JJ: I was hearing rumblings that Mommy & Daddy were talking about a third Golden Retriever as they wanted to find me a “playmate.”
Alanis: Are they saying that I was not a good playmate?
JJ: No, diva! I just needed someone closer to my age and energy level!
Alanis: So now I am old and lazy?
JJ: OMG. No!
Alanis: I see where I rate – if you want a different playmate, FINE! We’ll see how that goes next time you need me for something.
JJ: What do I need you for, again?
Alanis: Ugh.
JJ: Anyway, they received a profile for a dog who was around my age who needed a new home. Daddy filled out the application to see where it would go. The next day, they received a phone call!
Alanis: The rest of my life was never again going to be the same.
JJ: The phone call went well. A process Daddy thought would take a while took a few days. Daddy went to go meet “Tucker”, thinking (knowing?) that he would likely be a good match for our pack!
Alanis: Says you.
JJ: Oh, stop. Anyway, the meeting went well and Tucker soon was on our doorstep ready to explore a new world.
Alanis: Listen, dude – Tucker was supposed to be YOUR PLAYMATE! For fhe first several hours, he only cared about ME.
JJ: Well, sometimes those crazy male hormones get in the way, you know.
Alanis: Yeah, well – I was not liking it a bit! Tucker was supposed to = more rest for me! Not more stress for me!
JJ: Stress? You’re a freaking Golden Retriever. STRESS?
Alanis: Yes, stress! I used to not love “change” in any form. If things change, I used to get very nervous.
JJ: Doggie play day cured that for you!
Alanis: It certainly has helped boost my confidence.
JJ: And now you act more like an alpha dog in our house, and Tucker and I certainly needed some direction.
Alanis: I still take a lot from JJ, but that is because we have lived together for a long time. For Tucker, I have stepped up to the plate to tell him when his play is too rough. He respects it and backs off when I show him that he is being rough. That is a good thing!
JJ: Yes it is. I am so glad to have Tucker here – he is an outstanding playmate for me. Both of us are completely wiped out by the end of the day.
Alanis: As am I…
JJ: It can get a little crazy at times. Tucker has knocked over the water bowls once. I have also knocked over the water bowls, which is not typical of me! He was chasing me around the house and I slipped right into the bowls! Fun!
Alanis: Overall, he has been a fine addition to our pack. The moments are never dull when the three of us all get together for a play session. I play a lot of referee, which surprises everyone. I don’t take any crap from anyone anymore!
JJ: You are doing a good job.
Tucker: This post is supposed to be about me and all you two can do is fight amongst yourselves!
Alanis: And your point is…?
JJ: Go to bed, Tucker. Sheesh.
Me: We are indeed a bit insane, but we are also happy we made this decision. JJ is a maturing Golden Retriever who needed a little more play in his life (Tucker goes beyond just a “little more play”). He proved that to us a few weeks ago when we watched a neighbor’s dog for a few weeks. JJ loved to play with her in addition to Alanis. Alanis loves to play like any Golden, but her energy level doesn’t quite match up to JJ’s, which left him with a bit of a void.
Has everything been perfect? No. Both JJ and Tucker are not neutered, and we had an issue on the second day Tucker was here. It was nothing MAJOR, but it was a doggie disagreement that neither dog backed away from. This is where some basic training skills can come into play to make sure you have a happy and healthy dog household. Tucker was likely still trying to understand his new surroundings, while JJ was trying to get used to Tucker. It happens, though it could shock you when you think two dogs will instantly become best friend dogs who will prance around your yard without any worries in the world. That doesn’t always work in the animal world.
Putting each dog on a leash for a few nights and not allowing them to play even if they both showed a strong interest in playing was one such step. Trust me, it isn’t easy to keep two dogs who want to wrestle together away from each other, but this was a much-needed step. I let them essentially check out the merchandise (sniffing each other) without allowing them to buy it (playing with each other). The idea was to let JJ get used to having Tucker in the house without any of the possible stress associated with having a new dog in the house. This worked like a charm and was likely the best step I took.
As humans, we sometimes expect our dogs to be human. While it is true that dogs adjust to how humans do things (in the world of dogs, a big hug is invading their personal space – but most adapt to this human behavior), they aren’t really human. We can tell two teenage boys to cool it if they get into a fight in school. For dogs, you have to go beyond that – you have to understand “dog” sometimes in order to make things work the way you want them to work. In this case, it was all environmental over anything else. Tucker wasn’t used to what JJ was doing, and JJ wasn’t used to Tucker’s rougher style of play. They both were confused by each other, and that is OK! It is just up to the owner to eliminate the confusion.
Fast forward to today, and the two are becoming best friends. No more disagreements, no more confusion. We are at the point where Tucker hands over his toy to JJ if JJ shows interest in it. They wrestle together, chase each other, and are having a blast. I haven’t need to break up any play sessions due to “unnecessary roughness” and they are allowed to be with each other at all times. Tucker is also showing JJ some “respect” by giving him plenty of doggie kisses. When a play session “ends”, both dogs simply shake it off and lay down to rest. We are getting the PERFECT behavior you want to see out dogs.
My trainer told me that they are each at the age where many people “give up” Golden Retrievers (no, this is not what happened with Tucker’s former family, just to make that clear!) This breed is a highly active breed, and when they get to be 1-2 years old, they can be especially crazy. Their brains are developing. They are in between the stage of being puppies and adulthood. Golden Retrievers can be very active for as long as they live, but they do “settle” down into adulthood.
Speaking of maturing, Alanis has been an absolute superstar in dealing with the two young dogs. Alanis used to be a “shy”, reserved Golden Retriever. When I first took her to “doggie play day”, she would run on the porch and not move for the entire hour. Her confidence soared in the months leading up to getting Tucker and she has been showing him the ropes. She lets him know when he is being too rough and plays referee during the JJ – Tucker matches. She is a completely different dog than she was even one year ago. She rarely did much “correcting” with JJ. But now she is willing to make sure both males are not being too rough with each other or with her.
Overall, we are very happy with our latest addition. He is our fifth Golden Retriever, and we always say the same thing: Each of our five have distinctive looks and personalities. All of them are very cute/beautiful. Personality-wise, Tucker may be our craziest – he is the Golden you read about who likes to roll around in the dirt and mud and jump into pools. He splashes water when he drinks and decides to lay in the puddles he himself creates. Golden Retrievers were put on Earth to give us love and laughs, and when you have three of them, you can multiply that by three. The house is crazy, but we wouldn’t want it any other way. WELCOME ABOARD, TUCKER!
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