Update on Corkscrew!!

Hi, for those of you who remember me, my puppy was really sick when he was little, and since I'm living in China, the quality of vet care I could get for him was not so super.

Well, months later, "Corkscrew" (he's since adopted a Chinese name based on his colouring: Hei Tou which means Black Head) is a happy and healthy 9 month puppy dog! He's pretty much fully grown and is just as sweet as ever. I'm still not sure about what his breed is, but after having done some research, I'm convinced he's at least part Karelian Bear Dog... he's white with black markings rather than black with white markings, but his curly tail and the shape of his head in addition to his disposition all match up with that breed description. Of course he's not purebred since I only paid 25 yuan for him (the equivilent of 3 Canadian Dollars).

So I've been having problems with him chewing when I'm at school. I know it's not something I can discipline him for, since I need to catch him in the act and I'm simply not here. I tried bringing him to school with me; I have an office he can hang out in while I'm in class and rules about things like that are rather lax here, but that didn't work. He wanted to come to class with me, and the kids were really distracted by him.

Other than this problem, he's a really good dog. So I wondered what I could do, and thought maybe if I kennelled him when I was out it might solve the problem. I went to the local dog market to get a kennel, but while I was there, I started thinking that he's never been kennelled and it might not be fair to him to kennel him for 5 or sometimes 6 hours a day. He's always had the run of the house and I was afraid of the problems I would have getting him accustomed to the kennel and teaching him to get into it when I'm going, picturing myself hours and hours late for class...

So what I did instead was got him a little brother. I reasoned that Hei Tou is chewing things because he's bored, and/or lonely, and/or misses me when I'm not here, so him having some company will keep him from going crazy and hopefully distract him from all the delicious slippers, shoes and DVDs lying around the house.

The new puppy is almost 8 weeks old, and I'm not sure of his breed, but he looks like perhaps part German Shepherd and part Rottweiler (his colouring is beautiful!!). I know he'll grow up to be a big dog. I've named him Er Gou (which means Number Two Dog) in older Chinese tradition (I have a friend whose parents call him Er Wa which means #2 Child... he was born second!!).

So I've introduced the dogs to one another, and they seem to be getting along famously. I've left them alone in the house only to return to find... NOTHING CHEWED!! They play together, they wrestle, they slept together lastnight. They both get quite vocal when they're wrestling, but the second I say stop, they both stop. I'm doing everything I can do ensure that Hei Tou doesn't feel like he's the number two dog, so he doesn't hate me for bringing a new dog home or feel like I don't love him as much. Hei Tou, in turn, is being patient with the puppy most of the time. There have been a couple of occasions when the little one went for his food and the big one growled... But I think it's more a question of establishing superiorty than wanting to kill the little dog.

Can anyone with more experience give me some advice though? Is there anything I should watch out for? I've never done this before, so I'm not sure if there's anything more I should be doing.

I'll try to post some pictures of both pups soon... as soon as I have my digital camera back. Maybe some of you can help with breed identification, too.

Thanks in advance for your advice!! :)

Well, I'm a little disappointed that no one has offered their expert advice. Anyway, the dogs seem to be doing fine together... sleeping together because it's cold here, playing together, running in the park together. They've only had one fight that's concerned me, but it was a couple days ago and now I'm not so worried.

Hei Tou (the older dog) also displays incredible patience with the puppy. If I put down a bowl of food for him and the puppy comes to eat, he'll back away and wait until I move the puppy away, and only then he eats. Mind you, I generally feed them in separate rooms because I don't want any issues, and they both seem to regard me as the top dog of the household.

Anyway, thanks for your support before, when my puppy was sick... and if you have any useful tips for me, please please let me know.

Hi ChinaCorey

Although I have no expert advice to give, my Bugsy still chews stuff up. I just wanted to say I'm glad Hei Tou is doing well. I remember what a cutie he was. I'd love to see pictures of the new puppy. Come on hand 'em over :p


Has Hei tou/Corkscrew grown much since this photo?

You have to realize that you posted at 12:45a.m. and most of the members here are in Canada and the U.S. and sleeping at that hour! ;)

I'm not sure what your question is exactly, but if you are asking if it's normal for the older dog to growl at the puppy, yes it's normal.

