lntroducing the New Dog

Bringing home a new furry friend could be a big adjustment for your pooch. Here's how to introduce the new guy so that things go smoothly.

Find neutral turf. Soon-to-be canine roomies should meet at a spot that neither pup sees as his territory. Have a family member or a friend take one pooch to this place; you take the other.

Praise your pups. Let the dogs sniff each other for a short time while telling them in an "attaboy" voice how good they are. (If one starts to growl or his fur stands on end, offer treats to both dogs to get their attention -- this should ward off any aggression.) Next, take the pups for a walk together, and let them check each other out while continuing to praise positive behavior. Once it appears that they've passed each other's smell test, you can bring the pups home.

Keep 'em separated. Your new pooch should be in a room by himself. But choose a room your other dog doesn't spend time in -- that way he won't get his dander up being territorial. And closely watch the newbie if he is around other pets.

Remember to spend quality time with each dog every day. This will help your pups be confident and well-adjusted members of your clan.

While talking to Will about dogs, l mused about what the combination of my two favorite breeds, German Shepard and Poodle would be like.

"No good" he said, "One side would be constantly trying to surrender to the other".
;-)
Apologies to those who might take offence; we make no pretense at being politically correct.

Even though Leo is a "designer dog", l was familiar with both the breeds that went into him. l've had Belle the poodle for years, and a dear friend has poodle therapy dogs who have also won awards in agility. A man in our therapy dog group has 2 Leonbergers that are just great dogs. l felt l had enough knowledge about the breeds and about Leo personally to make an informed decision. Even so, there were a few surprises.

The first was the issue of shedding. l had believed that poodle crosses are dogs that don't shed, that have a coat like a poodle's. Well, Leo sheds more than any dog l've ever had, even more than the German Shepherd! l brush him daily, but black clumps mysteriously appear overnight. Not hairs, but clumps that look suspiciously like the dead mice the cats bring in as presents. He still needs to be trimmed as often as the poodles do.

His coat is strange... not like a poodle's nor a Leonberger's. lt's curly, and l have it long for the winter but will trim it short for the summer. l like it long, and the kids like to brush him. l do keep his face trimmed from his eyebrows down. l will mention that he has the longest eyelashes l've ever seen on a dog! He has been told he has very soulful eyes. He also has great eye contact.

Leo's tail was docked very short. lt's about 3 inches long. l feel so bad for him, he'd have such a pretty long fluffy tail! lt's hard to see him wag it unless you look for it. This isn't too much of a problem except for when he's with other dogs. They can't tell his body language signals if they can't see his tail. Because of this l have to be extra careful meeting other dogs with Leo.

These are really minor issues because Leo is a great dog. He's "Uncle Leo" to the 2 Standard Poodle pups we now have. He's teaching them how to be good dogs, romps with them, and allows them to play rough with him without retaliating. l still would never encourage the breeding of "designer dogs".

Leo is a 2 year old rescue of the "designer dog" market. He is a standard Poodle/Leonberger mix( Leonbergers are a mix of St. Bernard/Great Pyrenees/New Foundland from Leonberg, Germany). His breeder couldn't sell him or his littermates and planned on drowning them but fortunately some kind soul rescued them. He went to a home with a single mother who not long after was forced to move due to the devastating floods of 2006. She and her family moved in with family members who were not kind to Leo. When her health deteriorated she posted him on the local Petcycle email list (the pet branch of Freecycle.com). l was looking for a larger, younger dog to do therapy work with. Belle, my 7 pound poodle is now 11 and loves to do the reading dog program, but gets very tired during the nursing home visits.

l met Leo at his home and although he was very timid one of the boys assured me he was "very hugable". l tempted him with bits of cooked meat, and he took them from me very gently but warily. After l got home l emailed a few more questions, but l had decided to take him. His owner brought him and his cage to my house a few days later, with her sons. We introduced him to my other large boy, a neutered 130 pound 4 year old German Shepherd who was trained by his former owner to be aggressive (l have had him 2 years, l'll write more about him in later posts). We drove to a neighbor's field to let them meet on neutral territory, and it went well.

l had never crate-trained a dog before. l set up his cage in the downstairs hall so he could be in sight of the front door yet out of the way to give him a bit of privacy. He has continued to go into his cage when ever he wants a bit of peace, or to sleep, even closing the door behind him at times. l have never seen him do this, but he's a smart one! He has grown from a timid big puppy who would hide behind me or run to the back of the house when anyone came to visit to a good watchdog and excellent therapy dog. And he is VERY hugable!