The Spaniel Annals

When I got Gael as an 8-week-old puppy, I knew I’d need to be a little careful introducing her into a very tight-knit pack of 3 springers: mother, son and daughter.  I expected Kani to use common sense, but she would also be inclined to issue “motherly” corrections.  Rozzie I could trust absolutely.  At the time, Reardon was still struggling with auto-immune issues, and not always reliable.  While I could also trust to the typical setter “get-along” temperament, I knew a puppy wouldn’t always be able to control herself or know “the rules.”

So I was careful about introduction and monitored their time together.  But I soon realized I had a lot more on my hands: Gael was a driven, willful, full-of-herself puppy.  I wanted that, but it made her integration into the close little springer circle a bit more challenging.  Plus I couldn’t let her just run loose in the house all the time; I soon discovered that an un-monitored Gael meant ripped drapes, holes in couches,  and any other fun and destructive activity she could get into!   

That finally meant that while Gael was always with us, un-monitored time was time in a crate.  I didn’t feel good about this, but bought the largest wire crate I could find and put it in the living room. She slept with us in the bedroom in a crate too.  Then she had training/play time with me, play time with Rozzie, and carefully monitored time outside with Kani and Reardon.  She did get some corrections from my two “fun police,” but they were very limited and quickly interrupted by me.  Gael has grown up to be a confident, still willful(!) Gordon setter, who thinks springers are her playmates.  She has also learned to be respectful, and is actually calming down for brief periods in the house!  I can now allow her out and free while I’m writing or teaching on the computer, and most times I’ll walk out to the living room to find her quietly hanging out on the couch. 

It’s only been in the past few months, I’ve gained a sense of her truly being part of the pack.  Reardon plays with her a lot, and she is now allowed in all of the places deemed “sacred” by the springers: up on the bed and couch, and in the kitchen.   The photo below is obviously staged, but it’s still a good marker of changes happening: the springers and Gael hanging out in the living room (Gael’s big crate  is in the background), and wonder of wonders, Gael is maintaining a STAY!  So you see, wild and crazy Gordons really do grow up!