Re: Puppy aggression?
[Re: Marie Mitchell Photography]
#32059
10/21/10 07:47 PM
10/21/10 07:47 PM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Jim Garvie
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Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
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Marie, at one point not too long ago, we had 7 dogs and 3 cats in this household and several canine visitors from time-to-time. The dogs that lived here, grew up with the cats so they respected them and let them alone. Every puppy that has ever been bred here spent the first 8 weeks of their lives with cats and so there was never any issue having them move into families with cats.
When we rescued Marion Louise -- a street dog -- we had some concerns about how she would react to the cats. The first evening she stayed in our house, she had finally realized that she could sit on the couch with me and so she had crawled up there and OJ, our youngest cat, jumped onto the top of the back of the couch, laid down and placed his paw on Marion Louise. She accepted that act of trust the way we had hoped she would and she and OJ were fast friends for the rest of their lives.
The thing about this household is that there is a true alpha male and a true alpha "bitch" that all the animals can relate to: me and Linda. I don't say that lightly -- when you have a large, complex pack, you need clear direction and these guys get it from us. We are with them full-time since we work out of the house. None of the animals have ever felt the urge to "depose" us as the leaders of the pack. In fact, we make their lives much easier because they only have to be dogs and cats.
Jim
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Re: Puppy aggression?
[Re: Jim Garvie]
#32060
10/25/10 01:23 PM
10/25/10 01:23 PM
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Joined: May 2008
Virginia, USA
Jim Poor
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Joined: May 2008
Virginia, USA
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Quote:
Anyone who thinks there is not pack order among all beings needs to sit in a field and watch a herd of horses, hang out in a schoolyard and watch the kids, go to a dinner party and observe the guests or watch a litter of puppies and see how they behave. All beings ascribe to pack order. we all must establish our place, whether dog, cat, horse, or human.
Each one of those cases involves pack order among members of a specific species. None of them describe an inter-species pack order. It just doesn't happen.
Any human who truly believe s/he can do anything exactly like a canine is fooling themselves. We are NOT canines, we're not built like them, we don't think like them and the idea that any of us can truly "speak dog" is ludicrous.
The barbaric methods of yesteryear are thankfully fading from popularity. Yes, they do produce results, but they do so at a cost and certainly don't work for the reasons that folks long thought they did.
There is a place for discipline, but things like Alpha rolls and scruff shakes have been long debunked as good training methods.
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Re: Puppy aggression?
[Re: Marie Mitchell Photography]
#32063
10/25/10 09:01 PM
10/25/10 09:01 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Connecticut
Sunstruck
Old hand
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Old hand
Joined: Jul 2009
Connecticut
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Marie, we have 14 cats and 5 dogs. Not much disturbs our balance! LOL! But, in all fairness, our animals are used to us bringing home strays, new fosters, dumpoffs, etc. As long as you show your existing pets that you still love them, give them separate attention, your guys should be fine. Our cats don't even raise an eyebrow any more when a new cat shows up. Cody will usually walk up to the new comer and wash their face. That usually does it, the new foster/rescue has a buddy to curl up with. The other cats will not start anything, they just ignore the new cat.
Since getting the puppy though, we have only rescued 1 cat/kitten. I was unsure what Poohbear would do with the kitten, but he is quite gentle with it, unlike his wrestling with Cody and Buddy, who you would swear is WWIII.
I would pick a pup with a complimentary attitude to Daisy, if she tends to be a little hyper, pick out a laid back breed, and a male, to help insure no alpha bitch fights. You do NOT want one of those.
Good luck with your decision!
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