Pet Lovers

[elated]

I have never heard of such a thing as two week shutdown!!! Do you think he has COVID-19? He is 3-5 years old and is sweet and loving according to you.  I think what you are doing is cruel. I find it hard to believe that you have had pets. Let them get acquainted.

[CrazyDaisy]

Never heard of such a thing.  Dogs are social animals and isolation has to be a detriment.

[Imaoldhippie]

@rescuedogmom4 ...........how mean and cruel, how would you like to be in shutdown for 2 weeks?  The psychological damage to your new dog has been established.  I bet the place where you rescued him from does not know, nor would they approve of your cruel actions.  You need to return that poor guy immediately.

[Marp]

@rescuedogmom4,  I had never heard of the two week shutdown so did some research.  I found the following:

What to avoid the first 2 weeks

-New dog intros

-Dog parks/beaches

-Patios/breweries/dog-friendly places you want to take your dog

-Family parties

-Block parties

-Any kind of party

-New people

-Pet stores/outings of any kind

Things to do instead:

-Movie marathons

-Quick walks or walks in yard

-Create a safe space for dog – small room/crate/etc.

-Avoid other animals (cross the street while on walks)

-Let the dog come to you

-Praise good behaviors with treats

-Have a daily routine and stick to that schedule

I agree with almost all of the dos and don't on the list with the exception of new dog intros that involve you existing pet.  Of course you have to be cautious since you indicated that your existing dog has been reactive to other dogs in the past but IMO that could be exacerbated by keeping the new dog effectively hidden.

Where I strongly disagree with your interpretation of a two week shutdown.  I do not think it meant to isolate the dog just not put it in a situation where it can become over stimulated.  You want to give it time to decompress and adapt to the changes in its life.

Please let the new dog out, supervise your two dogs together and let the new dog incorporate itself into the family.  I wish you the best and years of love and enjoyment with your new furbaby.

[rescuedogmom4]

Hi everyone.  Thank you for the feedback.  I realize that I probably didn't clarify some points, and I see that many of you are concerned, which I appreciate.  The 2 week shutdown (if you google it or talk to a behaviorist) is not solitary confinement.  It also doesn't necessssarily have to be a full 2 weeks--it depends on the dog.  

We were taking this slowly mainly for our other dog, who I referred to as "reactive."  I was trying to be diplomatic, but she has a history of being aggressive, and she attacked our last rescued dog when we first tried to introduce him.  We had them meet outside, and when we came in she went right for him.  We felt that we rushed that intro, so we wanted to take this slower.  Part of the protocol helps the new dog have quiet place of his own to decompress and learn the sounds, smell, and routine of the new house.  I should have explained that I've been keeping him in our office, and he was spending those first few days with me, on my lap, snuggling while I teleworked; he even met one of my co-workers virtually.  He was not neglected at all.  I was merely asking if I should start some training with him, as he seemed very attentive, and I decided to teach him 'sit' but I didn't want to overdo it at first. 

This also gave my girl dog a chance to get  wind of him, as she found his scent in the yard and on my clothes.  She heard him barking at night--I don't think he was accustomed to a crate, but we weren't ready to let him sleep in bed with us at first because we didn't want to rush anything and have my girl feel that her space was being invaded too quickly.

So, to update, since I was already feeling eager to move along, and the new dog seemed ready, we had them meet outside and take a walk together yesterday.  Today, we let him follow her back inside and do a meet and greet with treats in the living room.  Our girl stayed calm, but she didn't want him on the sofa yet, so he stayed in his bed (which I brought down for him), on my lap, or on the loveseat.  He stayed respectful of her space, though she growled a bit.  They also went and pottied together in the backyard.  He's back upstairs with me in the office for a bit to chill out; he's currently sleeping on my lap--again, not neglected or in solitary confinement.

Again, I appreciate everyone's concern; I clearly didn't explain this very well, but there are resources online and I felt that this protocol could be tailored, based on how things were going.  My dogs are very loved adn happy, and all of my friends and family know that they are spoiled rotten.  My girl takes agility classes, and my dogs enjoyr trips to the dog park, with plenty of walks and hikes in between.  All is well.