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Puppy time!
Heir
Ausitn, TXRegistered User regular
Ausitn, TXRegistered User regular
My wife and I will be bringing home our new puppy on Monday night. We ended up picking out a female Mini-Schauzer that we both fell in love with. Gonna name her Lily. We chose her because she was much more docile than her brothers and sisters, which is a good thing as we have two cats.
So we've got everything all set. Got her a cage/crate for when we're gone/nightime while she learns not to pee everywhere. It'll also her her "safe zone" from hissing kitties.
Got some good puppy food, some toys, a nice bed, some food bowls, etc.
My main concern is our oldest cat, Chloe. The best description for Chloe is: "Bipolar." When it comes to us, she is the best cat you could ask for; loves to cuddle, "talks" to us, very submissive. However, we rescued her when she was only a few weeks old, as her mother had been hit by a car and the shelter didn't have any more room for her. Because of this, she was never really socialized. For example, when we got our second cat (Oscar) when Chloe was 6 months old, she literally tried to kill him for a few days. It was terrible. After 3 days though, she was cool and treated him like her own kitten.
So my main question is what is the best method to keep this from happening again. Oscar was a little older, and had been fostered on a farm, so he could roll with the punches pretty well. However, a new puppy that has just been taken away from the rest of the litter and placed in an unfamiliar environment might have a hard time adapting to a much larger ball of teeth, claws, spit, hair, and raw hatred.
The only thing I've come up with so far is to keep them in seperate rooms. We might keep the puppy near a door so that Chloe can still smell her without seeing/attacking her. We also thought about taking one toy from each pet and giving it to the other so they can get used to each other's scent.
Any other ideas? Tips on potty training (seperate issue, but somewhat related)?
Note: Not worried about Oscar. We've had other animals in the house before (brother's Min-Pin for example) and he doesn't really care...it's just another warm body to sleep next to.
If this thread is still active on Monday night I'll post up some pictures once we pick her up.
Thanks guys!
So we've got everything all set. Got her a cage/crate for when we're gone/nightime while she learns not to pee everywhere. It'll also her her "safe zone" from hissing kitties.
Got some good puppy food, some toys, a nice bed, some food bowls, etc.
My main concern is our oldest cat, Chloe. The best description for Chloe is: "Bipolar." When it comes to us, she is the best cat you could ask for; loves to cuddle, "talks" to us, very submissive. However, we rescued her when she was only a few weeks old, as her mother had been hit by a car and the shelter didn't have any more room for her. Because of this, she was never really socialized. For example, when we got our second cat (Oscar) when Chloe was 6 months old, she literally tried to kill him for a few days. It was terrible. After 3 days though, she was cool and treated him like her own kitten.
So my main question is what is the best method to keep this from happening again. Oscar was a little older, and had been fostered on a farm, so he could roll with the punches pretty well. However, a new puppy that has just been taken away from the rest of the litter and placed in an unfamiliar environment might have a hard time adapting to a much larger ball of teeth, claws, spit, hair, and raw hatred.
The only thing I've come up with so far is to keep them in seperate rooms. We might keep the puppy near a door so that Chloe can still smell her without seeing/attacking her. We also thought about taking one toy from each pet and giving it to the other so they can get used to each other's scent.
Any other ideas? Tips on potty training (seperate issue, but somewhat related)?
Note: Not worried about Oscar. We've had other animals in the house before (brother's Min-Pin for example) and he doesn't really care...it's just another warm body to sleep next to.
If this thread is still active on Monday night I'll post up some pictures once we pick her up.
Thanks guys!
Heir on
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Unless she is trying to maul the puppy, let the cat set the tone. Separate rooms at first is a good idea. Don't ever hold her up for the dog to sniff or force her to be closer to the dog than she wants. Always make sure she has a place where she feels secure from the dog--a high surface she can jump up to or a baby gate that she can clear and the dog can't. The cat may whack the dog if it gets too close. This is okay, the cat is just setting boundaries. Don't scold the cat for hissing or growling at the puppy . . . She needs to be able to communicate her feelings and scolding her will only make her more upset and resentful. And give the cat lots of positive attention. Shower her with treats when the puppy is around so she builds up positive associations.
Also, keep an eye on the litterbox. A lot of dogs LOVE the taste of cat poop and cats do not appreciate this.
<cough>pix<cough>
(Also: oh my god, it's like you're me!! My first cat was pretty much bipolar (different name though), and he did adapt well to the addition of Oscar. Upon the tragic loss of my Koru, Oscar mourned so much that we found him a friend -- Lily! Wow, huh? :P)
Wow, that's crazy.
Thanks for the advice so far. I've learned from when we got Oscar that forcing Chloe to be close to him isn't a good idea.
I've never actually tried this, of course, so your mileage may vary. It can't hurt, though.
She's pretty much gone behind the recliner and hisses at everything (including us).
Oh, and PUPPY!
Their household has always been one of revolving pets; they always have multiple pets. They had a Scottie named Butch and a chihuahua named Manuel. Butch died and I got a new chihuahua named Rudo (I moved out, Rudo stayed). They then got a third chihuahua named Paco. Manuel died, leaving Rudo and Paco.
There's always this revolving cavalcade of cats. Always outdoor cats (they don't seem to last very long).
With this pet cycle, we figured that they're all used to new animals. Rudo, who has been around for the arrival of one dog and a few cats, is totally leery around Norman (he's afraid of the cats, and he behaves around the new puppy as if he's a cat). Paco absolutely hates him. He won't look at the new puppy. He won't look at you if you're holding the new puppy. It's pretty damn comical. He knows he's not allowed up on the couch, but he jumps up there and sits on the back of the couch to watch the puppy from high-ground during play time (I guess he doesn't like him, but has to get a feel for how he moves if he wants to attack... :P )
I figure if things stay like this, we'll get off pretty easily. There's been no violence or attacks, just general unease.
it's too damned cute, and this is coming from a guy who doesnt like animals.
seriously! it's plush doll-ish!
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Last night was interesting. We put her into her cage, and boy did she cry. It took every ounce of willpower not to pull her out of there and let her sleep with us. However, once she went to sleep it wasn't too bad. We got up every 3-4 hours and took her out, so I'm a bit sleepy this morning.
As I'm sure you already know, NEVER let the dog out of the crate when it's whining/barking. It will only train the dog to bark more when they want to get out. Believe me, I had a friend who learned this the hard way.
Thankfully we already knew that one.
What we DID do was kind of let her fall asleep against our hand. Then we would try and close the cage as quietly as possible. Worked out pretty well.
so, I'm sorry, is that standard protocol? caging new puppies?
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Dogs are territorial animals and like to have a "safe zone". The cage serves this purpose. At this point my dogs will just go into their cage and sleep when they're tired and will even go into the cage on command when I'm leaving. It also keeps puppies from wandering around the house at night, chewing cables and leaving "presents".
i keep getting the impression that it's a hamster sized-cage, and I hope that isnt true. ;-)
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It's huge compared to her.
One thing that we've done to get the introductions slowly moving along is to feed the respective animals near the joining door. That way they get used to the different smell in a "positive" light. We slowly move the bowls towards the door, then, eventually, open the door a crack so they can see each other while eating
(Note: this happens over multiple meals, not all in one :P)
Also: here's myLily
I would try the feeding thing...but the problem is that Chloe already saw the puppy. So now she's all mad and won't be near us unless the puppy is no where near. She'll take some time.
Oscar is already cool with Lily though. He's been following her around and watching over her. It's pretty cute.
you may want to consider blocking off the part of the crate that she doesn't need to sleep in. apparently, while a dog won't soil their sleeping/eating area, if they have enough space they might go in one corner and sleep in the opposite one. i just got a puppy as well and, while her crate is maybe 5x3x3, she only has enough room in it for her bed. as she grows we're planning on unblocking the rest.
It's pretty much the cutest and saddest thing you ever see.
After she falls asleep you can usually pick her up and put her back in bed though.
But as for the peeing, we've kept a pretty regimented schedule so far (thank God for my wife being a teacher and being on summer break). We take her out pretty much ever 2-3 hours right now. She's only really peed in the house a couple of times, and that was from us not watching her right after she ate.
On the upside, it looks like a (mostly) happy family, congrats! Post Christmas cards, the dog needs to wear an elf hat imo.
I just want to snuggle the puppy's brains right out of its cute, furry little head! *sigh* I need a pet.
More pictures please!