My plan of attack for the introductions worked great.
1. Leave James/ Belle in car.
2. Let my other dogs out into the yard to release their penned up energy and MOM IS HOME craziness.
3. Put Tucker and Mamacita into my 12 X 12 kennels in the yard.
4. Bring Belle/ James into the yard.
(interesting note that times sure have changed...Pogo would've been locked up in the good old days! Now his age has mellowed his reactivity. He sniffed James and that was about it)
5. Cubby, Lupie and Tawnie followed James around as he checked out the yard, then Tawnie stuck close to me, the Chihuahuas went up on the deck (wanting to go inside-cold!) and Pogo toddled around while James marked here and there.
6. MC and Tucker were barking like idiots. When MC shut up I let her out of the kennel. She charged at James in her blustery, hackles up way, he ignored her and after a couple more barks at him, she decided he wasn't a monster and started playing with Belle.
7. I took Tucker out of kennel on leash. He was VERY interested in James in his doofy, intense way. He kept trying to hump him (not allowed due to size, age and newness of James) and he followed James around with me trailing behind. Eventually Tucker got bored with it all.
James was completely non-confrontational through out the entire process. He was a saint with Tucker, who is really an idiot socially!
8. Inside the house I let James check out his new digs then gated him in kitchen with me and rotated dogs (one or two at a time) in with us.
9. In and out from the yard through out the day...crated for dinner and for the 1st half of Super Bowl (Bri and I went to our local bar)...Out again with all the dogs when we got home...crashed on dog bed next to my chair to watch Super Bowl 2nd half...with no one paying him any mind at all!
10. Slept in a crate in our bedroom and is still snoozing as I type!
WELCOME HOME JAMES
