ann21 Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) Hi all, I've just brought my 8 month old cross breed pup over from Australia to Singapore two days ago. Singapore is hot and humid so it's quite a change of climate for him. When I picked him up from airport cargo he was crying but he bounced back pretty quickly after I brough him home and gave him a shower. Would appreciate some feedback/tips on how to help my pup adjust to life here especially from people who have done this before Last night after we brought him back from the local park he met our neighbours schnauzer at the door. The dog was abit aggressive (I'm not sure if that's the right term to use, what I mean is his body language was quite tense and I think he tried to nip my dog. We've encountered this quite often with breeds that tend to have high prey drive). Anyway my pup actually growled and barked at him, which while not unusual for a dog is the first time my pup has growled at another dog. Back in Australia we used to go to the nearby park twice a day and one of those times was for off leash play with other dogs. He never growled at another dog before even if the dog tried to nip him. I'm guessing it's probably because he is still adjusting to home, plus he met the other dog at my doorstep so maybe he was being protective. Still being its the first time he's growled at another dog I was quite surprised hence why I am mentioning it. He is eating well and is quite active. We live in a double storey apartment and he stays downstairs as much as possible because the marble there is cool. At night he sleeps with me in my room which is air conditioned. I bring him downstairs to the grass for potty breaks and there is newspaper on the balcony in case of emergencies. We lived in an apartment in Australia so not much adjustment needed in this regard. I guess being a worrywart and slightly traumatized by the experience of flying him over I want to make sure I am going okay in settling him in. I can see he is still abit cautious (esp when we go out) so I am just giving him time to gain confidence. That's my strategy for now anyway! Edited September 21, 2012 by ann21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pollywaffle Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 sorry, not brilliant with that sort of advice but I wanted to say how it cheers me to see people going that extra mile for their dogs..not just offloading when something else comes up. I know that people often have mitigating circumstances for doing this, but some choose this option cos it's easiest..so good on you for taking the extra effort to have your dog with you, wherever you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 is he a long coated breed? If he is, I'm wondering if clipping him off might make him more comfy. Good luck with settling him in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann21 Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks pollywaffe :). Couldn't imagine not taking him- he is my heart dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann21 Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 is he a long coated breed? If he is, I'm wondering if clipping him off might make him more comfy. Good luck with settling him in. Yes he is and I clipped him the week before I brought him over. He looks like a sheared (?) sheep now but comfort over looks now I say! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Try and just relax, not fuss over him, going about your routine and let him find his way. The snapping could be he just didn't want the other dog in his face, try not to force meet and greets on him yet. He may also be getting more mature and confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Work on establishing your routine. Don't baby him, but do let him settle into your routine and adjust before pushing too much too. It is all new to him and he may be feeling a little insecure with all the changes so I would probably not push him to be around other dogs for at least a week or two until he settles in to the new house, new food, new routine and new climate etc. Lots of big changes for your pup at the moment so be a good leader as it will help him feel more secure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Eating well, active, cool & sleeping with you. This dog sound fine & happy to me. Strange place, dog in his face. Don't worry. All normal. He would be cautious in a new environment if you had just moved state let alone countries & a flight. Sounds like all is ok in his world. Now you have to relax :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Um photos??!!! Would love to see him at home in his new country! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann21 Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) Thanks everyone for their comments. I was wondering about whether to let him meet dogs given we did it regularly in Australia. Right now I think we will hold off it for at least another week. Update re neighbours dog: they met tonight at the corridor again and both dogs started growling and barking at each other! I learnt from my neighbour that the dog is actually her boyfriends staying with her for a couple of days. He is 5 months old and would probably feeling as insecure as my puppy in a new environment. My dog has also started barking every chance he gets at any hint of suspicious sounds. ESP hearing other dogs (I live in an area with a lot of apartments so it could be from another block away) and thunder. He's never heard thunder before so what I did was to try and distract him with training (basic sit, stand, down, rollover etc with reward at the end) it doesn't always work but I'm not sure what else I can do. He's also become scared of going down the stairs. I can see why- it's a wooden staircase with a plank underneath propping it up. I.e. there are gaps after each stair if that makes sense. Plus the railway is made of glass. I would be scared too if I were him! So what I've done is carry him halfway down so it's not so scary and encourage him to go the rest of the way which he is happy to do. Trying to work out how to upload a photo of him, might be because I am using a mobile device but it's not working.. Edited September 22, 2012 by ann21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Rebel Wolf Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Another Thundershirt advocate here May help settle and with strange noises. When Maya was a puppy she was afraid of the staircase at my parents place. I carried her up them and down them, but I always put her on the next step but one so she had to do one step by herself. As her confidence grew I placed her next step down/up and at six months she now races up and down them without blinking. Keep up with your basic training, and keep your pup away from the snarly schnauzer for now. When you do start socializing with other dogs, start with ones he is more comfortable with :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 One thing to remember too is 8 months of age is right around the second fear period (and also when 'teenage' pushing the boundaries can set in. Keep it normal, stick to a routine, be a good leader (important!) and don't push the pup if he is not sure of things right at the moment. Try not to overrect or 'baby' him or coax him etc if he acts scared of something as this may reinforce his fear. At the same time try to teach him what is ok to bark at and what isn't so he learns to discriminate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann21 Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Sounds like the thundershirt might be a good option. Will check it out thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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