Oh, how exciting! Are you adopting him from a shelter or a rescue society---or is someone relinquishing him? I looked at photos of these dogs. They are cute! I cannot imagine a 4-lb. dog. I'd be afraid I'd step on him! My little beagle is 16 lbs.--and I thought that was small.
Your parents' dog should get along with him fine, since he's a lab. Labs are normally so easy-going that nothing bothers them. But you all may want to give the lab a little extra attention the first couple of weeks, because he may be jealous. Rescue societies suggest giving the "resident" (the dog that was in the home first) special privileges so that he knows he's top dog. When taking them for a walk or letting them out into the yard, let him go out the door first and feed him first. This is hard because everyone wants to ooh and ahh over the new dog, but believe me, you will be glad you did this. It keeps the jealous at bay.
Dogs have to establish a pecking order----one of them's got to be the boss!!! And size has nothing to do with it. It may be the little one that ends up as the dominate one.
I have 2 beagles, a large one and a small one. The bigger one can just look at the little one funny and she will drop the toy or bone she has in her mouth and walk away from it. He's not mean to her (they're best friends!), but she definitely knows who's boss!!!
Are you going to crate him when you're away? I highly recommend it so he doesn't get into anything dangerous when you're not home. Plus, it helps them feel more secure.
Good luck! I can't wait to see photos!
BL
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
Re: Getting a dog tomorrow!
