BREMBO - 14wks - 1st Puppy Play Date - NOT GOOD

[ajwhitt44]

Hi everyone,So Brembo is actually 15 weeks as of TODAY!! My aunt has a miniature Poodle named Nala who is extremely smart, outgoing, and well pampered.

Some background -- Brembo has been to his 1st puppy class and did OK. DIdn't bark or bite any other dogs. He has never had another dog enter the house to this point.

So my Aunt came over with my uncle and their son to see our new house and meet the dog. They came by around 8:30pm right after Brembo had eaten. This also happens to be the time when Brembo usually gets riled up (or so I've experienced in the past week and a half).

I take Brembo outside to pee/poop as they pull up. He immediately sees my Uncle and instead of peeing, goes over to say hi. We make sure to make all family introductions before bringing Nala out.
Note: this entire interaction took place outside.

So Nala gets out of the car and my Aunt immediately takes her over to sniff Brembo's butt. Brembo is fine with this, but when he realizes there is a new dog behind him, he gets super excited and turns to run at Nala. This pretty much scares the crap out of Nala, who is usually outgoing, dominant, and a general sweetheart.

Basically, because Nala is hesitant and my Aunt is controlling her, she won't really let Brembo go near her because every time Brembo tries to advance, Nala retreats. As I am sitting there, restraining Brembo (who is getting REALLY strong at only 14wks), he starts barking and squirming, desperately trying to get out of my grasp so he can pounce and play (I hope that's what he would have done) with Nala. I keep commanding him to sit and he obeys, but only for a short while until he's back up and moving.

We bring them both in the house and I immediately crate Brembo in the dining room. My Aunt takes Nala in the dining room to sniff around and Brembo gets really excited/irritated/upset/interested (i don't really know), and starts barking and chewing on his cage. He's borderline throwing a tantrum as i keep trying to remove his mouth from his cage and he ends of biting me.He never got to get up close to Nala to sniff her butt or play nicely, as he was too aggressive the entire time for Nala or my Aunt to 'wait and see what happens'.

....So what's going on here? Was it the time of night, as he usually is already upbeat around then? Was it the presence of a new dog in HIS house? Was he just super pumped up?

I don't know what to do. I wanted to impress my Aunt as I've been working hard with Brembo (her dog is very well trained). I feel that we made a poor impression and the sheer weight and size advantage that Brembo had made everyone uncomfortable that he would unintentionally hurt Nala.

Do i need to be practicing the down/sit/stay commands more thoroughly?

Today after work, I am having my good friend bring his dog by to see what happens. This friend won't be intimidated and his dog is much larger, so we'll see what happens. Do you guys think this is an okay idea?

Thanks for your suggestions, and sorry for the long read!! I like to be thorough. :D..and here's a pic of the big/little guy!!Thhhpppp by AJW imaging, on Flickr

 

[Sherry]

I think it's a great idea, let Brembo know he's not the only dog. He's may have forgotten how to behave in a pack like when he was with his litter mates.

 

[LynnA]

Keep on introducing him to friends. I know with Otis that other smaller dogs are intimidated as well as their owners. I think sometimes that "bully breed" mentality gets the best of others and they expect the worst.

Otis just wants to play, he's a puppy, as I'm sure is the case with Brembo

 

[ajwhitt44]

Haha that's what I keep saying! It seems like he just wants to play!!

 

[thesspa]

I remember we did our first puppy play date around that same age with Bacon. We paired him up with a 2 year old puggle. She has a lot of energy and still being young herself was just as ready to run and play. In the end I think it worked so well becuase they were similar in energy level. They ran around the house chasing each other for hours and both barely moved the next day.

I wouldn't be worried. Not all dogs get along just like people. I'm sure your next play date will do fine. Just give them some time to sniff each other out. My standard is keeping him on his leash, holding it, with my foot also on the leash to restrict movement. If you're in puppy school and your instructor taught you about answering the door with you dog, same thing. And then ignore him and have a human-to-human conversation while he settles in to his new visitors.

Best of luck this afternoon - let us know how it goes.
And by the way, he is beautiful!!!! I'm always a sucker for a wrinkly little brindle

 

[TheLost]

My guess is he did so well in puppy class because it wasn't at HIS house. Dog's are territorial by nature.. If you aren't one of the pack you don't belong.

I would start by getting the dogs used to each other on neutral territory. Have the dogs meet for the first time while your away from Brembo's 'hood'.. Put him on a leash and take him for a walk about 6-7 houses down. Have the other dog (also on a leash) come up and let them sniff and get used to each other. If everything goes OK (expect the normal lunging, barking, wiggling at first) walk them both back to your house. Let them do the same 'meet and greet' still leashed and under control inside the house. If everything is still ok take the leashes off... and have some squirt bottles handy :D.

