From: gdolgner@chelsea.prime.com (Gene Dolgner)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Getting a new dog
Date: 21 Jul 92 22:52:20 GMT
Reply-To: gdolgner@chelsea.Prime.COM (Gene Dolgner)
Organization: Computervision, Bedford, MA


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
>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.

Up to this point (last December) we also owned 2 cats.  My daughter wanted to
trade in her cat for a dog for reasons I won't get into here.  She acquired
a Yorkie from her boss that was picked up as a stray and was obviously not
well taken care of and abused in his previous life.  He was named Tramp, thus
they are Lady and the Tramp!

Anyway, Bitsey WAS NOT PLEASED that Tramp was invited into our home without
her permission.  If Tramp so much as walked near the food bowl, hers or his,
which was also hers, she come tearing out from nowhere and attack Tramp.  The
poor dog was a wreck.  You'd see him peek around corners looking for her.
About 2 weeks went by when Tramp decided that he'd settled in and wanted to
play with Bitsey.  At first, Bitsey took this as an insult and nipped back.
Pretty soon, they were going at, as if in a full-blown battle to rip each 
other apart.  However, one thing was missing, there was no sound of a dog 
fight!  They were simply wrestling with one another, for 2 hours!  They'd be
running full-tilt making a figure-8 between the dining room and the living
room.  All we could do was hide or raise our feet and laugh hysterically
until our sides hurt.  More recently, Bitsey's been initiating the play.

During the first couple of weeks we made sure that Tramp had some run of the
house by keeping Bitsey away now and then.

In answer to your question, I think that there may be some animosity between
the new dog and Rambo.  Poodles are somewhat territorial.  Hopefully your
parents will be willing to allow you to take some control of the situation in
getting them to know each other.

As for getting a dog, Shetland Sheepdogs are supposed to be good natured and
train well.  Bitsey (Bichon type, but not Bichon) is hyper, but does train
very well and is generally good natured.  She does bark alot.  The Yorkie
(Yorkshire Terrier) is very good natured and barks very little.  He's a
"mama's boy".  If you live in an apartment, I'd advise against dogs that bark
alot or males, as males tend to want to "mark" everything, unless well trained.


Gene Dolgner, contractor at large (I may reappear at any time!)
gdolgner@chelsea.Prime.COM
"Life goes slower when you graze."  -  Northern Exposure
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs