We've recently added a dog to our home, and are preparing for when our juvenile CDTs wake up from brumation.
I've read the very helpful threads on dogs and torts, and will under no condition be leaving these guys alone together.
But I would like to hear more thoughts on best practices.
We're planning to top our outdoor enclosures with welded wire mesh. Our for-nights-and-rainy-days-only indoor enclosures are moving from the laundry room, which the dog has access to when we're not home, to a shed, which he does not. (We'll also be adding a heat source, which was not necessary in the house).
Question: Prior to getting the dog, we often allowed our torts outside their enclosures to roam the wider yard when we were outside to supervise them. If we're outside with the dog, is this a practice we can continue? Obviously this is something we would NEVER do unsupervised, but is it possible to have the whole human/animal family outside together?
Our dog, Dude, an 18-month-old rescue shepherd mix, has been a quick and responsive learner so far -- in his first few days with us he learned which corner of the yard he's allowed to pee in, and went from jumping up to greet people at the door to calmly sniffing hello. He doesn't seem very prey driven -- he hardly reacts to the squirrels and neighborhood cats who hang out on our fence. He goes bonkers for praise, affection and food rewards.
Can we train him to leave the torts alone when we're there supervising?How should we introduce them?
I've read the very helpful threads on dogs and torts, and will under no condition be leaving these guys alone together.
But I would like to hear more thoughts on best practices.
We're planning to top our outdoor enclosures with welded wire mesh. Our for-nights-and-rainy-days-only indoor enclosures are moving from the laundry room, which the dog has access to when we're not home, to a shed, which he does not. (We'll also be adding a heat source, which was not necessary in the house).
Question: Prior to getting the dog, we often allowed our torts outside their enclosures to roam the wider yard when we were outside to supervise them. If we're outside with the dog, is this a practice we can continue? Obviously this is something we would NEVER do unsupervised, but is it possible to have the whole human/animal family outside together?
Our dog, Dude, an 18-month-old rescue shepherd mix, has been a quick and responsive learner so far -- in his first few days with us he learned which corner of the yard he's allowed to pee in, and went from jumping up to greet people at the door to calmly sniffing hello. He doesn't seem very prey driven -- he hardly reacts to the squirrels and neighborhood cats who hang out on our fence. He goes bonkers for praise, affection and food rewards.
Can we train him to leave the torts alone when we're there supervising?How should we introduce them?