Need Puppy Introduction Help!

[drlisaort]

On December 26, my beautiful white German Shepherd Sage transitioned with the aid of my vet in my home. It was heart breaking. She was 14 years old and the best...I mean best dog on the planet. Oliver, my beloved parrot, and Sage were almost inseparable. Oliver grieved with us as we said good bye to her....and for weeks he was so quiet...so sad. Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath we are preparing to bring home a beautiful eight week old male white German Shepherd puppy on April 16. If anyone has experience on introductions I'd love to hear. When I brought Oliver home in January 2013 he was five months old and bonded with me since he was five weeks and Sage was already slowing down as she aged. At first Sage was terrified of this green little thing so it was a non issue. In fact, we were more worried about Sage than Oliver in those early days but as mentioned they became the best of buds. All my trips to my second house both Sage and Oliver traveled with me and had a total blast hanging out but now it's a new bouncy puppy and I'm concerned on how to bring the two together. Anyway...any help would be most appreciated. Hugs, Lisa

 

[RavensGryf]

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Sage. My deepest condolences to you. Now that you feel ready to accept a new puppy into your heart and life, congratulations!

I don't know how to answer your question. Truth be told there is a lot of controversy regarding dogs and birds, although I do believe Oliver and Sage shared a true friendship. I also don't have any personal experience with a bird and a puppy, but I'm sure others will be along to chime in!

 

[drlisaort]

Thank you for your kind words, they mean the world to me. I've been on this forum for years and I never saw any controversy over having dogs IF proper care is in place. I know there have been heart-felt tragedies posted too which is why I am reaching out...Lisa

 

[DexMom]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Sage. Letting go of our beloved pets, even when we know it's time, is brutal. My heart aches for you and your family.

I have a 1 year old Eclectus and two dogs. My dogs are well behaved and *mostly* trained. I trust them with many things, but not with Dexter. My dog Cassie is a labrador, with the full retriever instinct. No matter how well I train her, I could never trust that nature would kick in and she would try to retrieve Dexter. It would be tragic, as I know Dexter would fight and she would fight back and surely win. I would have no one to blame but myself if something horrible happened. For that reason, they are kept apart when Dexter is out of his cage. I'm able to close off the room that Dexter's cage is in with doors and a gate (he's not flighted, so no gate-hopping for him), the dogs have run of the rest of the house and access to the dog door so everyone can be happy and I can leave Dex out as long as he/I want.

That being said, I know plenty of people have dogs and parrots large and small who live together as friends. I would have no idea how to get there.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh Lisa, I am so terribly sorry for your loss of Sage! How utterly heartbreaking! Hugs to you!!!

I'm happy to hear you'll be bringing home a new puppy next month. A white GSD, wow, he sounds beautiful!!

Use common sense, Lisa. You'll have this down pat in no time, I just know it. Shepherds are incredibly intelligent, aim to please, and are 'fairly' easy to train, no? I also know that a bouncy puppy may be a bit difficult to keep safe at all times, so my best advice is to never allow him around Oliver unsupervised.

Even though I trust my own dogs, I don't trust them enough to be around my flock when they're out and about without me present. I just would never forgive myself if either of them would get hurt (or worse) due to my negligence.

 

[Allee]

Deepest Condolences for your loss of Sage, Lisa. I'm so sorry you had to say goodby to your beautiful companion.

April is a great month to welcome home a new puppy. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your new addition.

I keep my flock and my pack separate when my birds are out. I trust my dogs and trust their training but I just can't take the chance. I think Anansi/Stephen put it very well in a recent post. When you allow birds and dogs to interact, you're asking both to suppress their natural instincts to be predator and prey, for me, that's asking too much. If the worst did happen, I could never forgive myself.

No one knows your bird as well as you do, and I'm sure you'll get to know your puppy just as well. I know you'll take every precaution to keep both Oliver and the new puppy safe.

 

[Terry57]

Lisa, I am so sorry about Sage. Losing our furbabies is s incredibly hard.
I'm glad you are to the point where you can welcome a lucky new puppy into your heart and family.
Perhaps starting the puppy with station training may help?

 

[RavensGryf]

Thank you for your kind words, they mean the world to me. I've been on this forum for years and I never saw any controversy over having dogs IF proper care is in place. I know there have been heart-felt tragedies posted too which is why I am reaching out...Lisa

Hi Lisa,
I don't want you to think I was saying that (about controversy) pointed at "you" necessarily . I know that many eyes will be on this thread, both members and guests, and we don't want anyone out there to get a wrong impression. We are one of the only bird forums (if not the only one) who allows talk of birds and mammal pets intermingling. I think that on threads of this topic, our responsibility lies within getting the message across of what 'can' and does unfortunately happen sometimes, and that each individual must realize they're taking a certain amount of risk. It's up to each individual how much risk they're willing to take in their own home after being given the information, so that we feel we don't need to sensor these threads altogether.

I just wanted to clarify to you that I don't doubt for a second the kind of bond Sage and Oliver had, as we do see that strong interspecies bond sometimes. I know that you are an experienced pet owner yourself, and I don't doubt your judgement or training ability at all . Again, the message was aimed at the general audience.

Looking forward to pics next month, and hearing all about your new puppy!

 

[thekarens]

Oh Lisa, I am so terribly sorry for your loss of Sage! How utterly heartbreaking! Hugs to you!!!



I'm happy to hear you'll be bringing home a new puppy next month. A white GSD, wow, he sounds beautiful!!



Use common sense, Lisa. You'll have this down pat in no time, I just know it. Shepherds are incredibly intelligent, aim to please, and are 'fairly' easy to train, no? I also know that a bouncy puppy may be a bit difficult to keep safe at all times, so my best advice is to never allow him around Oliver unsupervised.



Even though I trust my own dogs, I don't trust them enough to be around my flock when they're out and about without me present. I just would never forgive myself if either of them would get hurt (or worse) due to my negligence.

I'm in 100% agreement with Wendy on this one. GSDs are super smart, but also can have high prey drives. My dogs have no prey drive (poodle and 2 Maltese) and I still wouldn't leave them alone together.

 

[drlisaort]

Thank you everyone for your beautiful posts and suggestions! I love this forum and knew I could count on your for some feedback. With that said, I must say that Sage and Oliver were never ever left alone and unattended. I always used caution, especially when Sage was more mobile. At the near end of her life she was totally paralyzed...she had a dog's version of lou gehrig's disease. The ONLY place she wanted to be was right behind Oliver's cage where they would talk and interact (with distance of course) all day long.

Our new puppy Duke will be obedience trained and in addition, I've hired a (kinda famous) dog trainer for personal one on one training in the initial stages of introducing Oliver to our new puppy. But...even with training in place I do not ever plan to leave either unattended.

Thank you from the heart. I love you guys! Lisa

 

[Terry57]

Will you pretty please post pics of Duke when he comes home? I'd love to watch him grow up.

 

[drlisaort]

Will you pretty please post pics of Duke when he comes home? I'd love to watch him grow up.

Awwww, thank you for the interest! For sure you don't have to twist my arm to post some pics of Duke!!! He is adorable for sure.

I'm really glad I reached out yesterday because the posts made me take a closer look to make sure I'm not relaxed in any way when Duke meets Oliver. I needed the reminder that Duke is not my precious Sage and to be on high alert. I've already inquired on gates and special crates in addition to what I already have. And the "almost" famous dog trainer is coming over on the first day to teach me some important training tips...like "Leave it!".....

Thank you again...you made me smile!

Hugs,
Lisa

 

[Anansi]

Lisa, I'm so very sorry to hear of Sage's passing! I know how painful and difficult that can be.

And I'm looking forward to pics of young Duke once he comes home. You've already received some excellent advice, and I'm doubly reassured by the protective steps you are intending to take, so I have nothing to add save my well wishes and to share in your excitement for the soon to be new addition to your family.

 

[Dinosrawr]

I'm so sorry to hear of Sage passing Lisa, it must have been so hard. But I'm glad Duke will be coming to bring some love and light back into your home!

As for training, I highly recommend doing training with him with the leash on while he's in the house. Teaching a "place" command is important, as well as a "leave it" command. Alternatively a "focus" command can be key in having any unwanted attention taken off something and placed on you. All of these are Schutzhund obedience commands that are great for use in any situation. Depending on the line of your shepherd (W/E-GWL, CWL, WGSL, A/C-SL), you'll likely have different variations of prey drive. Working dogs are generally used for bite work, Schutzhund/IPO, nose, or SAR, or placed with the police force. Show lines tend to have minimal prey drive, with American lines having the least (as a generalization).

You would likely find the best advice for the training required on a German Shepherd forum as many of the owners on those forums have both birds and dogs, some with high prey drives and others not.

That being said, it can be difficult to override an instinctual drive to give way to chase. But that's why obedience and knowing your dog is key, which I'm sure you'll take the appropriate steps towards!

 

[camo]

Lisa,

So sad to hear of your loss. Over the last 6 months, I have also lost both of my dogs of 13 1/2 years (Black German Shepard and Labrador), very emotional and a true loss, so I truly understand your loss.

We will also be picking up a new puppy (Labrador) in 4 weeks. Our dogs were very good and although I never allowed the opportunity, I was confident that should they ever accidentally interact with our birds, they would be OK (both dogs had spent time with duck and chickens (under supervision), with only eggs in danger.

I would love to hear what techniques you may learn, if your able to share them.

 

[drlisaort]

I'm so sorry to hear of Sage passing Lisa, it must have been so hard. But I'm glad Duke will be coming to bring some love and light back into your home!

As for training, I highly recommend doing training with him with the leash on while he's in the house. Teaching a "place" command is important, as well as a "leave it" command. Alternatively a "focus" command can be key in having any unwanted attention taken off something and placed on you. All of these are Schutzhund obedience commands that are great for use in any situation. Depending on the line of your shepherd (W/E-GWL, CWL, WGSL, A/C-SL), you'll likely have different variations of prey drive. Working dogs are generally used for bite work, Schutzhund/IPO, nose, or SAR, or placed with the police force. Show lines tend to have minimal prey drive, with American lines having the least (as a generalization).

You would likely find the best advice for the training required on a German Shepherd forum as many of the owners on those forums have both birds and dogs, some with high prey drives and others not.

That being said, it can be difficult to override an instinctual drive to give way to chase. But that's why obedience and knowing your dog is key, which I'm sure you'll take the appropriate steps towards!

Thank you for your wise and well-thought out post! I for sure will look into what you suggested. I'm very good with animals and think with the right precautions we will be okay. But with that said, I will take ALL the suggestions and help I can get. I totally agree with you that our new puppy MUST be on a leash at all times and/or quarantined until trained and then still always next to me and never leaving either of them unattended. I was spoiled with our Sage as she was more afraid of Oliver than he of her.

 

[drlisaort]

Lisa,

So sad to hear of your loss. Over the last 6 months, I have also lost both of my dogs of 13 1/2 years (Black German Shepard and Labrador), very emotional and a true loss, so I truly understand your loss.

We will also be picking up a new puppy (Labrador) in 4 weeks. Our dogs were very good and although I never allowed the opportunity, I was confident that should they ever accidentally interact with our birds, they would be OK (both dogs had spent time with duck and chickens (under supervision), with only eggs in danger.

I would love to hear what techniques you may learn, if your able to share them.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I know you know how bad it hurts. So glad you too will have another pup in your life. We can share tips to keep our beautiful birds safe!