The worst thing you can do to your dog (well.. there are a lot of other bad things) is to let him get territorial. Attacking a neighbor kid/dog/cat can be devastating when your puppy grows up. socialization, socialization, socialization!

 

[Davidh]

You have to remember he is still a pup and full of energy. I used to call that 8:30 at night the bewitching hour, because mine would just go crazy and want to play. Now that they have gotten older it's not as bad. It is a good idea to bring other dogs around him and at your house so he can get used to them and not be so crazy. I think after a little while id he could have played some with the other dog he would have settled down. Small poodle was a bad play mate. Putting him in his crate and the other dog right outside his rate was not a good idea also. The poodle should have been out of site. That id his home, not the poodles. Just keep working with him and others dogs, but remember he is still full of pup and will be for some time.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Ummmm...it's the poodle. Period. Nada. He wants to play with a REAL dog.

 

[2BullyMama]

Time of night... as [MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] said, it is the bewitching hour - same her with both of my bullies (zoom after each other like crazy)..... and I'm thinking your concern went to him as well. How did it go today with your friends dog?

 

[Corlando465]

You have gotten some really good advice today from EBNs finest. I also think him being a young pup is the main problem, but the other factors definitely played a part too. I'd also assume that your aunts poodle is older and probably doesn't think she/he is a dog . Ive had a similar experience with my sister-in-law's very spoiled maltipoo. Tank would love to play with him, but he was VERY put off with Tank and would not leave moms side. Poor Tank! I have also noticed that Tank, while fairly well behaved, doesn't make great first impressions with other dogs, but they do usually warm up to him. I had read somewhere that it is very important to be cautious when introducing your bully to other dogs, as bullies are more visual when meeting other dogs and other dog breeds perceive the direct eye contact as a threat, which can ignite rapidly into a bad situation. Hope his next play date goes better!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[bulldog family]

And just remember.... bulldogs play ROUGH!!! Poodles, not so much. I notice a lot of other breeds don't understand bulldogs. It's hard to read them since they have no tails and they really can't snarl much. Bulldogs also growl and make loud noises when they play which in turn other breeds think it's not nice.

I would try and get him into a bulldog meet up....

 

[Vicaroo1000]

Good for you for making steps toward socializing your pup. Next time you might try taking him for a walk before the meeting (so he's tired and less prone to nonsense). Practice makes perfect. Just keep at it. The poodle would have told Brembo "that's not cool" if he'd have done something she didn't like. Bo had the opportunity once of being completely OWNED by a teeny tiny POMERANIAN. No kidding. He was being too forward and that 5oz of dog had NO TROUBLE telling him so. Eventually, he figured it out and they actually did a bit of playing. A bit. I wasn't nervous and the POM lady wasn't nervous either - and that helped. (Dogs can sense your energy) Keep at it and always disagree with behavior you don't want.

 

[ajwhitt44]

I'm sure your next play date will do fine. Just give them some time to sniff each other out. My standard is keeping him on his leash, holding it, with my foot also on the leash to restrict movement. If you're in puppy school and your instructor taught you about answering the door with you dog, same thing. And then ignore him and have a human-to-human conversation while he settles in to his new visitors.

Best of luck this afternoon - let us know how it goes.
And by the way, he is beautiful!!!! I'm always a sucker for a wrinkly little brindle

Thanks! And thanks for the tips. Didn't learn about answering door with the dog, but that's a great idea! Regarding the new dog today, see below.

My guess is he did so well in puppy class because it wasn't at HIS house. Dog's are territorial by nature.. If you aren't one of the pack you don't belong.

I would start by getting the dogs used to each other on neutral territory. Have the dogs meet for the first time while your away from Brembo's 'hood'.. Put him on a leash and take him for a walk about 6-7 houses down. Have the other dog (also on a leash) come up and let them sniff and get used to each other. If everything goes OK (expect the normal lunging, barking, wiggling at first) walk them both back to your house. Let them do the same 'meet and greet' still leashed and under control inside the house. If everything is still ok take the leashes off... and have some squirt bottles handy :D.

The worst thing you can do to your dog (well.. there are a lot of other bad things) is to let him get territorial. Attacking a neighbor kid/dog/cat can be devastating when your puppy grows up. socialization, socialization, socialization!

I completely agree. My vet asked that I don't take him on walks until he's around 4 months old due to his immune system being more susceptible than other dogs his age. She says she's seen so many mistakes with young bulldogs that she is probably overly-cautious, but better safe than sorry.

I was going to try introducing him next at my Aunt's house, but maybe a more neutral side WOULD work.

You have to remember he is still a pup and full of energy. I used to call that 8:30 at night the bewitching hour, because mine would just go crazy and want to play. Now that they have gotten older it's not as bad. It is a good idea to bring other dogs around him and at your house so he can get used to them and not be so crazy. I think after a little while id he could have played some with the other dog he would have settled down. Small poodle was a bad play mate. Putting him in his crate and the other dog right outside his rate was not a good idea also. The poodle should have been out of site. That id his home, not the poodles. Just keep working with him and others dogs, but remember he is still full of pup and will be for some time.

