Our house got a new foster dog yesterday. A 10 month old pit bull named Milly. Milly came from a very sad situation where she was injured as a young pup and left un-treated. Both her back legs had been broken and re-healed improperly. The great people at Boise Bully Breed Rescue (see links) helped her out and got her the surgery she needed on her legs.
It has only been a few weeks since Milly had major reconstructive surgery to repair her right leg. She still has a large scar and can not yet put weight on it. When we got her I knew it would be important for Milly's safety to remain calm when meeting my 2 yr old Border Collie, Dolly. However, both Milly and Dolly have energy to spare and love other dogs! If I did not carefully control the meeting and teach then that they MUST always be calm around each other, Milly's leg could have been re injured.
To create the environment I wanted I put Milly in an open wire crate where she could see and smell but not get so excited she would be hurt. I brought Dolly in on a leash and walked her over to the "newcomer". Of course my girl wanted to play and get to know Milly, but as the pack leader I had to control the situation. I would give Dolly a correction every time she got excited, and made sure to stay very calm and relaxed myself so the dogs would know what I expected. When they both settled down I would reward them for being relaxed with a treat, but they ONLY got the treat when they were both very, very calm. This told them that to be together meant relaxation.
After about 5 minutes I let Milly out and aloud the dogs to gently sniff and get familiar, making sure to correct with a sound if they tried to escalate to play mode. I had them both lay down side by side and when their ears, tail and mind were relaxed they got rewarded with a treat.
Two young energetic dogs were able to meet and be friends without fear of injury to Milly. Our whole family knows the rule that the dogs only get rewarded when they are calm together and get a correction if excitement sets in. In this way we can be sure no harm will come to either of them and they can enjoy each other safely.
*Remember that sometimes with dogs we have to work against nature for their own good. Like keeping dogs calm when they both want to play. As the pack leader you have control of everything that happens within your pack. Project the energy you want from your dogs onto them and they in turn will be able to follow your lead. Remember that even corrections and rewards should be done with calmness and you will be on your way to a stress free pack!
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