on approaches with direct eye contact are human behaviors - for dogs, both of those are rude, & a very direct eye-to-eye stare is a threat.
That's why dogs so often get in trouble in face-on bottlenecks - doorways, a gate between inside & outside, narrow areas on a public sidewalk, 1 enters the dog-park airlock while another is exiting, slipping between cars in a crowded parking lot, & similar.
- terry
If the guest-dog didn't come yet, try to introduce the dogs on neutral ground - not in Ur house or garden, but walking distance away. Also, a brief follow-me walk as a virtual introduction often makes face-to-face intros less fraught --- Both dogs are on leash, & one dog walks ahead, while the other walks behind at a distance that allows the front dog to relax & engage in sniffing, etc, rather than turn around periodically & stare at the stranger behind, or lunge, bark, etc.
After 5 or more minutes, the dogs & handlers turn around IN PLACE & go back the way they came, but the dog that was behind, is now ahead. Again, no set distance, but far-enuf apart that they don't react to one another, while remaining aware that there is another dog.
When U have both arrived at the starting point, the handlers stand relaxed & chat with each other from a distance, while the dogs sniff, pee, lie down, _______ . If both dogs appear relaxed & unconcerned, reduce the distance slightly & keep talking. U don't want to let them rush toward one another, nor let one dog charge toward the other, who freezes in place & then freaks-out -
polite approaches to a dog by another dog are made in an arc, with lots of broadside body-language to indicate the approaching dog is not hostile, but is curious & friendly.
Head-to-head / face-on approaches with direct eye contact are human behaviors - for dogs, both of those are rude, & a very direct eye-to-eye stare is a threat.
That's why dogs so often get in trouble in face-on bottlenecks - doorways, a gate between inside & outside, narrow areas on a public sidewalk, 1 enters the dog-park airlock while another is exiting, slipping between cars in a crowded parking lot, & similar.
- terry
