Min Pin Adoption

[Beryl]

Latte still needs a brother or sister (and I want another dog ) so the search continues...

I'm looking at a couple of 3 year old rescue dogs tomorrow AM. Both are males, get along with other dogs and about 12 lbs. I love that their ears are uncropped.

I'm a little concerned about their size relative to Latte. who is very friendly, playful, and only 6.8 lbs. We are visiting for an hour with both of them before making a decision.

Boo - a little more laid back, housetrained, crate trained, but 1 inch taller. He is currently my first choice.

Cookie - very playful and cute as a button and much more energetic. I prefer the looks of him but he will take a little more work. Also, I wouldn't want him to overpower Latte.

[Beryl]

He is home!!!

Latte and Boo look the same size because of Latte’s fur but Boo is larger and stronger. He is mild-mannered (relative to other Min Pins) and raised by a loving home – it shows. Boo came with “luggage” and a 2-page letter from his original parents. They tried to adopt him out themselves but the first person who took him couldn’t keep him. (This will be his 3rd home – poor thing..) The original parents requested to be updated on his new home and I plan to accommodate that if I keep him.

He is getting use to his new surroundings and Latte and I are getting use to him. I am watching Boo closely because he is the one who has been uprooted and replanted a couple of times. He is still leery of everything – naturally – so I’m taking it slow. I’ll crate him tonight and work on giving him more freedom as he makes me aware of his bathroom habits. He is used to going outside to use the bathroom so I will continue that. Latte squats inside on potty pads but it would be impossible to train Boo to not lift his leg.

He likes SQUEAKY TOYS (as noted in the letter from his original parents). One squeak and he perked up. Fortunately, I have enough squeaky toys in my house for a Doggy Day Care.

However, as sweet as Boo is, he needs more socialization. He has had a short stint with other rescue dogs but it is different from living with another dog in a permanent home or playing with dogs of many different breeds. Boo needs a Bordetella shot before he can accompany Latte at Day Care next week so I’ll need to decide on keeping him and get him on the Banfield plan soon.

I think I’m allergic to his dander and got red mark on my arm after holding him for 10 minutes. We’ll see what happens after he is bathed later this week.

Here is what they say on the web about him:

Boo: 3 yr old stag red male, neutered, docked tail and uncropped ears. 12", 12 lb. Shots up-to-date.
"Hi, my name is Boo and I'm looking for a new family as my previous owner had a baby with allergies. I am a happy, loving, cuddly guy and I am housetrained, crate trained and like kids! I also get along with other dogs, but haven't been around cats. My favoite thing to do is sit on your lap and snuggle. I also like to play with my toys and run around in the yard. Please write my foster mom if you'd like to meet me."

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

He's sooo cute! I hope so much he does well in your household and you're able to keep him. Have you looked into dander reducing products? I think Febreeze has one, and I think there are special shampoos for doggies, too. Don't know if that would help. All my best wishes to you! Keep us updated.

[Beryl]

The are playing well together so far but I hope Boo doesn't get irritated with Latte's energy.

[IceyBlueSibes]

Congratulations! He looks like such a cutie! I love dogs with one ear up, and one ear down! Hehe!

I do hope things go well for you! If Boo does get irritated, he will correct her. It shouldn't get nasty.. just a quick snap and growl, and if Latte respects him she should back off and leave him alone. Sometimes the signs are so subtle you can never see them yourself. If Latte doesn't know when to quit, you'll have to intervene and make Latte settle down.

Poor Boo. Hopefully this will be his forever home!

[Beryl]

Boo is a smart little guy. He can tell that Latte is just a puppy and is being exceptionally patient.

I love watching them play by mouthing each other alternating between bites and licks in the mouth. It is fascinating to see how they alternate between dominance and deliberate submission.
etc.

Latte really needed a big brother and I think they will learn something from each other.

Now if I can only get his dander under control... I just tried some dry shampoo followed by a brushing. He seemed a bit surprised but appeared to like it -- especially the brushing. I think it has been a while since anyone gave him that kind of attention. Latte, who gets combed daily and bathed weekly, went into his crate as if to say: "I know what you are going through, man. I can't help you though. Hang in there, it will be over soon."

[Spiritus]

Congratulations on your new addition! I hope to hear many more Latte and Boo stories

[Beryl]

Thanks everyone. I sure hate boring people but it is fun to share this stuff.

This is the very first dog I've had with a docked tail and it is the funniest thing in the world watching a nub going back and forth!

I hope I can keep him because it is so unfair to shuffle around children and kids. I'm getting pretty itchy though.

[Cassiepeia]

Congrats on the new furkid! I'm glad Latte and Boo are getting along so well. He's found a great home with you.

This is the very first dog I've had with a docked tail

Poodles are a docked breed...isn't Latte's tail docked to half it's normal length?

Cass.

[Beryl]

Wow, I didn't know Latte's tail was docked. It is about 3.5 inches long attached to his 11 inch body. It is cute with its puff going back and forth. I wonder how long it was before it was docked.

[IceyBlueSibes]

Gotta love those nubs! Sarge's nub used to wag so fast you could power a town! If he couldn't wag it fast enough, he'd turn sideways and walk with his body in a C shape. LOL

[Spiritus]

Hey Beryl, how are the "itchies" coming? Any relief? I hope it all works out for you.

[Beryl]

I still itch but I'm taking Boo to Petsmart for a real bath today. They claim to have some conditioning shampoo that might help with controlling the dander.

Another question.

I know that humping is normal for male dog play. Latte does it with other dogs and they go back and forth. However, Boo is much bigger and stronger and it seems today that he is limiting his play to just that. Grab and hump. I was cool with it yesterday when he was doing it when there was no attempt at real penetration. However, today Boo found a "target" and is zeroing in. Latte still wants to bite/lick but Boo has one objective. Boo is tethered on a 18 ft nylon cord which reaches a fair amount of the family room an kitchen. Latte is avoiding him by running out of reach. Cool.

Is this normal like company team "forming, norming, storming, performing" or should I do anything to help things along?

I really think I need to get Boo into Day Care with quickness since I don't think he really knows how to "play". The rescue lady mentioned that I'm thinking that she observed some of the same thing.

[Beryl]

Latte growled at him this time and ran away. I think Boo knows that it i s unacceptable at some level I hope Latte continues take control of his body. Boo is a sweet dog otherwise so I hope we can get this resolved.

Ideas?

[poodlesmom]

If Latte is anything like my Chloe she'll soon teach Boo that the "nether" region is off-limits! Even though both of mine were fixed by 6 months to this day Farley will try and she quickly tells him no. I have let them resolve the issue themselves. I would only step in if I felt it was escalating into a full out fight.