Donna and Doudou met for the first time last week before the National Geographic Free Pet Shop event. We wanted to make sure they are comfortable with each other before we attempt to drive both dogs to East Coast Park.
picture taken by our cousin’s boyfriend
It never really registered in our minds how small a mongrel Donna is until we saw her beside Doudou, who is still a puppy! Donna is already 4 years old. Donna appears stockier in the chest, while Doudou appears more streamlined. She is a pretty dog.
The meeting went well. The two dogs sniffed but did not take to each other like a house on fire. They were happy doing their own things but we walked together with no trouble. So we thought driving together should be fine. In fact, given that they were neutral and not overly interested in each other, we thought that the drive should be relatively peaceful.
But on the day itself, Donna growled a little at Doudou when they got on the back seat next to her. I reactively grabbed her so that she doesn’t do anything physically threatening to the other dog and she dropped the growling pretty fast although our cousin said she growled a second time. The rest of the trip went pretty smooth. The two dogs didn’t interact as Doudou had her head on our cousin’s lap the whole way. Donna sniffed Doudou a few times but that was it. Donna was restive but that is normal for her on a drive even without a second dog. I petted Donna a lot more than usual in the car since I wasn’t sure what prompted her to growl in the first place.
Once off the car, both dogs did get opportunities to mix in the same space but there was no further growling and interaction between the two dogs was minimal even when they were in the same space.
Two things straight off my mind,
- if we were to drive another dog the next time, I would put the two humans in the back seat in between the dogs so that they are not sitting side by side.
- it bugged me that our normally quiet if at times fearful dog continues to be labelled as the dog that does not get along well with other female dogs (it’s a preconception people involved in the shelter have during her shelter days). Would it not have been the way we went about getting both dogs in the car that triggered the incident rather than blame it on the dog? Given that’s the case, what would have been the best way to have managed that introduction? Perhaps we should have alighted the car with Donna first. Perhaps we should have walked the two dogs before getting them on the car. Would that have helped?
damienrobe
That’s a hard egg to crack. I would think that Donna getting in the car first would have been more of a trigger for her to growl than if she was the second dog getting into someone else’ car with an acquaintance already inside. At that point, what was she trying to protect?
pjdonna
Yes I think so too that it might have been a mistake for us to stay in the car when we stopped to pick up our cousin and her dog. And since I was sitting beside Donna, logically speaking it might have been me she was trying to protect : ( I guess we’ll just have to keep trying until we find the success formula!
Linda Trunell
Donna’s growl was her way of saying she was stressed. It was nice of her to let you know and not just snap. (Don’t ever punish a growl – it’s like removing the ticker from a time bomb.) She may have felt a little too confined in the car with the other dog that she really didn’t know very well. More walks together before putting them in close quarters would probably put her more at ease. Humans in between the dogs in the car is a good idea, too. Most aggression in dogs is fear-based. When she growls try to figure out why she is stressed and help make her more comfortable. :)
weliveinaflat
Hi Linda, thank you for putting it in perspective for me :) I need to remember that growling is her way of saying she is stressed!! And tell everyone that because it is so easy for all of us in the car to leap to the conclusion that she is unfriendly towards the other dog! I know our cousin certainly feared for her dog, because of Donna’s shelter reputation. Sigh…
I don’t remember if I said “stop”. I might have(?) but I don’t think in an angry or sharp tone if I did. But regardless, grabbing her would have been pretty aversive :( although it may have put our cousin more at ease for the growling to stop. Certainly hope I haven’t removed the ticker from a time bomb D: