New dog intro

[sandollar1010]

I didn't want to highjack the other thread about introducing a new dog to the current dog, but after reading the responses I have a few questions.... I have a 1 year old female and I'm adopting a 3 year old male next week. Both dogs are very dog friendly and have never been aggressive to another dog before. I understand separating them for feeding, no toys, etc. but why would we not allow them off leash play or to be together in the house when we are supervising for several days? I feel like this would create more stress for them, no?

[darkling_glory]

I'm assuming you're talking about my post so here it is...

It helps lower stress levels by a) letting both dogs know that you are in control and b) easing them into a completely new situation.

I suggest the first thing you do is a walk together outside (not in the yard, but around the block). This lets them see one another in a neutral area where your current dog is not going to feel threatened. They may or may not sniff one another. Sometimes the dogs just aren't interested in first. Sometimes there is too much excitement. The walk is the important thing.

The baby gates are as much for the new dog as for the old dog. Dogs can and do get stressed out moving from one situation to another. Your old dog has got "competition" in the house that has never existed before and your new dog is in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar sights, smells and sounds.

By not forcing them to interact with one another they have time to get comfortable with the idea of each other being around.

You MUST keep them leashed during supervised play times. This is for everyone's safety. Sometimes it can take weeks for a dogs true tendencies (people guarding, whatever) to come out. The leashes allow you to separate them quickly if there is a scuffle.

You also need to be very aware of your dogs signals. If one of the dogs looks uncomfortable for any reason, separate them. The baby gates and separate rooms give each dog a place where they feel "safe" and that they can relax in.

I hope these answer some of your questions... hopefully, you'll have two easy going dogs that will get along well. But if you've never brought another dog into your home before it is MUCH better to be safe than sorry.

I will give you an example from my childhood. I had a dog (have, he's my childhood dog and is still going strong at 12 years old) that was a chocolate lab. My family decided to get a new dog and went to the shelter and picked up a GSD. My mom, not knowing anything about introducing dogs, let the new dog right into the house and he promptly attacked the lab.

My mom was the only one home. She didn't walk the dogs together. Didn't introduce them. She had to separate two 90 pound dogs by herself, get the injured one into a car and drive him to the e-vet. Many, many stitches later he was okay, but the GSD was not adopted.

All of that might have been avoided with proper introductions.

[sandollar1010]

Thank you for the response! That does make sense I suppose. My dog is very excitable around other dogs and just want to play, so I was thinking not letting them play would create frustration or stress. Our behaviorist (who knows our dog well) is going to help with introductions when we bring the new dog home. She did say to make sure they each have a crate or a quiet place to be alone for breaks.

[darkling_glory]

Yes, if your dog is very excitable, the new dog could feel very overwhelmed and snap or growl at your dog. Giving them separate spaces will help with that.

I'm glad that you have a behaviorist to help! Hopefully all will go well.

I have a small home so I use our office/spare room as the "new" dog room. I put up a baby gate with some beach towels over it. If your current dog isn't crated, you probably don't need to all of a sudden crate her, but they definitely do need separation.

[bullygirl979]

Jun 20, 2012 13:09:05 GMT -5 darkling_glory said:

The baby gates are as much for the new dog as for the old dog. Dogs can and do get stressed out moving from one situation to another. Your old dog has got "competition" in the house that has never existed before and your new dog is in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar sights, smells and sounds.

By not forcing them to interact with one another they have time to get comfortable with the idea of each other being around.

All of this. Even though both dogs may be the sweetest dogs ever, this is stressful for both of them. By doing slow introductions, you are reducing the amount of stress so when they DO meet and play they will be relaxed.

I got a foster and I rushed the introductions too quickly. My pit is the sweetest dog in the world. But when they started playing she got nervous and lunged at the foster. A major fight broke out. I learned my lesson real quick.

[sandollar1010]

Thanks again for the advice! The last thing we want is a fight! I do know that my dog can be a bit much for other dogs, but usually a quick growl sends her scampering away. One of the reasons we liked the new dog is because the house he is in has a 6 month pup that is wild - he is patient with her, but will nicely "tell her off" when he needs to. I really hope they are a great match.

[bullygirl979]

Jun 21, 2012 6:55:42 GMT -5 sandollar1010 said:

Thanks again for the advice! The last thing we want is a fight! I do know that my dog can be a bit much for other dogs, but usually a quick growl sends her scampering away. One of the reasons we liked the new dog is because the house he is in has a 6 month pup that is wild - he is patient with her, but will nicely "tell her off" when he needs to. I really hope they are a great match.

Sounds like things will be fine.....but I would still rather play it safe than sorry! I would stick to walks and the crate and rotate (or separate with a baby gate) for at least 4-5 days so the new dog can settle in and start to relax. I promise you won't regret doing slow introductions but you may regret rushing it.

Don't get me wrong, my pitty girls get along fine now but breaking up a fight was a scary thing.

Good luck!

[sandollar1010]

One last question - We were told to give it about a month for everyone to establish relationships and settle in. A week or two getting to know eachother, and a week or two of testing boundries, and then things should start to calm down. Does that sound about right?

[darkling_glory]

Jun 21, 2012 9:52:59 GMT -5 sandollar1010 said:

One last question - We were told to give it about a month for everyone to establish relationships and settle in. A week or two getting to know eachother, and a week or two of testing boundries, and then things should start to calm down. Does that sound about right?

That sounds right, to me. It honestly just depends on the dogs. And you. If you are a nervous, frantic mess about it, the dogs will pick up on your energy and be nervous as well.

Keep calm, keep in control and things will be fine.

[bullygirl979]

Jun 21, 2012 10:24:54 GMT -5 darkling_glory said:

Jun 21, 2012 9:52:59 GMT -5 sandollar1010 said:

One last question - We were told to give it about a month for everyone to establish relationships and settle in. A week or two getting to know eachother, and a week or two of testing boundries, and then things should start to calm down. Does that sound about right?

That sounds right, to me. It honestly just depends on the dogs. And you. If you are a nervous, frantic mess about it, the dogs will pick up on your energy and be nervous as well.
Keep calm, keep in control and things will be fine.

ITA (yet again, lol). It sounds right. Honestly, my foster took more than a month REALLY settle in but it was more getting her to really relax and feel totally comfortable being in the house. And she still has small issues from time to time. But she and my other pitty were getting along pretty well by that time.

[kellbell191]

We introduced our dogs outside the house. First we walked them on leash together. Then we allowed them in a fenced gated area together, leashes dragging. They were licking each other's faces within ten minutes.

When we picked her up she had just been spayed and was really tired, so we let her have quiet time in my DH's office. After about a week they were allowed together unleashed, unsupervised, all that good stuff. No toys unsupervised for maybe 3 weeks. Fed separately pretty much always b.c. she tries to steal his food.

My resident dog is incredibly good with other dogs and very very laid back. He has only growled at another dog once. But our second dog was coming into his space, with his toys, his Mom and Dad. He still sometimes gets possessive of us and she does sometimes resource guard us. I feel like this is completely natural and unsurprising, it just means that we pay careful attention to body language and supervise any situations we think could lead to tension (like new bully sticks). Better to take it slowly and be very safe and have nothing happen, kwim?

[sandollar1010]

Great! I have visions of them curled up sleeping together, but I know it may not be that type of relationship. I just hope that they get along and end up calm and settled. My girl did surprise me during the home visit - the visitor brought over a 12 year old dog to see how she did.... I thought - oh no, she is going to terrorize this poor old thing - but she didn't! She gave her space and mimicked her as they walked around the yard. At one point the old dog got on the ground and found something to roll in, my dog looked at her like "what the hell is she doing" and then proceeded to roll around next to her. We got a good laugh out of that. The visitor kept commenting on how respectful she was - I felt like a proud parent LOL! It sounds like a proper intro is extremely important and then time will tell how things play out.

[kellbell191]

Sandollar, my dogs absolutely adore each other. They sleep curled up together, they play together, they lick each other's ears, they can take toys out of one another's mouths. The other day I babygated them separately by accident and Molly completely lost her shit because she missed her brother and did not want to be alone. She sometimes slips the gate and he will go and find her and bring her back for me, and she will follow him no problem. But they do have moments where they don't want to share, hell DH and I have moments where we don't want to share : ) Chances are they will get along beautifully, but that doesn't mean they will get along every second of every day, you know?

[sandollar1010]

Kellbell - that is too sweet. I am hoping for the same!