Leerburg | Questions & Answers on Adding a New Dog

Leerburg Questions & Answers
on Adding a New Dog to Your Home

Introducing a New Dog into a Home with Other Dogs

Yesterday I have bought a 2.5 month czechoslovakian wolfdog. I also have a 6 months female Husky. She never growled at us until today. What I need to do? I just ignore it and continue to do what I'm doing? Or put on her the prong collar and reprimand her when she growls to me?
We recently got an 8 week old female Rottie. We currently have a 3 year old female Lab. How do we go about socializing the two? Is there a certain age the puppy should be?
Is there any advice you can give me that will help my terrier not be so afraid of our new shepherd pup and will start to bond with him?
I recently bought a german shepherd/husky mix pup. When things started to settle I took out toys for both, as soon as my husky saw this she took the bone and growled at the new puppy. Now anytime the new puppy comes near her my husky growls. Can this problem be fixed?
Do you think it's a problem for me to handle a bull terrier? For my first dog?
I have a 12 year old mini poodle, who is starting to feel his age. I have a chance to get a little 1 year old female poodle and would like to, but my husband says it may break the older boy's heart. Any words of wisdom?
How and what is the best way to socialize a 2 1/2 year old dog that has not had the exposure early on to people and dogs?
I have always had dogs, usually strays, but never trained or had one as a puppy. I would like to know from A-Z what books or dvds to start with. What are the different philosophies of training and which do you follow?
We are thinking about adopting one of my brothers puppies. We would like to do inside at night and outside during the day. We have a 20' x 20' kennel. My only concern is if we do put her in there if it would have a negative effect on her behavior skills? Also how much time would you recomend for her to run around outside supervised?
We recently got a 4 month old puppy and I was wondering your opinion. I am thinking that we kind of rushed into getting him without really thinking enough about the time that we should spend with him. What are your thoughts on our situation?
A couple of days ago, I bought a puppy from a lady. I think I might have made a mistake. She seems to be afraid of everything. She wont nip at us, she just shakes if we come near her. Any advice would really help, if you can.
Last Saturday we picked up an 11 month old Australian Shepherd / Shih Tzu mix from the SPCA after being spayed. She is a huge handful. Do you think she is the wrong dog for us?
I am having a problem introducing my new dogto my cats, as he is fairly aggressive toward them. Can you recommend a training video or other anything else, that can help me with this?
How and when do I introduce our two dogs? What can I do to help the older dog accept the puppy? How can I get the older dog to let another dog sniff him so they can co-exist?
Our old dog is afraid of our new dog. What can we do to fix the situation?
I found your website while trolling for ways to control or train a new Pitbull. We already have three house/garden dogs and three cats. The Pitbull just won't stop trying to catch and kill the cats! How do we control him as we do not wish to have her put down? Would an electric collar work? What about a muzzle?

1. Question:

Hi,
Yesterday I have bought a 2.5 month czechoslovakian wolfdog. I have a 6 months female Husky and she knows that I and my boyfriend are the alpha pair. She never had growled to us, but today, when we gave the food bowl to her, I did something that I always do to her when she is eating: I pet her. She began growling to me and I said no to her. I've continued to pet her and she tried to bite me and same with my boyfriend. She has never done this to us. I think that she is trying to be alpha because the new arrival pup. I need help... What I need to do? I just ignore it and continue to do what I'm doing? Or put on her the prong collar and reprimand her when she growls to me? I'm very concerned with about this behavior.

Thanks,
Sara

Answer:

First of all I would read the article we have on the web site about how to correctly introduce a new dog into your home.

I would start implementing more structure for your husky, because any time you add a big change to a dog they need reassurance that the rules are the same. Correcting her with a prong would most likely just add anxiety to her at this point, and I think calm leadership and management of her free time would be much more effective.

Please read this article about becoming an effective pack leader.

This article was written for people like yourself, people who have great intentions but not enough knowledge of pack structure. There are links within the article that will take you to other articles on my web site.

Pack structure and how to live with a dog in your home are the very first issues to deal with whenever you add a new dog to your family or have problems with an existing dog. We are taking orders for a new DVD that extensively covers the way Ed and I live with dogs in our home.

With the help of the articles and the DVD, you should be able to work through this as long as you are willing to do the work and put in the time it takes.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

2. Question:

I had a question about introducing our new puppy to our older dog.

We recently got an 8 week old female Rottie. We currently have a 3 year old female Lab. How do we go about socializing the two? Is there a certain age the puppy should be? Eventually we want to put two in the kennel together. (Our kennel is large...20 ft by 40 ft.) Any suggestions?

Jacklyn

Answer:

Read the eBook I wrote on HOW TO INTRODUCE A NEW DOG INTO A HOME WITH OTHER
DOGS.

Here are the DVDs I point people like you to:

Your Puppy 8 Week to 8 Months
Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog
Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley

3. Question:

Hi Cindy,

I have an urgent dog question I was hoping you can help me out. I have purchased and watched the Leerburg puppy training DVD and went through a few podcasts regarding introducing dogs. Yesterday I brought home a 3 month old German Shepherd puppy and in my home I already have a 2 year old Yorkshire terrier. I introduced them in my front yard with both dog on their leashes. However the problem I'm having is that my terrier is really scared of the German Shepherd puppy and she won't even go anywhere near him. It has been one day and right now my terrier is still avoiding the shepherd pup to a point where the pup will bark fairly aggressively at her. However, the whole time the shepherd is wagging his tail and his tail is always wagging horizontally (not straight up). However, this morning, when I tried to let them sniff each other again the shepherd jumped up onto the terrier and was nipped at by the terrier. I am pretty sure that it wasn't an aggressive bite, I think it was more of a play bite because my shepherd puppy has just been separated from his litter mate and mother.

Is there any advice you can give me that will help the terrier not be so afraid of the shepherd pup and will start to bond with him?

Thank You,
Bob

Answer:

I think you should follow the advice given in the introducing dogs article and podcast. You are trying to rush things too much.

Cindy

Another Question:

Hi Cindy,

Thanks for the responds, so right now the best thing for me to do is keep the two dogs separated in the house and let my terrier to continue on doing her own thing? Then everyday, I let the two dogs see each other in the yard for a short moment? Today things did got a little better, my terrier is starting to look at the GSD pup from a distance, however she is still very nervous about approaching him and will refuse to do so if anyone tries to bring her close to the GSD pup. I guess I just let things continue on the way it was today? Also should I try to encourage my terrier to approach the puppy?

Also is there any advice you can give me to somehow show my terrier that the GSD puppy is not here to harm her and to take over her home? I just need a way to give my terrier some confidence to approach the puppy.

Once again, thank you so much.

Bob

Another Answer:

You should do exactly as the article tells you, and never try to force or encourage your older dog to do something she isn't comfortable with. I'm not sure why you think your older dog needs to bond with the pup, because that's actually the opposite of what we believe.

We want our dogs to tolerate each other but our goal is not for our dogs to look to each other for fun and bonding. Some of our dogs enjoy each other and some of them just co-exist peacefully. As long as there is no fighting and they all respect us first then it's fine.

Keep them separated and let the older dog get used to the idea that the pup is there, and then do as the article says for actual introductions.

I would also make sure you are working on groundwork with your new dog so the pup doesn't become overly attached and fixated on the older dog.

Cindy

4. Question:

Hello,

I'm having trouble with my 6 month old siberian husky. I recently bought a german shepherd/husky mix about 6 months also (new puppy). At first everything was fine my husky loved the new puppy they played forever. Finally when things started to settle I took out toys for both of them I gave the husky her toy and the new puppy his, as soon as my husky saw this she took the bone and growled at the new puppy. Now anytime the new puppy comes near her my husky growls at the new puppy. Our new puppy is a little scared but seems to be provoking the husky also.

Can this problem be fixed? I have had a lot of people tell me to let them fight it out and establish the alpha. I wanted to read up before doing this.

Answer:

You have made a serious mistake in how you introduced and how you allow these dogs to interact. I wrote a very good eBook on how to introduce a new dog into a home with other dogs. This will detail how to do it and your mistakes will become evident. http://leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm

Bottom line is toys are triggers for dog fights and unless you establish pack structure, train these dogs correctly and manage their living environment you will have problems.

The DVD's that TEACH YOU THESE THINGS ARE:

Basic Dog Obedience
Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley

5. Question:

Greetings from Norway.

My name is Kenneth, I am 22 years old and I am used to having a dog in my family. My mom has a dog, and my sister has a dog. But I have never had my own dog. I loaned a couple of your movies from a friend, and they are very good.

The dog race I want to buy is an English bull terrier, I've heard they are quite stubborn and often dominant. I have seen your DVD on dominant dogs. But I dont really know what I am getting myself in with buying a bull terrier. Do you have any experience with that race? You say that your traning isn't race specific, so I should be able to train a bull terrier just as good, but it may take some more time.. And I also want a german shephard, my sister has one, and I know you breed them. But I can't decide. Do you think it's a problem for me to handle a bull terrier? For my first dog?

Regards,
Kenneth

Answer:

I think when selecting a breed of dog for yourself, it’s best to get as much knowledge of the good and bad points of each breed before you decide. Do lots of reading and visit breeders or dog shows if you can. There is really no way for me to say if you are equipped to handle your chosen breed but you are certainly doing it the right way by asking questions first. Most people get a dog on an impulse and then do the research later.

Regardless of the dog you end up with, the training steps are the same. Set yourself up to be the leader and establish rules from the very first day and I am sure you and your new dog will have a wonderful life together.

We have a lot of free advice on our website; I would start reading the sections on puppies.

I wish you only the best! Let me know if I can help you out when you get the new pup.

Cindy

6. Question:

Hi: I have a sweet 12 year old mini poodle, who is starting to feel his age, with poor vision and hearing, but he remains sweet and funny. He’s about 30 lbs.

I have a chance to get a little 1 year old female poodle and would like to, but my husband says it may break the older boy's heart.

Any words of wisdom?

Diane

Answer:

An excellent question.

How you introduce your new dog into your home will determine if it is a negative or positive experience for your old dog. If it is not done correctly it will very easily become a very sad situation for the older dog – but it doesn’t have to be that way. It all comes down to your willingness to understand pack structure. Take it from someone who has done this wrong. 38 years ago when I graduated from college I owned an older GSD. I brought a new puppy into my home and did a terrible job of how I implemented this dog into my home.

I simply brought the puppy in and let it run around. I let it jump all over my old dog. It acted like a puppy. When it got to the point where my old dog got sick of it the old dog growled and snapped at the puppy. I was there and I corrected the snot out of the old dog. That was a huge SCREW UP – from that day forward that puppy terrorized my old dog and she would not do anything to defend herself. I saw it at the time but was too stupid to know how to fix it.

The way to do this is to bring the puppy into your home. Use my pack structure program - Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog.

Get two dog crates and use them. Or get one and put the old dog in a separate room when the puppy is loose. There should be NO CONTACT with the old dog and the young dog until the young dog is 7 to 9 months old. The old dog can see the pup in the crate but that’s all. If you allow them to run together and something happens – well you screwed up and YOU caused the problem not the pup.

I don’t allow the pup to be around the older dog until my obedience on the younger pup is good enough to call the pup back to me when she is in a highly distracting situation. If you can’t call this new dog away when she is around your husband or when she is playing with toys then you should not have it near the older dog.

If when you allow them to be together the pup acts inappropriately – YOU NEED TO STEP IN AND CORRECT THE PUP. YOU NEED TO PROTECT YOUR OLD DOG and your old dog needs to know this. This thinking never stops. Not until the day your old dog dies.

You are the PACK LEADER and pack leaders have rules. One of your rules is "no beating up on the old dog." That’s exactly like the pack leaders rule of "Not biting or playing rough with children." Any infringement on this rules had dire consequences. When the old dog sees this it will not be stressed. It will learn to relax around the new dog.

As long as you are consistent with the enforcement of your rules and you control the environment of the pup your old dog will be fine. We always show the older dogs a lot of loving when we bring a new dog into the house. When people ignore the old dog and spend all their time playing with the pup right in front of the old dog they create problems. So try and have most of your interaction be when the old dog isn’t around (at least in the beginning)

I also recommend that you do marker work right off the bat with the pup. Follow the work in my article titled THE POWER OF MARKER TRAINING IN DOGS.

I will say this – no insult intended, but most people with small dogs anthropomorphize their small dogs (treat them like humans – when in fact they are pack animals.) This creates HUGE behavioral problems in dogs. It’s probably the number one reason for behavioral problems in dogs.

Here are the DVD’s I would recommend:

Your Puppy 8 Week to 8 Months
Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog
Basic Dog Obedience
Possibly - Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley

7. Question:

Hi Cindy!

What a great site you have.

We have recently adopted an adult female GSD. She came from a very loving family going through a divorce that did not have time for her. She is well trained--electric collar, but missed out on much interaction with people outside of the family and very little if any socialization with other dogs. She has bonded with us well--I have a 16 year old son and 18-year old daughter. She does not obey them or my husband as she does me, but so far this is not an issue. She plays and interacts well with them. She is constantly by my side and if I move a muscle she is ready to go. She is a playful and loving dog with us.

We have another smaller old dog--jack russell/beagle mix. After much growling, snarling, snapping and keeping the separate the get along okay. Mostly they ignore each other and only become aggressive when competing for our attention. The GSD seems to exhibit a sort of stalking behavior when smaller children are around and sometimes toward my smaller dog (who I think resents the arrival of this new, big playful oaf). She stares and fixates on my niece and nephew when they visit.
My husband was walking her and she lunged at a child who passed by her on the street.

When we have people over we put her on place to quiet her and allow her to explore and greet the visitors after a few minutes. At that point she is always friendly and happy to have company. We have tried to expose her to other dogs in the neighborhood but when the other dogs--who are friendly--even try to get near her she becomes highly aggressive. At this point we put her in the down position which she assumes immediately and try to just keep the other dog in the vicinity.

I guess my question is--how and what is the best way to socialize a 2 1/2 year old dog that has not had the exposure early on to people and dogs? It is exhausting to be constantly vigilant and we have friends with dogs who would like to come for a visit and bring their pets. Any ideas? She is a wonderful dog but we live in a neighborhood with lots of kid and dogs and it sure would be nice if we could all get along!

Thanks,
Barbara

Answer:

The biggest part of dog ownership is vigilance, especially when you take on an adult dog that has not had the kind of exposure to things you have around your environment.

With a dog like this, I would practice strong leadership ALL the time. When I had guests over and I couldn’t be 100% attentive to her, she would go in a crate. I don’t like to let dogs rehearse unhealthy behaviors like stalking other dogs or kids or showing aggression. I would keep her attention focused on me during walks, and would make sure she doesn’t look at or fixate on dogs or people. Since she knows the electric collar, you could use that on a low level to “tap” her. Sometimes all a dog needs is an interruption of a thought process to settle down.

We have a dvd on using the ecollar.

You don’t mention how long you have had her, but for now I would keep her on a leash and with you all the time, even in the house and ESPECIALLY when you have guests.

Please read this article about becoming an effective pack leader.

I feel that as she becomes more comfortable with your protection and leadership, she will become less aggressive and fixated. You do need to interrupt her when she shows any of that behavior though. Learn to recognize the signs right away and it will be easier for her to overcome.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

8. Question:

I have always had dogs, usually strays, but never trained or had one as a puppy. I would like to know from A-Z what books or dvds to start with. I am trying to do my homework before we get my first puppy. I have children at ages 2, 2 and 9. We currently have a Great Dane, age 6. I would like to get a German Shepard probably in 1 year or maybe 2.
My goal is to have a well trained dog to protect the family, stay in our
1/2 acre yard and be good with the children.

What are the different philosophies of training and which do you follow?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Answer:

It’s nice that you are doing research before getting a dog; I wish everyone would do that!

Here is the link to our video page, and the videos are listed in categories. From puppy to police dog, we have the videos listed for each discipline and training program.

There are also multiple articles on the website along with question & answers, you can use the sidebar to navigate the site. I think if you spend some time reading, you will understand the philosophy.

Please visit our Discussion Forum. There are thousands of members and many posts on every dog related topic imaginable. You don’t have to register to read the material, but if you wish to post a question or reply you must go through the registration process.

It’s a great resource with a lot of experienced trainers who participate. Best of luck to you, and if I can help out once you have selected a pup I’d be glad to!

Cindy

9. Question:

Our 7yr old black lab passed away a month ago. We are thinking about adopting one of my brothers puppies. They are black lab and golden retriever mix. We would like to do inside at night and outside during the day (like our last dog). We have a 20' x 20' kennel. My only concern is if we do put her in there if it would have a negative effect on her behavior skills? Also how much time would you recomend for her to run around outside supervised? My husband and I really want another dog but we want to do it right. We are still debating on getting a puppy vers an older dog. Thanks for your help.

Savanna

Answer:

There is nothing wrong with keeping a pup or dog outside part time and inside the rest of the time AS LONG as you are spending quality time with the dog when you can.

It’s not where the dog lives, but the training and structure you offer the dog.

If you go with a puppy, you will find a lot of good information here.

Make sure to read the Groundwork to becoming your Puppy’s pack leader article.

Best of luck to you!

Cindy

10. Question:

Hello Cindy,

We recently (only been 3 days now) got a 4 month old puppy and I was wondering your opinion. The dog is great in terms of how nice it is, and it seems to already be learing quickly. The issue I was wondering about was the time we spend with the dog. I am thinking that we kind of rushed into getting him without really thinking enough about the time that we should spend with him. My wife and I both work full time and can't really be home in the day time. I can and have been running home on my lunch break since we got him but I can't do this every day.

I was wondering, normally if I cant run home on lunch, he would be in his crate for 9 hours a day, and I am involved in sports sometimes after work and wouldnt be able to let him out maybe for an additional 3 hours on certain days, probably once a week or so. I deeply regret not thinking this through before we purchased him, it was kind of spur of the moment, we saw him and fell in love and dindn't use our heads. I want to be fair to the dog so we have been considering returning him.

Since we have only had him 3 days we would like to get this decided as soon as we can before he (and we) get too attatched. I appreciate any opinions you have.

Thank you for your time.

Answer:

Hi Bryan

I think you’ve probably answered your own question, just by taking the time to write to me.

From the sound of your schedule and the fact that you are expressing some regrets only a few days into this, it may be best to return the puppy. Dogs need quality time spent with them every day, and I think you and your wife are really busy people that may not have the extra time a dog requires.

The other option would be to hire a dog walker to come in at least once a day to exercise the pup and give him a break from being in a crate.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

11. Question:

Hi Cindy. My name is Katrina. Recently, a couple of days ago, I bought a puppy from a lady. The puppy is a mini Aussie, 5 months old (in 4 days). I think I might have made a mistake.

When I picked her up (I drove 500 miles to get her), she seemed ok. A little scared, but I thought that was normal. Now that we are home, I don't think she was ever around humans before, except to get fed. She will not come to me with kisses or whistling, or anyone else. I put her in the house, and she hides from us and shakes. She wont eat or drink.

She doesn't even want to be around us. She wont lick us or respond at all to us except by hiding. But when we take her outside, she wont leave our side. If my 3 year old daughter goes out, she will stay by her. Same with my husband or myself.

She wants absolutely no physical contact with us. She wants to be left alone. I have another male mini Aussie, and he wasn't like that. They haven't been together yet, so I don't know how she will act to him. I just don't know what to do with her. She's such a beauty, but do you think I should take her back? What would you do?

