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Canine Behavior/Introducing a young dog

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Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 10/8/2008


Question
We are in the process of adopting a 10 month old Standard Poodle, spayed
female.  We currently have a 3yr old intact, male Samoyed. He is a very sweet
dog, not aggressive, although he does like to let other dogs know who's
boss. On leash he will bark and growl if another dog approaches him rapidly.
We walk him on a regular bases 2 -3 miles per day. We will be getting our
new dog in a month.  Do you have any suggestions for preparing for this
union? We will not have the luxury of bringing her over for little visits.  
According to her owner she is well socialized and use to being around many
dogs and cats.. We also have 2 cats. Thank you.

Answer
Hi, Patti,

Thanks for the question.

I think this poodle will probably be a great companion for your dog. The great thing about most intact males is that they're almost universally very sweet and even deferential with almost all females. From the why you've described your Sammy, I don't think you'll have any problems at all. At least not on his side of the equation. She may feel a little off-balance emotionally at first, but I have a feeling he'll do everything he can to smooth the way for her.

Just make sure they meet outdoors for the first time. And if you can, take them on a long walk together where there's lots of grass and trees, etc. (Like in a nearby park, field, or even in a big back yard.)

By the way, it might be helpful to know that when he barks at other dogs on the leash it isn't about "showing them who's boss." It has more to do with taking a somewhat pre-emptive, defensive posture. If you ask me (and I haven't even met him, but I HAVE met lots of dogs like him), he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Underneath it all he probably wants to be friends with ALL dogs, even the ones he barks at.

Good luck! And I hope I've been helpful,

LCK

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Lee Charles Kelley

Expertise

I've been training dogs in New York City for nearly 20 years. My training approach and philosophy are based on the way police dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and detection dogs are trained--through the prey drive, inherited from the wolf. It's true that there's been a shift away from using the "wolf model" in dog training recently, and to some extent, there's a good reason. That's because trainers have been using the wrong model, the one that says you have to be the "alpha" or the pack leader in order to control your dog's behavior. This simply isn't true. In wild wolves there is no dominance hierarchy, no "alpha" wolf, and no pack leader (not in the traditional sense). The pack instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working in harmony. (Wolves who live near garbage dumps, for example, and who don't hunt together, don't form packs.) So if wolves don't have an instinct to "follow the pack leader" or "obey the alpha wolf," how could dogs have inherited it from them?

Years ago, before I became a dog trainer, I noticed that the happiest, most obedient, and best-behaved dogs I met weren't the ones who'd been to a dog trainer or behaviorist; they were the dogs whose owners always had Frisbees and tennis balls on hand. And while it might seem that my approach would only be relevant to high-drive dogs who love fetch and tug-of-war, it isn't. Even something as seemingly unrelated as a housebreaking issue or greeting behavior are often the direct result of a dog's predatory energy not having an acceptable outlet.

All behavior is an expression of energy. So when a dog's energy isn't utilized in a way that feels satisfying to his or her instincts and emotions, that's when behavioral problems develop. Giving the dog an acceptable outlet for its energy will almost always bring the dog's behavior back into alignment with its instincts

Feel free to ask me questions about any training/behavioral issue.

LCK

Experience

20 years as a dog trainer. I'm also a bestselling author, writing a series of dog-related mystery novels for Avon.

Organizations
Dog Writers Association of America

Education/Credentials
Just a natural gift I have for understanding and training dogs

Past/Present Clients
Too numerous to mention.

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