However, just two minutes after this photo was taken this morning, Bailey the Great Dane left the bed. She returned five minutes later but Vincent had occupied her spot so she stood there for a minute or so wondering where to go. I thought that the extension of the bed space might be a good idea so they had more space between them all.
I went and got the bed that Vincent has been using and the minute the bed came out, Vincent snapped at Bailey. It was over in the blink of an eye, Bailey moved away immediately and the moment was over, but it's not clear whether it was because Bailey was a little close to his feet or whether it was something to do with his bed coming out.
Nobody overreacted - I merely put the bed back out of sight and calmly monitored things for ten minutes, making sure I was in the middle of the group as it settled again. Although there was no further sign of problems, as I had to go in and work, I brought Vincent in to rest indoors with me while the other dogs stayed outside. When they got too hot and came in 20 minutes later, I did a swap and allowed Vincent access outside and this continued throughout the day. The mistake would have been to assume things would return to normal and not keep an eye on things between the dogs as this is exactly when things can escalate; a minor incident creates a bit of tension which causes a slightly more intense incident, which creates more tension etc etc...
We have now made sure that Vincent's bedding is in my office and away from the other dogs and they will still all be supervised whenever they are together. While in the living room, Vincent is not allowed on any of the sofas (unlike the other dogs) and does not have his own bed. He is happy to lie on the floor and this is how it should be for the time being. Not giving him the opportunity to become anxious about resources such as bed spaces or food will allow us all to become more relaxed in this early period.
It's still very very early days and Vincent has made incredible progress but today's little incident (and photo) demonstrates that tension can be just under the surface and careful supervision is still necessary,
