Ok, so I've gone all literary on you with the title of this post - it's a line from a poem by the great Irish writer/poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), and it has particular meaning to me right now because things around my house have "changed utterly" - why? Because I took the plunge and added a third dog to my household - in other words: I adopted ARF dog Wilson two weeks ago! I guess I just couldn't resist his charm and that underbite any longer! I certainly wasn't planning on bringing home another critter, but I do think there's some truth to that saying "you don't choose your dog, your dog chooses you..." None of my Facebook friends were surprised though, as I'd been spamming them all with photos and videos of him for weeks on end!
A third dog really does add the "multi" into multi-dog household! Adding a new critter to your crew - feline or canine, changes the dynamic period full stop. Patricia McConnell, writer and well known Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, has written a little booklet called "Feeling Outnumbered" that has all kinds of tips on how to maintain harmony in a multi dog household. Making sure that all your dogs will reliably respond to cues such as "stay", "wait", "leave it", as well as good solid recall will go a long way towards staving off multi dog anarchy! I also advocate for ALWAYS separating to feed - that way no one has to guzzle their grub down and no one learns to guard or gets opportunities to rehearse guarding from the other critters.
As for myself and my house full of dogs, at the moment it's a balancing act of doing my best to adhere as much as possible to my other two dog's routines while at the same time introducing Wilson into the mix. I make sure all three get daily one on one time with me, and also some "down time" away from each other (baby gates and crates are invaluable for that) so that they can enjoy a Kong/Nylabone in peace. One thing I'm really enjoying is getting to know Wilson in a different context - he's no longer Wilson, shelter dog, he's Wilson, my dog! Here's some stuff I've discovered so far: he's all terrier, all the time, except when it's cold out, or rainy - then his chihuahua side emerges and he suddenly loses the ability to walk. He's bold and curious, and you've never seen anyone, man or beast, have as much fun with an old Snickers wrapper as he did on his walk yesterday - forget about all the toys waiting for him back at my apartment, as far as he was concerned that candy bar wrapper rocked! One thing I always say about my dogs is that they make me laugh on a daily basis, and Wilson is no exception - I reckon he's going to fit in around here just fine!
While we're on the subject of change, there'll be a new face around the Behavior office soon - we'll be hiring a new shelter trainer because Ana and Dara are returning to Brazil. We wish the both of them all the best in whatever life holds for them next!
Finally, the holiday season is upon us once again. As festive as things are, it can also be hectic and at times stressful. Not surprisingly it can also be hectic and stressful for our critters. So bear that in mind and think about giving them a nice quiet spot in the house to hang out in while yourself and your human family and friends get your festive on in another part of the house. Trust me, your pets won't feel "left out" - instead they'll be safe, with no opportunities to wriggle out your open front door as you great arriving guests, and no opportunities to ingest all the tempting food on offer. And because mishaps can occur, even when we think we've orchestrated everything beautifully, please make sure your critters have current id on them/register their microchip info/have current photos of them - Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
p.s. the photo at the beginning of this post shows Wilson in a rare moment of "stillness" - here's one that more accurately captures his demeanor: perpetual motion!
