AMANDA 
ASKIMWhen we take in a new dog, it’s always a week or two, before we introduce the new dog into our pack of dogs at the kennel. For some dogs, the introduction moves very quickly, in the case of Danity, it was clear immediately, she loves all dogs. In other cases, it’s more of what Clancy has already told me, as in Askim’s case, he is already cool and I have nothing to worry about. More often, we take in dogs like Precious or Amanda, clearly abused + neglected, underweight, requiring medical attention before we can start with any dog introductions.
One of the most common questions that I get e-mailed to me or asked in our Sunday Pit bull class is, “How do I know that my pit bull won’t fight if I let him go off leash with a dog(s) that I don’t know?” My answer is always the same, how well do you know your dog? When we introduce a pit bull, or really any new dog into our existing pack, we put a few trusted dogs that we know really well. My dog Clancy usually serves as the initial evaluator of the new dog, often conducted on leash, then when we do decide to test the new dog with a few dogs, we usually select a dog like Chasui because he is not playful and can co-exist with just about any dog in the yard and absolutely knows when to back away from a dog who is nervous and might become aggressive. Another dog that we use a lot if Cookie, who is often the first dog that most of our new dogs meet. Cookie is wonderful at greeting a dog slowly and understanding the new dog’s play style. Cookie can also just co-exist in the yard without playing, allowing the new dog to investigate and relax before the play begins.
Now that Danity has been in our rescue for a while, we also use her to try out new dogs. She is more high energy, like Sasha and enjoys chasing. My young pit bull Curtis who is very dog friendly but almost feral with people is the best, he is a pusher. He likes to do a lot of investigating which can stress a new dog out and lead to a some aggression but Curtis always knows when enough is enough and he will back away from the new dog, opening up some space. When we want to move to the next level, we bring out Edwina, Freeway, and eventually my Red Nose Simon who will always let me know if a dog is dog aggressive. Within a day or two, most dogs are out in the yard, twice a day with a minimum of ten dogs, off leash, tables, ramps, pools and lots and lots of space to run and chase and of course wrestle.
Check out these videos that were shot last week by Billy:
PACK PLAY VIDEO ONE PACK PLAY VIDEO TWOOur new Brindle Pit bull from the park in Compton, Askim is getting to know the dogs and enjoying the freedom of being a dog in a pack. We released him into a group that had already been out playing and were slightly tired when he entered the yard. We always keep in mind, when we release a new dog(s) into the yard from the kennel area, we are releasing energy into the existing pack of dog. This often causes excitement which can and does lead to aggression. In the second video, Askim is playing with Curtis, Edwina and Chasui. Curtis pushes and bullies him a bit, while Chasui watches the two younger males interact. Both young males are submissive to the senior male Chasui. Edwina, our “blue devil” always keeps the energy level high in the pack when she is out. We are aware of her style of play and take this into account when mixing other high energy dogs into the pack. Too much of one style of dog can and does lead to scuffles. The key is to put together a stable pack so that every dog enjoys their experience. Sometimes it’s more about how long the dogs play, too much of a good thing is too much.
PRECIOUS 
