Mike, much (maybe all) of what you say applies to me too.

Thanks, everybody, for the replies! Things are going well. His name is Rowan, and my other boy is Logan. My brain is mixing up the names, and I frequently call one or both of them Rogan, lol.

Some of the things I know we'll be working on are teaching him to play a bit more nicely with the other dogs, getting a recall when he's out in the yard, and finding out what his currency is. So far, he doesn't seem really super food-motivated, and even less for toys. But I think we'll start to see some differences as he's with us longer and he gets more comfortable.

I have a very strong hunch he's staying with us, so I'm sure I'll be posting again with more questions!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

One last bump.

And a progress report: The newcomer has been tethered to my husband and seems to be a very relaxed and calm guy. When my husband is sitting in his chair, the dog happily sleeps on a mat by his feet. I think we will be gradually moving away from the tethering this week.

A few times a day, we allow playing with the current two dogs, one at a time. I haven't seen the mounting behavior since the first couple of days. They do get rough, but we are trying to teach them "easy," basically meaning not so rough, and we are teaching that "enough" means play time is over.

Sound like a good plan? Anything I should be doing differently?

Sounds good to me.

How do you show "easy"?

I was re-reading this thread in preparation for showing it to my husband and realized I left this question hanging. Sorry, I just didn't see it until now.

"Easy" is a concept, a state of mind I'm trying to convey to the dogs. It's not something one can really marker train, as what I'm trying to say is, "Relax. It's okay to keep playing, but don't get so excited."

Sometimes, it's me just putting my hand on the withers of the over-excited dog. Sometimes, maybe two hands on either side of the shoulders. Sometimes, I may have to physically position myself between them. And it that doesn't work, it's "Enough," and play time is over.

I know what I've just described doesn't exactly fit any specific training philosophy, but it's just one of those words that, over time, all of my present and previous dogs have learned. I use it in various situations when I want them to just use a little self-control, for example, my one boy who gets over-excited seeing other dogs at a class, match, or trial, or my girl who tends to freak out at the sight of a squirrel outside the window.

New guy hasn't quite caught on, but I still feel like we're making a bit of progress each day.