Picture taken from www.321dogs.com
From the desk of Sharda Baker.
6/29/2014
Hi and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with another Bichon Frise newsletter.
If you’re thinking of getting another dog or another house pet like a cat I think the first thing that you may think about is if you old pet and you new pet can get a long properly.
It would certainly be disheartening if both your pets hurt each other, right?
So today, let me tell you about some facts as well as some tips in making your Bichon Frise friends with other dogs or other pets.
Let’s start!
INTRODUCING YOUR BICHON FRISE TO ANOTHER DOG
As mentioned above, it is usually not a problem to introduce a Bichon Frise to another dog simply because they are so social and non-aggressive.
It is more likely that the other dog will become aggressive so ensuring that both dogs are under control is key as a larger dog could easily intimidate your Bichon Frise.
Always allow both dogs to calm down and be attentive and under control before starting any introductions.
With both dogs restrained, allow them to smell at each other watching for any indications of dominance such as lifting the ears, head and tail, pushing against the other dog with the chest or growling.
If this occurs, immediately separate the dogs and allow them to calm down and start again. Once the dogs have sniffed each other and there are no signs of aggression or dominance, there will typically be few problems.
If the other breed is a dominant or aggressive breed, do not leave your Bichon Frise unsupervised with the dog under any circumstance.
Always introduce a dominant breed to a Bichon Frise in a neutral environment such as a park or in the Bichon Frise dog’s yard or house to prevent even more aggression or possessive territorial behavior by the dominant type of dog.
INTRODUCING A BICHON FRISE TO A CAT
Another plus for the breed, the Bichon Frise is a very cat friendly dog that typically accepts the cat as a member of the household without the typical dog/cat interactions, chasing and silly behavior.
The Bichon Frise is particularly well suited to homes with cats but does best with a cat that is already friendly and tolerant of dogs.
Often, the cat has far more issues with the introduction than that Bichon Frise dog will have. As with the dogs, do the introductions slowly, never forcing the dog or cat to be physically closer to each other than they want to be.
The Bichon Frise puppy or dog may chase if the cat makes a dash for it so try to keep the cat and puppy or dog well under control until they have had a chance to get to know each other through scent and gradual desensitization.
Usually, the dog and cat will work this out on their own with the cat staying out of the dog’s way until he or she is comfortable.
The best possible option is to raise a Bichon Frise with a kitten. This will result in a well-bonded set of companion pets that will often sleep together, eat together, and definitely play together.
The outstanding nature of the Bichon Frise is really very evident in its interaction with cats.
So there you go! Just introduce your Bichon whether old or new to your other pets slowly and continue to monitor them if there is still some patching up to do.
Another important thing that you should NOT forget is to give your old and new pet the same amount of love and I’m sure that they’ll become the best of friends.
Thanks for listening and I hope you learned something in our Bichon Frise newsletter today.
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker