Close Encounters

We got Bella 1 week ago. For the past week we have not allowed her and Axl and Lola to interact directly. There is a huge kennel in the middle of my living room and Bella spends the evenings in there. She can see the big dogs, they can see her, they sniff each other and Lola tries to play with her. But they have never been in the same room together without Bella being confined. It's a bit of a hassle; put the big dogs out, let Bella in; put the big dogs in the bedroom, let Bella out into the yard; etc, but it's totally manageable. The big dogs have adjusted to the routine and will now go out or in the bedroom on command. Nice.

Tonight a friend was over and we decided to give it a go. Hubby and I took Axl and Lola on their walks and when we returned I came down the driveway first. Our friend had Bella on her leash and I approached her with Lola. Nothing. Lola was hardly interested. We tried to kind of force them together but Lola was like whateva.... Awesome. I then went and got Hubby with Axl. This I was worried about. But Axl came in, perked up a little bit when he saw Bella, but basically was non-reactive. After a few minutes we took them into the backyard and let them play around - Bella and Axl were both on leashes but Lola was loose. Here is what happened:

Way better than I thought possible. We didn't keep them together too long, Axl gets hyper and I'm afraid he will hurt her, but while they were together things went well. I was so surprised and pleased I could not believe it. We still have a long way to go but progress is being made every day. And, the way I look at it, we will have them for 10-15 years. We have plenty of time to be together. Also, I want her to be a whole lot bigger before I will completely trust Axl with her. Once she is big enough to kick his butt then they can play all they want. But that will be awhile. She is going to be a big, big dog. Maybe I can hurry things up with hgh supplements :) So off to a good start. Things will only get better from here. I know my Axl. The first time is always his worst reaction to things. Every time we do it he will react better and better. Yeah for patience....