[LEUllman]

So it's my birthday this weekend, and the family is coming over for a get together. Thing is, my sister wants to bring her corgi, Clever, over for a visit with his "cousin" Beau. Clever is a sweet dog, and about the same size as Beau, but I have serious reservations about the wisdom of this. Beau is quite timid, if not outright scared, around other dogs, and I really don't know how he'll react to having his home turf "invaded." We could put Clever in the backyard, but then I figure Beau would just bark all evening. Am I over reacting? Sure would be nice for me and my sis to be able to visit one another with our dogs in tow, without provoking a dog fight. Any suggestions from you experienced poodle parents welcomed, up to and including "run for the hills!"

 

[Poodle Lover]

How old is Beau and do you socialize him to other dogs? Timid is not usually the quality that I associate with poodles,but then again I am not as well versed in minis as in standards.

 

[Keithsomething]

I dunno about other poodles but in my experience with Elphaba she loves to be around other dogs
my aunt brings her 2 beagle mixes and her ((really snappy with kids o.o)) schipperke to our house all the time and Elphie REVELS in the attention they give her xD

is there anyway you can meet your sister on like neutral ground and see how well they mesh with one another?

 

[creativeparti]

when ur sister gets to your house take beau outside the front to meet clever and take them for a small walk together side by side on leads when u are ready to go home just walk them in together.... poodles are normally very soical and if clever is a girl her and beau should get along nicely as male and females normally work well together....

just let them work it out dont baby beau if he gets scared just let him be free to be around her.. if he reacts and you scoop him up clever will prob go after him as corgis are hearders and very quick dogs..... only get involved if it gets out of hand

 

[creativeparti]

just to add when u go outside to meet clever dont let them sniff each other yet as it sounds like beau would not like that just keep them at both your sides and walk intill you feel beau is coumftable with clever

 

[PaddleAddict]

Providing opportunities for positive interactions with other dogs will only help Beau. Avoiding interactions with other dogs can make the problem worse.

What was Beau's situation before you got him? My mini LOVES other dogs (and people), no matter how small or large.

Edited to add, if you do let Clover come over, don't coddle Beau or baby him if he seems nervous. Don't say "Oh, poor baby, it's okay, it's okay" over and over. And don't pick him up. Just stand there and act as if being in close proximity to another dog is the most natural thing in the world (it is!). The more YOU are calm and ho-hum about a potentially scary situation, the more he will be okay with it.

 

[LEUllman]

Thanks for the positive reinforcement, everyone! This is such a great forum. Beau is almost 9 months old. We got him at 6 mos, from a quality breeder who is also a groomer. Beau spent most days at her shop, so I know he's been around a lot of other dogs. I'm not sure how much opportunity he had to actually "socialize" with them, though. When we've met other dogs while out on walks, Beau has stopped in his tracks or shied away and hidden behind me. He has played a bit with our neighbor's two Prince Charles spaniels; it was kind of funny to see him slowly approach, then leap back, then approach a little closer, and so on, until they were nose to nose. I like newpoodlemum's suggestion to introduce them on a leashed walk around the neighborhood. Keep the good ideas coming, please! It will give me courage.

 

[Marian]

The best thing you can do for Beau is to relax. He will pick up on it if you're stressing out about this. Don't anticipate something bad happening or you might inadvertently cause it to come true, in other words.

 

[Birdie]

Yes, relax and use this as an opportunity for positive socialization for Beau! If Clever is a good, social dog, he should provide a good dog for Beau to meet and possibly overcome his fear of other dogs. Most poodles are very outgoing, but it's not unheard of for them to be timid!! Desmond was one of those dogs, he's happily out of his shell now though. Even though he was really frightened of other dogs, I kept taking him out to parks, stores, etc and having him meet them until he realized "Hey, this isn't so bad!"

Play with Clever and Beau together, and like PaddleAddict said- act like having Clever over is no big deal! Make him feel confident by being confident. If you're sure he'll be totally terrified, ask your sister to help you out. Have her sit with Clever on a leash in the yard a good distance away from Beau and feed Beau treats for being calm or curious. Do this with shorter distances until Beau feels comfortable greeting Clever. For some dogs, they just need a little bit of time to get used to the dog, like you mentioned with the spaniels. Give him time and opportunity to be brave, and let him make it HIS choice to see Clever. If he really, really, really doesn't want to, don't make him!! That will just stress him out, let him go at his own pace.

Good luck!

 

[bluespoomommy]

my standard puppy is a pretty timid dog too (almost 8 months now). she just takes a long time to get used to other people and dogs. it took her 5 straight obedience classes over 5 weeks before she actually began to interact with the other dogs in our class! but once she gets to know other dogs, she doesn't want to stop playing.

i find that she does much better meeting other dogs when she is off leash in an open space and she can control her distance rather than having her by my side and leashed near another dog. i'd never force her into any kind of situation and let her socialize on her own terms. timid is not ideal poodle behavior, i know, but she might really like your sister's corgi when the day is over!

 

[Fluffyspoos]

I personally think it would be a good thing for Beau to meet Clever, as long as she's not dog aggressive. Getting him to meet friendly dogs is a good way to get him confident and comfortable around them. Take him out for a walk and have them meet on neutral grounds on the leash. When I have play dates I've just released Vegas into the backyard, knowing their dogs are dog friendly and he has been. It's always been a big hit. He can be timid if he's overwhelmed by a lot of dogs (he piddled once meeting my district managers three grown standards who crowded him lol)

 

[neVar]

socialize socialize socialize.

but perhps a birthday party isn't the best FIRST meeting for them- can you do a meet nd play time before??

the worst thing with timid dogs is to limit their intercations with GOOD dogs.

 

[LEUllman]

So Beau and Clever (my sister's corgi) met at last, and thanks to all of your wise words, a great time was had by all! We followed advice and took both dogs for an introductory walk before allowing Clever in the house. Beau was a bit shy at first, but was soon approaching Clever, and vice versa. No growling, snarling, or aggression ever occured, just much mutual sniffing of behinds. We soon turned them both loose in the backyard, and they spent a happy hour racing madly around from one end of the lot to the other, side-by-side, at breakneck speed. Clever is a running machine in spite of his short legs, and I've never seen Beau run so fast or so much. He was one tired puppy that night!

Again, thanks to all of you for convincing me to go ahead and let Beau spend some quality time socializing. Dog park, here we come!

 

[Marian]

Yay!! That's happy news. I'm so glad it all went well. There's nothing more enjoyable than watching your puppy have fun.

 

[Olie]

Oh happy days!! Most dog parks are pretty nice, I have a good one where I live and most people are great with their dogs. Too cool

 

[Cdnjennga]

Fantastic, I agree with Marian, it's so wonderful to see your pup having fun. Can't wait to hear how further adventures with the little guy go!

 

[Jenspoo]

Good job! One of the worse mistakes I made with my toy is not getting him around other dogs. He HATES female dogs fixed of not. (but he was attacked by one) But he love people there hasn't been anyone that he doesn't love and most people love him too. My standard is very social with people and dogs. Both toy and standard like each other no problems there. I have trouble keeping the standard away from other dogs. Maybe I over socialized him?? lol

 

[plumcrazy]

I'm glad to hear the great outcome to this "experiment" and I'd like to offer my sincere, "HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY" wishes!!