Has is been two weeks already?

Belle is settling in so well. Her and Murphy play together and share things for the most part, and even the tiniest warning growls are few and far between as they decide amongst themselves what the rules are. We've only had one serious dogfight--and I blame myself for not stepping in as it escalated. Curious to see where it would lead, I stood back and watched as the growls turned to roars and they shoved at each other. But then Belle hit Murphy with a quick bite on the neck which drew no blood but elicited about fifteen seconds of yelping from him and I rushed in and ended it. No harm done, but a message was clearly sent about boundaries.

Other than that, they eat side-by-side and play with the same toys together. Belle's dog bed in the living room is some distance from Murphy's but she ignores it, preferring to lay on the rug next to him on his bed. And she's picking up the routine here, too. Come morning, when I announce that it's time to go out, they both rush the door to the dog pen as one. Coming back in, she's right there with Murphy, making a bee-line for the kitchen to await breakfast. And a few moments ago, when a cat ran by the back patio window, she snapped into an alert identical to Murphy's and they both watched that cat as it ran for home. Two weeks ago she didn't care about the cats, but Murphy's obviously been teaching her.

The master imparts lessons to the student.

And more proof that they work as a team now? When she came here, I'd put all of the dog toys in a box and put it up on a low table so as to avoid possessive battles while I was gone. I brought them out one by one to play with the dogs but then put them back up afterwards. The other day I came home and they had the box down on the floor and each dog had a toy on their beds that they'd obviously been playing with until I got home. No jealously or blood...they're comfortable with each other and they're getting along like Belle's always been here.

Protecting HER yard.

Under supervision of the master, of course.

Still has more to learn, though.

"I forget...Is this bush cover or concealment?"