If Big Brother Can Do It ...

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Declan, as many of you know, hasn't been with me for very long. He's four months old and has had absolutely no socialization. He's afraid of everything new and different because he has no frame of reference for anything at all, so my job is to help him learn and grow and experience life so that he can meet new experiences with interest and curiosity instead of fear. His saving grace is that he's an extremely good-natured and naturally social little fella, so if I do my job he'll be fine.

Lachlan, on the other hand, is my furry social butterfly. Of course I've had Lach since he was nine weeks old and we've had many adventures together, and I've been careful to keep his experiences fun and positive, so when we go someplace new he's all "woo-hoo, COOL!"

Declan's just learning about things like leashes and collars so that we CAN go places, but the recent ice and snow hasn't helped AT ALL (it's pretty counter-productive to fall ON the puppy), so when he started puppy class yesterday it was his first time out of the house (other than the vet) since I brought him home. He had fun in the end, but it was pretty overwhelming for the wee tyke.

Today I thought "well, I'll take him for a short trip down to the pet store about 10 blocks from my house." Yeah, no. He wouldn't walk through the front door and he's too big for me to pick up and carry. I already had Lachlan crated 'cause I wasn't ready to try to walk both of them together ... but I leaned back against the door and thought about that, then took a deep breath and let Lach out of his crate. Declan looks to Lachlan constantly, and has since day one, for cues to what he should be doing and how he should be responding, so I wondered if he would follow Lach's lead in this as well although I was extremely nervous about trying to handle both of them at once.

It was a bit of a circus trying to keep their leashes untangled, but it worked perfectly! Lach trotted through the front door and Declan took a deep breath and charged after him, then they both pranced to the car with me. It was like watching my big dude and a little mini-me, emulating everything his big brother did at each step. Got them out of the car and across the parking lot at the pet store while a very nice lady held the door for us ... then laughed hysterically as the scene unfolded: Declan stopped dead at the door with his eyes huge, ears and tail down, obviously thinking "oh no, scary place", but Lachlan charged right in going "Woo-hoo! I love this place!" Suddenly Dec lit up all over. His ears and tail came up, his eyes brightened, and he charged right in after Lach going "Woo-hoo, Lachlan loves this place!"

Yeah, okay, I'd better learn how to walk them together QUICK, huh?!

[Anna and Achilles]

Wonderful! You pick the best names, I had a dog name Declan as a child. Brought back some good memories.

[Jess and Pippin]

Great story!  They learn the naughty stuff from each other too  :) 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Awesome sight, I love the thought of the big brother thing working that way!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

What a wonderful picture you paint. I am so happy to hear that Declan is learning from his brother and that the world is not such a scary place after all.  

[Lorraine Bromley]

I just read Declans story and it is so nice that fate stepped in and gave you the chance to love him. I wonder what the breeder thought about the way one of her babies was being treated. I do think that the older dog does have an influence. Our old lab/shepard didn't much like that Neely came but shortly they formed a bond and we really think that she taught him alot. He is now 2 she is gone, but he acts like a puppy when you want and an old lazy dog when we want. The best of both worlds. Our friends have a younger doodle and our son has a great dane puppy and is getting another puppy next week (not getting into that discussion :( ) Neely is a wonderful doodle daddy! He has a great time with the puppies and they learn alot from him. He will meet his next student on Thursday night. Declan is beautiful and I am so glad you rescued him.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am so glad you had that "Hmmm..." moment and braved taking both of them! It is so great that Declan has a confident older brother to help him get over his fears, and Lachlan can do a better job with that than any human being on the planet.

If you look at the DRC listings on the front page, you will often see that another well-mannered, confident dog in the home is a requirement for the adoption of many of the homeless doodles. How lucky Declan is that he got just that in his new home!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I agree on the fanny pack.  That way everything you need is always right there always packed and ready to go and keeps your hands free.  If I go out without a fanny pack, I always forget to make sure I have poo bags etc.  I walk both of my girls on my left side on two separate leashes.  I think this works best if you have two dogs close to the same size.  Unlike where Jane has little Rooney and larger Stuart it might be easier for different sides.  I just put them side by side and then shorten up the leash and fold it up in my hand.  I can also let them go out full leash as well for some of the walk.  I tried the coupler, but if we would meet another dog and they got excited they would be jumping over top of each other and get all tangled up.

I love the way the Dec is learning from Lach.  I know my Lucy, even though she is bigger and the same age as Sophie is more secure with Sophie around.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

LOL, Laurie, don't I just know it!

Thanks for your encouragement, guys! Ordinarily I wouldn't take two out together unless they were both individually well-trained on the leash already, and obviously that's not the case here.

I was thinking about it this morning and realized something interesting; not sure if it was deliberate or not on either part but Lachlan walked on the outside, keeping Declan between us the entire time.

Hey Jane, do they make fanny packs that don't make already large hips look bigger? *grin* Too funny about the newspaper! "If HE gets to do it I wanna too!"

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh Jen, this is just great!  Lachlan is a perfect role model for his baby brother.  Walking them together takes some practice, but you'll get there.  You're doing such a wonderful job with Declan....he's so lucky to have you.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

What a special big brother to look up to! This is so cute! You wil get used to walking them together if you practice! It takes time! Good luck!