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Originally Posted by CupofDog  Well, as long as they meet indoors and Tatum is up to date on her shots and healthy, Ellie should be fine.
As far as the biting, Tatum will let Ellie know EXACTLY how she feels about it, which will help with her bite inhibition.
Let them sniff each other for a few minutes before removing the leash and let them go at their own pace, they will work it out. Try not to be too overprotective, but if things get heated, remove both dogs immediately and try again another day. A good strategy is for you to offer your parents dog treats and for them to offer Tatum treats at intervals throughout the session, so Ellie learns to associate other dogs and people with food! |
But aren't there more shots for Ellie to get yet? I thought you were supposed to wait until the puppy was up-to-date also - just in case there was something that my dogs are vaccinated against but maybe the puppy isn't fully yet. Does that make sense? I've told my mom anyway that this weekend is not a good idea. Tatum has had an upset stomache this week and is finally getting over the "runny poops" (with the help of meds from the vet). I think she either snuck some of Stormie's (our Aust. Shep) food and ate too much or it could have been the dead rat out in the pasture that the cats killed and disembowled (I know, EWWW!) and then Tatum found it. Not sure if she got a taste of it but I discovered her with her nose in it. I would hate for her to have something contagious that the puppy might get (if that's even possible) so we're going to wait another week or so for them to meet unless I get an answer saying she should have more shots before socializing.
And I was talking about the biting that Ellie is doing to my parents! I know Tatum would stand her ground with her but I want to look up suggestions on breaking the habit of using those puppy teeth to bite people (while playing of course). She doesn't purposefully attack or anything - it's just that she doesn't realize how much she hurts when she's "playing".