"Leave it" flies out of our mouths quite often when it comes to Briar!. We have been successful at times and yet, there are a few times where he simply cannot help himself and wants to chase and play with Basil. Basil is tolerating him more than he did last week. The hissing has decreased and is only resorted to when Briar gets too close and is not welcomed in Basil's space. Oddly, Basil has been given opportunities to strike at Briar with his paws and never resorts to that. Basil is a very docile cat and resorts to running away rather than standing his ground and fighting. My husband assures me he can defend himself if he had to but in my eyes, I never want to put Basil in the position so I take it upon myself to constantly supervise them while Briar is roaming and playing freeling in the house.
Basil stalks and watches him a lot of the time...rarely going near....but watching from behind a corner up up high from a counter or furniture top. There have been a few times (mostly when Briar is napping) that Basil comes in close for a sniff. Basil will sniff Briar's nose and then sleek away.
When Briar barks while crating, Basil seems undisturbed by the new noises. this is a vast improvement from last week when Basil would appear frazzled with the new noises. Basil, for the most part, tolerates the new pup in the home and enjoys his time alone during night time when he gets to be just with us in the bed.
My goals for Basil have been to allow him his very own space that the dog is not allowed in where he can find peace in eating and using his litter box. We have a nice sized laundry room so this is Basil's room and we all respect it. Briar, on the other hand - would love nothing more than to tear in there and romp around.
At night, while Briar is crating, Basil stays in our room and gets his own special attention. I think it's important for each to get their own special time with us and to also invest in time where they can both share time with us without threatening each other.
I like to offer treats while training Briar and soon I'll see Basil right next to me, too. I'll offer Basil a treat and instruct Briar to "leave it" and praise him for staying calm while Basil enjoys his treat. Next, I'll offer Briar to sit or to give me his paw and then give him a treat for his cooperation while Basil sits and watches. I'll go back and forth like this for about 20-30 minutes. This is telling both of them good things come to them when they are near each other.
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