From: trytten@ahmeek.cps.msu.edu (Deborah Trytten)
Subject: Re: Getting a new dog
Organization: Michigan State University, CPS Department
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 92 16:08:15 GMT

In article <3587@cvbnetPrime.COM>, gdolgner@chelsea.prime.com (Gene Dolgner) writes:
|> 
|> In article <1992Jul17.181534.19603@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> xxcrys@convx1.lerc.nasa.gov (Crystal Ratliff) writes:
|> 
|> >  The problem has to deal with the my parent's dog.  Rambo is an 8 pound
|> >toy poodle that believes he is the center of the universe and that          
|> >everyone else is here to serve him.  When we got him (I was living at home

I wonder if poodles are breed specifically for this purpose?  This is
the perfect description of my parents' poodle, Muggy.

|> >at the time) we didn't train him and failed to socialize him properly.  
|> >Now we are paying the price for our folly, Rambo thinks he's a person and
|> >doesn't really know how to interact with other dogs.  So the problem is,
|> >how will he react to another dog coming onto his turf?

|> I'm not sure I can answer your question specifically, but let me tell you my
|> experience.  My wife and I own a 7 pound Maltese/Poodle cross, a fluffball
|> named Bitsey.  Although she has been command trained and is personally a very
|> fine pet, she has been spoiled and socialized only with humans in her earlier
|> years.  The phrase we use around the house is "Everything revolves around
|> the dog".  We are sure she believes she is human and not dog.

|> ... story of Bitsy and Tramp deleted

This all sounds so familiar.  When I first got Cali (7 year old sheltie),
my parents were completely *against* it.   They had this spoiled poodle,
and they were afraid that Muggy wouldn't like the new dog.  They
gave me absolute hell worrying about it.  I got Cali just before 
Thanksgiving, and didn't get to visit Mom and Dad until Christmas
(I was living 500 miles away at the time).   We discussed, over and over
and over, what would happen if Muggy didn't like Cali.   My folks told
me that Cali would have to go to a kennel, I'd have to pay for it, blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah.   

The drive from Iowa was just awful.  It was 30 below zero when I left,
I had this little puppy I was worried about, and I was scared stiff of
having to put my baby in a kennel for three weeks if "his majesty" didn't
approve.   Well, I got to Ann Arbor about midnight.  I put Cali on a leash,
and headed to the front door.  The moment of truth had arrived.....

Muggy and Cali stood nose to nose on opposite sides of the threshold of
the front door.  Muggy started wagging his tail, then Cali started wagging
his tail.  Cali went running into the house, with Muggy in hot pursuit.
Cali has this little white tip on the end of his tail, and Muggy was
chasing it.   At one point they did fifteen laps around the couch without
stopping.   They were *instant* best friends.   The next morning
I woke up and looked over to Cali in his crate.  Muggy was sitting next
to the door of the crate, and looked over to me as if he were saying
"Can Cali come out and play?"  I took Cali outside, and went back to
bed for some more sleep.  About an hour later, my Dad comes upstairs
giggling.  He had been downstairs watching the dogs "wrestle" with
each other.   Of course this was Muggy's way to telling Cali that he
was top dog in no uncertain terms.  Cali is so docile that he didn't
mind one bit.

It's been 6.5 years since that day, and Cali and Muggy are still best
buddies.  And if Rambo is any more spoiled that Muggy, I"d be amazed.
Don't assume the worst--Rambo may be delighted to have a new playmate.

Deb
trytten@cps.msu.edu
From: crane@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Randy Crane)
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 03:23:44 GMT
Subject: Cool Dog Tricks needed
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA