Question:
Well someone must have listened to my cries for a 2nd dog. Yesterday we found a young female Blue Heeler, no collar, but looks really healthy...no ticks, fleas or anything. She loves my kids, but is a little reserved with the hubby and I right now. She loves my son in particular. We're guessing somebody dumped her, I have called all of our neighbors within this section and the one beside us and noone is missing her or knows who she might belong to. The kids and I are hoping to convince the hubby to let us keep her....I would like to train her to work cattle. She is fairly quiet (right now, we'll see how she does once the new wears off). Katie doesn't really mind her, except when she tries to take her toys....we had a major blow up this morning, scared me and both dogs! Not to mention the kids! I know several of you have two dogs, I'm just wondering how to make this work as far as keeping them apart until they learn to like each other. "Blue", as we have been calling her, can jump my gate and when she does stay in she whines and barks something terrible. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, I really want this to work.....but am not sure I can handle it.
Thanks,
Marcia


Answer:
The first thing to do.. is don't 'assume' she was dumped. Call the closest Humane Society and leave a Found report. Put a Found ad in the Newspaper. Have the dog scanned for a microchip at a Vet.. Have you checked for a tattoo? If not check her flanks & ears for that.
After you have done ALL you can to find the owner.. then suck up to hubby to see if you can keep her!
"Blue", as we have been calling her, can jump my gate and when she does stay in she whines and barks something terrible.
Can you clarify? She can jump what kind of gate? Outside gate? Or a baby gate inside?


Answer:
She can jump my baby gate. Nobody that I have ever heard of around here does the microchip....I called the vet and they told me the same thing. I will be putting flyers up around town and calling our "party-line" and doing the ads in the papers. She also does not have any tattoos etiher, I just gave her a bath and checked her vigorously after reading your response. She also figured out how to get the bottom barn door open last night, I had to lock the top door, too! She's seems to be pretty smart. As soon as we "get the go-ahead" to keep her, I will be finding her a crate....so she can stay inside with us. She only had one accident in the house yesterday and that was because I got busy and wasn't watching her very closely. I hope we can find her original owners, but until then she will get to stay with us!!


Answer:
Nobody that I have ever heard of around here does the microchip
What if the dog isn't from around there?? Somebody just passing thru and the dog got away from them? Happens all the time..


Answer:
I will check it out with the local Humane Society. Although, we live pretty rurally and tend to get more "dumps" than lost dogs. Our town is also very small (population 316), I think someone would have heard if the dog got away. I am making out flyers and phone calls, so we will just wait and see. I would like to believe that someone just lost her and is looking for her, but generally that is not the case around here. Plus, she doesn't look like she had been wandering the countryside very long....she was clean (no fleas, ticks and not mangy looking) and not very thin. I called the vet clinics around to let them know I had found her and if someone called looking for her I left my number and will be taking a description from them of her to see if she belongs to them.


Answer:
I don't blame Katie for being upset. This dog just showed up out of nowhere yesterday and tried to take her toys. I'd be upset too
Sounds like he is an escape artist. That is possibly how she got lost so I think it is a good idea to make sure she doesn't belong to anyone. Is he neutered?
A crate and slow introduction sounds like a good plan. Perhaps for everyone's safety, keep all the toys picked up when the two dogs are together. This is an adult dog and you still have no idea what his quirks are.


Answer:
It is a she and no, she has not been spayed.....no scar. She is young, we are guessing her to be about 3-5 mos. old. We have had a better morning since they got their 1st "fight" out of the way.....I took them outside this morning while I did chores and messed around in the yard and they played GREAT! Lots of play and no growling or anything. I have just been watching them with the toys and when one of them gets a toy, I will get the other one a toy....this has helped. I also watch and when one goes into the kitchen to eat, I put up the baby gate....much better. Everyone is learning and adjusting....most of all ME!


Answer:
my brother has a blue heeler "boomer" these are extremely intelligent, stubborn, independent dogs. and those are the good qualities he he
i would definetly read up about them and try crate training them, although these dogs have a need to be with their owners, and we found if we just seperated boomer from the family "pack" it was enough to curb unwanted behavior.
http://www.ehow.com/how_9986_care-blue-heeler.html
http://akak.essortment.com/austrailianblue_rwdm.htm
here are a few websites for you to look at. we still have problems with boomer nipping children ( he just wants to herd) and he can be destructive if bored.
good luck,
with my two dog we had some problems, my older dog was aggressive, the house was HIS for two years and this stupid puppy came along. we crated pippin and gave play time to my older dog "joey" in the evening when we went upstairs to bed. they fought over toys, bones etc but eventually they work it out, although i once thought joey was going to kill pippin, awful sounds


Answer:
I know what you mean by the awful sounds.....I freaked out twice yesterday! They have started to play together some and are seeming to start to get along, I have picked up most of the toys and am starting to limit their time with them or separating them when they are having their separate play time. I also separated them yesterday for about 30 min. after their last fight and I think that helped them realize "hey, we shouldn't fight!". Blue has been doing great with the whole house thing, though. She had one accident the first night we got her and didn't have one all day yesterday, slept in my son's room (uncrated) and didn't have any accidents last night. This could be good for Katie.....maybe she'll get the hang of it now!
My husband thought he had found a home for her last night, but they wanted a male. Said they had too many neighbor dogs....which means that they wouldn't be having her fixed, so I'm glad that they didn't take her. He told me she had to be gone by the time he got home tonight.....I asked him to give me some more time (hoping she'll grow on him), he did get on the floor and play with her some last night, so I think if she will pick up on some manners fairly quickly we might get to keep her. I plan on starting with some basic commands this whole next week (sit, come, stay, etc..). He can't say "no" to a smart dog can he????


Answer:
Marcia, I hope your hubby comes around and allows her to stay!