Older dogs will discipline puppies, and if they are properly socialized, won't hurt a puppy. The puppy understands the discipline and should be submissive to the older dog. As long as no one is getting hurt, I wouldn't worry about this.

The only thing that may be troublesome is that you got two males, and the younger one is going to get very big (and of breeds not known for backing down) and may start challenging your first dog when he's older which can result in fights over dominance. The time may come when you won't be able to leave them alone together.

Hi! I remember all you went through with this little guy! Glad to hear he's healthy and happy now! When I bought my mom a puppy (Corky) I worried about the new puppy being compatible with Den-Den. Den-Den was 5yo, a miniature male poodle. We chose a male toy poodle pup. It has worked out beautifully! They are both neutered. Den-Den is twice the size of Corky and will always be "top dog". Being smaller, Corky accepts Den-Den as #1 also. He's also learned to be sneaky to outwit Den-Den and to get what he wants. Fun to watch the two together!

Hi ChinaCorey,I remember you and your beautiful little pup,I am soo happy he is doing well and he has a little friend to boot,great :thumbs up
I have not had a dog for a loooong time,so no advice from me,I am just happy to hear from you and your pup again :D
Next time you write though,consider the time-difference :D

Well, everything seems to be going well... no chewing from either dog!! They play together, and there have only been two times when I've been nervous about the play, but that's because of a yelp from another room... by the time I got there it was over. Meaning the big dog doesn't seem to be hurting the little dog.

LuckyRescue, thanks for the tips. Hope they'll continue to get along well together.

Here are some photos. Hei Tou is a lot bigger now! Gosh, he looks thin in that picture. I tried to get some good photos of the puppy, but my digital camera has gone all pear shaped and I could only snap 2 pictures of each dog before my battery died. Enjoy.

Corey,no 2 Dog,is definetly part GSD,he's just adorable...I have no idea what kind of dog Corkscrew is,just that he looks beautiful!!

Great looking dogs! Corkscrew looks like quite the mix! I'm not an expert by any means, but to me, he looks like he has some type of terrier in him.

Well 2 dogs doesn't gaurantee no chewing, you could easily have trained dog 1 to use the kennel and it's a good idea to still crate-train them. Some good observations above regarding their interaction. Expect some small dust-ups as they establish their pecking order. You may have to referee sometimes, but let them sort out.That shouldn't be a long-term issue provided thye have enough living space and get enough excercise.

Thanks everyone. I'm pretty sure that the little one is mostly German Shepherd.

So far so good, no chewing on anything when I'm not home. Well, the small one got stuck in my study today when I was out for dinner and seems to have chewed through my printer's USB cable, but otherwise, so far so good.

They really seem to get along well. The bigger dog was grooming the smaller one today, which I think is a good sign.

And I thought maybe Hei Tou (bigger dog) was some sort of terrier, but you don't really see many terriers here in China. I'm still not sure what he might be, but he's just taller than knee-high, has a curly tail, and a broad body. I thought he might be part Akita (they're from Japan)... but then when I saw Karelian Bear Dog photos, I thought he might be part that too. It's really hard to say.

As long as they keep getting along, and keep not chewing things when I'm not here, I'll leave them uncrated. I don't want to drive them crazy, and I'm sometimes out of the house for 6-7 hours at a time with my classes, so it's best if they just play with each other and don't destroy my house in the process.

As long as they keep getting along, and keep not chewing things when I'm not here, I'll leave them uncrated. I don't want to drive them crazy, and I'm sometimes out of the house for 6-7 hours at a time with my classes, so it's best if they just play with each other and don't destroy my house in the process.

Well, you just said the pup DID chew a cable. You are worried about the dogs destroying your house? How would you feel if it was an electrical cord the pup had chewed?

Crate-training will not drive them crazy. But don't leave a puppy in a crate for 7 hrs, it can't last that long.

They really seem to get along well. The bigger dog was grooming the smaller one today, which I think is a good sign.



Might have just been tasting him, you know, for later.

What? I'm just saying...