Her reasoning for doing this was so as to allow her dog to get more comfortable in the immediate surroundings. As her dog is usually very outgoing and curious, the fact that she was acting the complete opposite was VERY peculiar. By giving her free reign of Brembo's area, she could become comfortable with his smells.

I don't know, sounded like a good idea at the time. Brembo was forced to see another dog in his house, which in turn could have reduced his territorial drive --- IF that's what he was even exhibiting, which I am not sure it was.

Ummmm...it's the poodle. Period. Nada. He wants to play with a REAL dog.

Haha my thoughts exactly!!!

Time of night... as @Davidh said, it is the bewitching hour - same her with both of my bullies (zoom after each other like crazy)..... and I'm thinking your concern went to him as well. How did it go today with your friends dog?

You ave gotten some really good advice today from EBNs finest. I also think him being a young pup is the main problem, but the other factors definitely played a part too. I'd also assume that your aunts poodle is older and probably doesn't think she/he is a dog . Ive had similar a experience with my sister-in-law very spoiled maltipoo. Tank would love to play with him, but him was VERY put off with Tank and would leave moms side. Poor Tank! I have also noticed that Tank, while fairly well behaved, doesn't make great first impressions with other dogs, but they do usually warm up to him. I had read somewhere that it is very important to be cautious when introducing your bully to other dogs, as bullies are more visual when meeting other dogs and other dog breeds perceive the direct eye contact as a threat, which can ignite rapidly into a bad situation. Hope his next play date goes better!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

And just remember.... bulldogs play ROUGH!!! Poodles, not so much. I notice a lot of other breeds don't understand bulldogs. It's hard to read them since they have no tails and they really can't snarl much. Bulldogs also growl and make loud noises when they play which in turn other breeds think it's not nice.

I would try and get him into a bulldog meet up....

Good for you for making steps toward socializing your pup. Next time you might try taking him for a walk before the meeting (so he's tired and less prone to nonsense). Practice makes perfect. Just keep at it. The poodle would have told Brembo "that's not cool" if he'd have done something she didn't like. Bo had the opportunity once of being completely OWNED by a teeny tiny POMERANIAN. No kidding. He was being too forward and that 5oz of dog had NO TROUBLE telling him so. Eventually, he figured it out and they actually did a bit of playing. A bit. I wasn't nervous and the POM lady wasn't nervous either - and that helped. (Dogs can sense your energy) Keep at it and always disagree with behavior you don't want.

I tried playing with him A LOT before the poodle came because I wanted to tire him out, but like I said that's his 'witching hour' I guess, so he was riled up.

In terms of disagreeing with behavior I don't want, how would you suggest I stop his barking, lunging, etc.? I can't for the life of me teach him to lay down; teaching him to sit when there is lots of activity can only be done by pushing down his rear.

As he's getting bigger by the minute I want to be able to stop these things before they become common practice.

So my friend's bigger dog, Chase, came over yesterday...

He's a rescue, has a slender yet solid build and is only about 8 months old. He's NEVER met a dog that's younger than he, so we didnt' know how he or Brembo would react.

In similar fashion to the experience with the poodle, Chase was very standoffish and a bit conservative. Usually he's very outgoing, romping around and what not, but in this case he was very collected and stiff in his communication.

Brembo on the other hand, oh what fun!! As my friend isn't as nervous about his dog as my Aunt, both dogs were off leash and were free to play, inspect, discover, whatever you want to call it (at one point Brembos entire head was between Chase's rear legs ). Brembo immediately took to the new dog, encouraging him to play by playfully biting his tail, jumping up, and barking.

Chase was either not enjoying it or being VERY cautious. On occassion he would snap at Brembo quickly, letting him know that maybe he wasn't ready to play yet. He wouldn't even take any treats from me (and he usually eats everything!!) This didn't stop Brembo from following Chase around everywhere trying to elicit play. I do not think that Brembo was acting territorial in the slightest. There was no growling, hissing, or defensive behavior. He was bounding around happy and excited!!

Towards the end of the session Chase appeared to be getting more relaxed around him, but Brembo was still a bit too playful and would constantly annoy Chase to the point where Chase had to warn him.

Is it bad that I wasn't bothered by Chase snapping at Brembo? I felt like Brembo, being a puppy, needs too learn when he's playing too aggressively for the other dog.

Anyway so while this new play session went much better than the first, I am still not convinced nor am completely clear on how to handle it. Should I make every introduction at a neutral site? I am nervous to bring him out anywhere due to my vet asking me to keep him around my back yard until he's 4-5mo's. Can I continue to bring other dogs over and praise them both when they have positive interactions?

Thanks so much for reading and helping me through this process and others!!!