Raising whippet pup alongside terrier.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Hello,

 

Just after a few tips and suggestions to see what people say.

 

I'm getting a whippet pup in August time for mooching, ferreting, lamping rabbits etc.

 

I've already got a terrier which is 5 years old and more of a pet than anything now. She comes out bushing occasionally and will come ferreting etc and i will take her ratting if asked but on the whole she isn't a working dog. She has got a huge kennel and run outside and goes out most of the time and come inside at night to sleep.

 

She is a brilliant house dog, well behaved, quiet, don't know you've got her most of the time.

 

On a walk she is a different beast entirely, smashes through cover, disappears for 10 minutes at a time if she's onto something. Recall is almost none existent if there's a scent in the air.

 

My plan is to introduce the whippet into a similar routine, inside at night, out most days, free reign at weekeds when we are about.

 

They will share a kennel, I've got loads of room to separate if need be but want them to share. The terrier is good with other dogs in general and has been kennelled with terriers and lurchers before.

 

I also plan to keep the terrier on the lead when out and the whippet off lead, does this sound a good idea? My logic is that the whippet will get used to staying close by and not running off with the terrier.

 

My concern is the terrier teaching her bad habits.

 

Obviously the terrier won't be going lamping but daytime, in time, I would like the terrier to go off and work the bushes and the whippet stay close by. In theory.

 

Any tips on anything related to introducing a pup to an older dog would be good. Thanks.

 

Gaz

[Casso 1,261]

introducing the pup to the adult bitch is usually fine the terrier sounds like a level headed mutt,

where i feel the problem crops up is where the pup feels drawn to make contact with the adult and the bitch starts putting a spanking on him or using him as a play thing,

 

what you want in your adult dog is a confident outgoing can do attitude, which are all possible through positive interactions growing up

what you dont want is a whippet pup who after a while is afraid to run round and express itself because of fear that it will be run down by the terrier who is using it as a play item when out,

i dont let pups be disciplined by adult dogs , i just dont put them into that situation where it can happen, you put a charge into a pup through a negative encounter with an other dog and you have no idea how that charge will manifest itself in later life , whippet are mainly inploders , guard dogs , terriers exploders,

whippet are probably the easiest of mutts to install fear into , an negative encounters install fear

,

 

i would take them out on their own as much as you can , it might seem a tall order but pups are their own worst enemies for getting themselves into situations they are just not emotionally ready for at a young age ,

you will probably get a lot of different advice on this but when we first get a pup at 8 weeks old he is a very confident little animal exploring everything ,we need to keep as much of that can do attitude into later life, negative encounters chip away at that spirit until its possible to end up with a dog who's nervous of every new situation,

best of luck with the pup bud

[Malt 379]

My terrier bitch didn't seem keen on my lurcher pup when I first brought him home but she was fine after I'd spent the first night sleeping on the settee with them both!

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Thanks for both replies.

 

Casso - my bitch is very ignorant of other dogs. I take her round my mates quite often and he's got 2 whippet bitches about 18 months old that just want to play. If they start jumping on her then the bitch has a growl and a snap and they leave her alone.

 

I don't want my pup to be scared to play though if she does the same.

 

However she once met another of my mates terrier pups and she was completely different and happy to play with it.

 

Maybe it's just bigger dogs she feels threatened by? And doesn't want to play?

 

Gaz

[skycat 6,174]

IMO you would be mad to kennel a pup with the terrier bitch: at the very least the old bitch will feel that her space has been invaded and will snap the pup off and make it scared of her. At the worst she will kill it. Here's a true story of what happened when someone trusted his old terrier bitch completely: he had one of my Airedale's sisters. All went well for the first few weeks, then, when the pup was 15 weeks old, his daughters left it in the garden with the old and trusted terrier bitch which had always loved puppies: only for half an hour: when they went back out the Airedale pup was dead with its throat crushed. This can happen so suddenly and out of the blue: I would imagine that the old bitch had been putting up with the pup wanting to play with it for weeks and weeks, and finally something snapped and she turned on it, and being a terrier, didn't stop until the pup was dead: would only have taken a few moments.

 

Don't take those sort of chances: there's been a few posts on here about people wanting to kennel pups with older dogs: it is never worth the risk, and you'd feel so bad about if it happened to your pup.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Thanks penny.

 

I can kennel separately in the daytime when we arent there and then have them in the house together at night (supervised) and then crate them separately when we go to bed.

 

What about when I take them out? Would it be a good idea to keep the terrier on the lead and let the whippet walk close by off lead?

 

Thanks

 

Gaz

[gnipper 6,548]

It would be a good idea to keep the terrier on a lead mate otherwise the whippet will be copying it fecking off, a better idea would be having another bash at training the terrier to recall better before you get the pup.