Last week on the blog and YouTube I showed you Bubbles interaction with Rooster on Decoding Dog Body Language. If you missed it, you can check it out here. This week I want to show you her first interaction with Rufus, our Great Pyrenees, a much larger dog with different energy.
Specifically, remember how last week she was all up in Rooster’s face? When watching the video, note the difference we see with her and Rufus. She has a much more hesitant and cautious energy with him. This is fine, as long as it doesn’t escalate into her having a physical outburst, such as nipping, to show her unease.
Even more than Bubbles in this video, I want to take special note of Rufus’s energy and body language. Rufus is a completely balanced dog who reads situations well. This is why it’s so crucial to have access to a balanced dog, not only for new dogs to learn from, but also as humans. We can learn so much about dog body language from watching how dogs relate to one another in a healthy way.
Rufus continues to read Bubbles and reacting accordingly to encourage her to play. He does this respectfully, without being pushy with Bubbles. Something I hope Bubbles will learn! Watch the entire video to see if Rufus ever gets Bubbles to play with him!
Next week I’ll have a video that shows a much more comfortable Bubbles that I’m super excited to share. Watching the progression of Bubbles throughout her time here really shows us where we need to continue setting boundaries. In the end this will also give us the best information to pass on to her forever family!
Tell me in the comments here or on the video how your dog reacts to new dogs. Is he/she unsure? Friendly? Over the top? Is he/she Bubbles #1 or #2?
