Introducing a new dog into a "pack"

I know a lot of people aren't fans of Caesar Millan, but I did just see a little piece on his show that makes a lot of sense. He was working with a Puli with fear aggression. When he introduced the dog to his pack, he had the owners rubber band the hair out of the Puli's eyes so that the dog's eyes were clearly visible. He said that would help the pack to not think the dog was weird and help them to read his expressions/intent better. That really does make a lot of sense. I have done that in the past, but more so the hairy dog could see better and not be so nervous in new surroundings. Never really thought about the fact that the other dogs couldn't see their eyes. Kind of like meeting and getting to know someone who is wearing dark sunglasses if you think about it.

Thought this may be a helpful hint for Oodle dogs, since so many of them have hair obscuring their eyes!

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Member Since 2010 Comment by mary pat fleming on December 13, 2010 at 8:40pm: thanks for sharing, elizabeth. great suggestion, uses common sense, eh? : ) I recently trimmed my dood's ''eyebrows''. she looks happier! I was not thinking in tewrms of behavior but come to think of it, she has bonded with me extremely well within the past 2 weeks! maybe that helped!

Comment by Joann Gracki on December 8, 2010 at 10:42pm: Great thought makes perfect sense.

Admin Comment by LM Fowler - Admin on December 8, 2010 at 3:33pm: That is interesting and something to keep in mind, Eliz. I have read other things about why it is important to ensure the eyes are kept free of obstruction around people, too. Especially with fearful dogs, making sure they can see your expression and you can see theirs is good to remember.