The Boys Meet The Girls

The introductions  this weekend involved our girls Princess MollyDawg and Lady May allowing Lil Molly a chance to meet the boys, Dax and Andre. We wanted them to feel comfortable and accepted into our pack.
We had quite the afternoon and evening on Friday and Saturday morning.  They were full of finding rank and jostling for position.  Oh my! They never sat still for a minute.  Well that's not entirely true. Sunday was definitely more laid back.

At first everyone pretty much stayed in their own space

We did our usual one on one meets. With five dogs that takes a bit of time. We also spent lots of time going in the house and coming outside to get used to the feel of it.  We continued until it was too dark to play outside.

By the evening I was able to actually drop the leads and let them interact more normally. Everyone was finding their position and feeling more confident within the pack. It was Andre who surprised me. He took a little bit longer to warm up to the girls. He was not ready to have any stinky girls pestering him.  Lil Molly, who tends to be pretty persistent,  really only wanted to make friends and check him out.  He just said, "No, not right now!" So off she sulked. She was only here over night, which turned out to be just the right amount of time for an opportunity to meet the boys. The next meeting will be more,"Oh, hi I remember you!"

Lil Molly decided her safe place was in the crate

Of course as usual Dax had a field day deciding which toys had the best stuffing. While Mr. dignified Andre, watched in disbelief. 

Dax didn't even stop playing long enough to eat. He did a quick buzz past the food and right back to the toys. After dinner we set the boy's crates in the living room to make them feel more at home. Just in case they decided they wanted to nap. 

Dax took a sniff and decided it was still play time. The girls on the other hand had themselves buried up to their shoulders checking them out. I swear if they could fit ....
Of course I didn't get a picture of that. ((sigh))

We kept our separator gate up for the evening so Dax could romp and play. They still didn't know that after dinner is quiet time. Lady May was not impressed with toys going flying through the air at her.  Everyone else was quietly snuggled on a mat or a crate. Even Andre was starting to crash. 

What's for dinner? Ok, later then.

What stuffing??

Ya, but I don't have to go to bed yet. Right Lady?

"Shouldn't my brother be resting now, Lady?"

... and he did rest. He settled right down beside Andre and fell fast asleep. 

Shhhh. Don't wake him.

 Now we are very rule oriented here. No dogs are allowed on any beds or furniture. Especially new comers. Certainly not without being invited. We are the pack leaders and that has to be well established.  Just because you're so bloody cute does not mean you're going to get invited up on my lap any quicker than anyone else around here. So make sure you remember that.

Ya ya ya! I know, they got an invitation on the very first night. So sue me. 

That night they slept in their crates beside the bed. They were as quiet as mice.  From time to time I could hear little Dax wagging his tail, and hoped it was happy dreams and not anxiety. It took all my control to leave them snuggled up in their crates.  Their mommy told me this is where they are most comfortable sleeping.
Now I don't usually break mommy and daddy's rules. However, after all, this IS ROYAL K 9 Korner. and the next night I just couldn't let them stay in their crate.
So they joined the pack around our bed and slept with out a single peep. They slept so soundly, when the girls woke me up the next morning to go out, I had to wake the sleepy boys to come join us. Awww too cute! 

Just to ensure their safety, I put the gate up around their bed. 

We woke up to fresh snow on Sunday morning, and the temperature had dropped. Everyone went without a lead and did their business like they'd been in our pack forever. They had full run of the yard and interacted very well. There was no hesitation heading back indoors.  We went out again before day light.  Princess MollyDawg was asking and generally when one asks, everyone wants go. Well this was just not what the boys wanted at all.    They didn't even stop to take a breath let alone do a quick piddle. They just bolted from the back door to the front door in a split second. I laughed so hard.  They were having no part of a second onslaught of this winter stuff this early in the morning. 

Later in the day there was lots of time to play in the snow. Little Andre loves running and chasing the ball. The cooler temp did not bother him one bit.  Little Dax could only play a short while then he headed right back indoors. I left the back door open for him. He would dash out to us in the yard do a couple of quick zoomies around the yard and BOLT right back into the house. Just enough to say, "Hey Lady! Look at me Im outside!" At one point I tucked him inside my coat just so he could join us for some fresh air.  We saw lots of the cute behaviors from Little Dax. he was forever after Lady May. "Hey! Im a boy how come you don't love me? I even saw someone say, "I'm a boy and therefore you must kneel to me regardless of rank." "Oh ya!?" said someone else, "Royalty over rides rank buddy! Back off"
There was lots of learning this weekend.  I'll be uploading pictures and videos soon. Watch for them on Facebook 

Dax- "I promise, I only want to cuddle"

"Oh and my brother wants to share your mat as well."

Once they'd had their 5 min snooze they were back up and at 'em all over again. I'll have to purchase a second small ball for these guys. One just isn't enough. We have loads of various sized ones here. Apparently only one that is just the right size.

These little fellas are welcome back any time at all. Even daddy fell in love with them. An invitation to snuggle with Daddy says alot!

We hope you visit again soon boys.