Zooka's 22nd month, February 2021, was settling into the fact that Blitzen is here to stay and he actually has to SHARE stuff!

Since the time Zooka first arrived and was just a baby, we had boarding dogs coming and going. So he has learned how to share to an extent. But now he finally has a brother who is here to stay and he is figuring out that some of these things are no longer “his” but that he must share and the toys and such are “community” property.

It has been very very valuable to have so much experience with other dogs coming and going. He has learned a lot about sharing with all of the dogs he has been and lived with temporarily. If he had not had those experiences, sharing things with his new brother would have been MUCH harder.

It is quite likely that I would have been having to work through resource guarding issues with him if he had never lived with another dog until now. So it definitely has made this transition much easier than it would have been. But a permanent member of the household is still an adjustment from a temporary one.

There were always certain things that were simply put away when visitors came or kept out of reach until everyone was separated and he could have certain things to himself.

On the flip side, Blitzen has been learning the same things, since he did not live with another dog prior to coming to us. So he is having to acclimate to sharing with his new brother AND sharing with the visiting dogs who come and go.

So far, both boys have been doing a very nice job of adjusting to having a brother. Blitzen LOVES his big brother. And Zooka loves his little brother MOST of the time!

Some things are a harder adjustment for Zooka who was accustomed to being #1 with the Momma. Want to snuggle? There is always a lap available. Want to greet Momma when she comes home? You have her all to yourself.

With a little brother, now he has someone else to “compete” with. Greetings are a bit of a challenge at the moment. Zooka is all about showing his Momma how much he missed her. And now he has a little brother who gets overexcited and tends to take it out on Zooka.

Sometimes Blitzen is snuggling with me and Zooka comes over and wants to be in my lap. Zooka snuggles sometimes. But he does not snuggle with me all evening. But if someone ELSE is snuggling with me, well, then that just isn't right! Even if he does not want to snuggle with me, he believes my lap SHOULD BE AVAILABLE at all times just in case he might want to snuggle!!

Any time there are changes to the household, it's an adjustment. Sometimes it's a new member to the family. Sometimes it's someone departing from the household. Sometimes it's changes to the routine. Or how much time someone has to spend with you. Change can be hard! For all of us.

It's my job to help these boys make those adjustments. And I have been very proud of how well they have done.

Zooka and I had to adjust our plans these past couple of months. But we both are glad that Blitzen is a part of our family. Our plans changed, but over all, for the better.

Zooka is such a good big brother. He is very tolerant even though Blitzen can be quite a handful at times. His enthusiasm can get the better of him at times. But Zooka really has done a nice job of handling it like a champ and being very patient and tolerant while Blitzen learns the new rules.

I am very proud of this boy. We still have some things that need to improve. But he has done a terrific job of being a big brother to Blitzen, so the other stuff I will not sweat for now.

Our goal is to positively impact the lives of as many dogs and their families as we can, in part through our extensive library of video, infographics and text articles. If you like our work, please consider supporting us through a donation!