Norman Meets Melanie and Tank

When bringing a new puppy or dog home, the current pets in the home must be taken into consideration. Introductions must be made, and in such a way as to optimize the meeting. Before bringing Norman home, I brought Melanie and Tank to meet him. This meeting took place March 10, 2013.

I used two of the dog yards at Kyle Vet. Initially, I had Melanie and Tank in the smaller yard, and Norman in the adjoining yard. This enabled the dogs to see each other, sniff, and meet through the fence. Here is Norman and Melanie’s first meeting, through the fence between the two yards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JlhETAHERA

I brought Tank into the smaller yard, so that he and Melanie could meet Norman through the fence. I filmed this very first meeting, with Melanie and Tank in the small yard, meeting Norman, in the larger yard, through the fence. Unfortunately, I didn't get the tablet camera turned off properly, so a portion of the video shows the inside of my vest pocket. Not interesting nor edifying, so I'll have to see if I can edit it, then upload later.

Next, each of my dogs got the chance to meet Norman in the larger yard. As each got a turn, they walked through one of the boarding kennels. This was a great opportunity for some attention and distraction training. I used a treat lure and my voice to heel my dog through, then outside. Once outside, I took my dog off leash and allowed each, in separate turns, to meet Norman.

Tank and Norman's first face-to-face meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIwH2DgndcY This is actual speed! Melanie can be heard voicing her opinion in the background.

Melanie and Norman’s first face-to-face. There are two parts; Tank can be heard whining in the background, initially, because he saw me disappear back into the building and so was at the door. I call him over so he can see me and what’s going on.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4C2GOqfqYU

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVDotCSPVgk

At this point, I’m wasn't putting all three dogs together. It’s important to allow the dogs to get to know each other slowly, and to establish my leadership over all.

After some time allowing the dogs to meet and spend time together, it was time to head out. I have my minivan equipped to transport three dogs. From the rescue, I’m borrowing two crates for Norman, a wire crate for Norman’s use in my van, and a heavy duty plastic crate—aka an airline crate, since they are often used to fly dogs—for his use in my home. All dogs need their own space, and crates serve as perfect dens. Here’s a view of my van when I took Norman home:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFvSQ3HcO18

We had a couple of stops on the way home, the grocery store and the gas station. Keep in mind that this was Norman’s first time in a wire car crate, and in a minivan. His crate is in the middle section of the van, which means he is right beside one of the sliding van doors. The door makes a loud sound when it is closed, but it didn’t upset Norman. He is looking a little careful about his new surroundings, but is handling it like a champ. Here’s our stop at the gas station:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u46a3KRQ4ag

And so we began!