This year my mother and her four year old Cockapoo, Sissy, came to live with me and my three year old Shipoo, Chelsea. At first the dogs were glad to see each other, that lasted about five minutes. Chelsea had been socialized from the day I got her and was very friendly but Sissy had only occasional exposure to other dogs and had become very attached to my mother. We took them for walks together, turned them lose at the park to play (neutral territory) and even hid all their toys hoping they would turn to one another out of sheer boredom all to no avail. We fed them separately and found they would each eat from the others dish. If left untended, they did not fight over the food, but after about two weeks we noticed Sissy's belly dragging on the floor while poor Chelsea was taking on a model gauntness. Sissy had been gobbling up all the food. Both happy dogs at one time, they now moped around and avoided each other, so we reintroduced toys and spirits lifted. They did not fight over the toys surprisingly. We decided to relax and just let nature take it's course knowing there is generally a big dog where one will take the lead. They seem to be vying for that position in various ways and times. Sissy started out eating all the food and marking all over the house (oh joy!) that has now subsided (thankfully!). They seem to be relaxing and rendering more space to one other.
I noticed most recently that they take their cues from us...if we are at ease and laughing, they romp and play together. If we are snippy, they are too. It's kind of like having a mirror held up to our behavior. So we try not to bicker in front of 'the kids'...ha! They are both very sweet and smart...hmmm, I wonder if that is also a reflection?
I have a feeling just when they finally get settled in and all is well, we'll have to start over as we plan to move yet again but we hope this next move will present an opportunity for them to lean on each other in much the same way mom and I have learned to lean and bend and stretch and breathe.
It seems the bottom line is that human or animal, we all have our space, boundaries and set ways but over time we find our way with each other and love never fails!
