(Apologies for blurry photos, I gotta get the picture while I can!)
We are officially in tie-down mode! And it’s going great! One challenge with the set up of the house is that no matter where I put Jake (preferably in a place he can watch/learn the goings on of the house), he is blocking a walkway. But all in all that has been a good thing as it has given the boys time to do drive-bys at close proximity.
The very first minute of tie-down training, Melvin decided he liked the floor pillow that I bought for him two months ago. Despite the fact that up until Jake showing interest in the pillow, Melvin has never once laid on it.
On second location tie-down, Jake sat like a statue for almost half-an-hour before he gave in and took a load off. Melvin of course tried to show him how it’s done, from a safe distance.
We had a repeat performance of statue and big-brother-watching-from-above in the bedroom tie-down. 
I keep waiting for something between the boys to transpire but as of yet it has not. I am under the impression it will (which makes me a realist or fatalist or both but either way I spend time being ready). Both dogs are very relaxed with the process we are taking to acclimate them to a life together so I feel victorious in general! I’m curious how long tie-down phase lasts, what is the success metric for moving forward?
We used to tie-down method with Teeny for quite a while, but she was much more invasive than Jake seems to be. She had no problem grabbing toys or treats right out of Ru’s mouth or tackling him out of nowhere. Understandably, Rufus was irritated with her most of the time. I think that if they are successfully ignoring each other for the most part, you can start doing short intervals of “free” training with the two boys. If you notice either Melvin or Jake getting anxious or unsure again, just go back to tie-down. Even after Teeny was free, we made sure to keep them seperate during a lot of activities.
I heart you!!! Thanks so much! I think this weekend we’ll give Jake some time off the leash and see what they do.
Good luck!
Jake’s face in that last photo is precious. We have yet to use the tie down method, as we have some logistical issues with the way the house is set up, but your experiences are very helpful for when we do! Good luck with the progression, I hope it keeps going well!
It has definitely helped Melvin, I’m sure Jake will set the place on fire once we set him loose!
We haven’t used the tie-down, but we are interested to see how it is working with everyone else.
PS. Your house is really cute! And I love Melvin’s dog bed.
Not sure if you shop on inubar.com but they always have cute floor pillows (as if you need any more cuteness in your awesome home!).
Oh, jeez! Jake is SO cute! I’m glad that tie-down is going well for you and there haven’t been any incidents. It looks like Melvin is really showing Jake how comfortable napping is done!
I wish I could offer advice/info on tie-downs, but we’ve never experienced it. I will be sure to check back here when the time comes for it though!
I will be ready to guide you if you ever have to go this route!
What is it about dogs that ALWAYS do that – don’t care about something until another dog wants it? That is classic Oscar, drives me nuts. Oh, and LOVE Melvin’s new collar by the way!
It looks like the tie-outs are going very well. I haven’t used them myself but I would say if things continue as they are, that they may be ready for short amounts of free time soon. Jake is so adorable!