Thanks!
Katrina

P.S. I tried hot dogs and wet cat food and she wont even smell it. I sometimes wonder if she is deaf because she will not respond to sweet talk or anything. She wont nip at us, she just shakes if we come near her. Any advice would really help, if you can. I've searched the Site and can't find any articles regarding this.

Answer:

It sounds like this puppy is just very stressed. I would be practicing our groundwork program with her, to give her predictable structure and don’t put her in a position where she feels overwhelmed and intimidated.

I would NOT be actively trying to make friends with her, let her make the choice to approach. Whether this dog just has very low confidence or wasn’t ever socialized I would treat her with calm, quiet leadership and be aloof to her. I would never have her out of a crate without a leash on and I would keep her tethered to me at all times or in her crate. Go about your daily business with her attached to you, and let her get used to your presence and routines.

I don’t know what your goals are for this pup, but I would talk to the breeder and get their input as well as to whether this particular dog is a good fit for you. She may just take some additional time to settle in, but it would be worth a conversation with the breeder so they know what’s going on.

Cindy

12. Question:

You came highly recommended by a coworker and I could really use your advice. Last Saturday we picked up an 11 month old Australian Shepherd / Shih Tzu mix from the SPCA after being spayed. I have two girls one 8 and one 12 and a 13 year old cat. So far the cat and dog definitely do not get along and the dog has gone from constant submissive urination to becoming aggressive, hyper and even destructive. Unfortunately, I have had her crated all night and then again during the day while we work.
Last night she was jumping on me trying to rip my sleeves and just being completely defiant. My children are not able to get her out of her crate when they get out come home from school because she will growl and bark at them. She does sit, give her paw and lay down if I have a treat but otherwise she is no good on a leash or listening to anyone. I have enrolled in a beginner class at Pet Smart beginning tonight but I am not sure if it will help. After spending a full night crying due to fear I will need to take her back to the SPCA and just plain frustration at her behavior I thought I would ask your advice if you think there is a chance for her. I am willing to do the work but I do not have a large fenced in yard or a farm. I live in the Phila suburbs and my children have a very active life. If her behavior improves I would love to bring her with us to soccer games etc. Do you think she is the wrong dog for us?

If there is a possibility that she will calm down and be the good family companion I am searching for I would love to purchase some of your videos.

Thank for in advance for your help,
Tara

Answer:

Tara,

There are a number of things I would recommend. You need a crash course in pack structure and obedience.

Read the free ebooks on my web site. Especially the ones on pack structure and "My Philosophy of Dog Training" You need this information.

Frankly the Pet Smart obedience program is a complete and total failure. Fact is it's a joke. They don't teach people about pack structure when 99% of the behavioral problems dogs have relate back to that - yours certainly does. They don't incorporate corrections into their training program (read my free ebook on this) and as a general rule their so called instructors completely lack experience and training skills. But then you will find this out.

If you choose to keep this dog get these DVDs:

Basic Dog Obedience

Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog

Start this dog on marker training. Study the details (become a mast of the details) on this program. They are outlined in a training article on my web site.

Keep this dog crated in the house. When its out of the crate keep it on a leash while in the house. The leash needs to be tied to you. Where you go this dog goes. When your too busy for it - back into the crate. (pack structure training)

Read the article I wrote titled PREVENTING DOG BITES IN CHILDREN. It is in a free eBook on my site. It will help you.

After you have gone through the obedience work you should finish your training with a remote collar - Read the description.

There is a learning curve to owning and training a dog - if you choose to learn then you can make this work.

Kind Regards,
Ed

13. Question:

Hi,

I just adopted an intact 5-yr old male German Shep who, I'm told, is Level 3 Schutzhund-trained. He's been retired due to an injury. I am having him neutered in the next 2 weeks.

I am having a problem introducing him to my cats, as he is fairly aggressive toward them. Can you recommend a training video or other anything else, that can help me with this? I am reluctant to use shock collars and other extreme measures. My goal is to get him to be friendly with the cats, not fearful of them. Is this even doable?

Thanks.
Michele

Answer:

I wrote an article on my web site about how to introduce new dogs into a home with cats. This is s a start.

When I purchase new adult dogs – no matter how much training they have I need to establish rank and pack order. I want to do this without conflict and stress. I teach people who to do this in my dvd - Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog.

During the pack structure program I introduce Marker Training to the dog. This is also a non-conflict methods of working with a dog. But with this said I always finish a dog with a remote collar. It provides a level of off leash control that is impossible any other way. The key to this work is learning to lose low level stimulation – levels that you and I may not even feel. I introduce people to this in my remote collar dvd.

We recommend and use Dogtra 280ncp collars.

I hope this helps.

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley

14. Question:

I have your videos on Pack Structure, Puppy 8 weeks to 8 Months, and Basic Obedience, have read your articles and tried to find this on the discussion board but have been unable to do so.

First, I am a former math teacher and have had a lot of experience with teenage boys and a normal amount of experience with dogs. Your training methods for dogs are just what I applied in the classroom. I am retired and spend most of my time with the dogs. My husband is a pack member but he doesn't do any of the training, walking or grooming. No small children or grandchildren in the picture.

I have an almost 3 yr, old neutered male Bouvier that has very low pack drive, is passive and really has no desire to please. He is food oriented but really doesn't like to play with toys. He would like to play physically by running and body slamming but this is not allowed. He and I have bonded and he does see me as the pack leader. I have control of him both at home and when we are away from home. Most of the time he isn't interested in being petted or touched but he keeps me in sight. He can be loose in the house and has never done any damage to anything. In fact, he has never even gone up our stairs. I told him no when he was a puppy and he has made no attempt since. Other than walking we do basic obedience, some agailty but his real love is herding. I am learning since he will not work for any of the instructors.

He is rarely around other dogs. One of his litter mates herds at the same facility and occasionally they will play together for short periods. This consists of running and chasing with a few body slams. On the few occasions we needed to be away for a couple of days he spent the time at the breeders.

We now have a 11 week old male Bouvier puppy. (he will be neutered too). In the house he is either in his crate or in a contained play area. He is never loose and other than walking by doesn't interact with the older dog. I take them outside to potty at different times and during play time they are separated. He is a much harder dog. He is food motivated but loves his toys too.

The older dog will sniff the puppy through the crate, nose and rear end and there is no reaction from either. However, if the puppy even walks by the older dog he jumps away. I don't let the puppy touch the older dog and try to keep him at a reasonable distance. There have never been any signs of aggression in fact it seems as though the older dog goes into a play bow. I have now realized that our older dog has NEVER let his litter mate or any of the dogs at the breeders kennel sniff him in the rear, he always jumps away. Looking back I can see this was happening even when we were deciding on him as a puppy. In my opinion he never really interacted well with his litter mates. The breeder said we just saw isolated times but having lived with him for the past three years I think this has always happened.

Finally the questions. How and when do I introduce our two dogs? What can I do to help the older dog accept the puppy? How can I get the older dog to let another dog sniff him so they can co-exist. I ask because our son will be coming with his dog (the dog rules the household) for about a month and I would like them to be able to play together on a limited basis.

I want to thank you in advance for your help. The trainers I have gone to said to just force the older dog to stand there and let the puppy sniff him at will. Although I could do that it doesn't seem right to me. Perhaps it is but I think there is a larger issue at stake.

Nancy
Washington

Answer:

We have a section on the website for how to introduce dogs. We also have a q & a section on this.

We have recently added a search toolbar on the web site. If you spend some time using this (located in the upper left hand corner of the web site) you will find many useful articles and posts that address all the problems you are having.

It sounds like your dog doesn't have much pack drive for humans or other animals, so I would keep in mind that there is no law that says dogs need to be friends or play together. I am happy for neutral behavior between my own dogs. I don't tolerate aggression but I also won't let my antisocial dog be bothered by the others we have here. I try to respect her preference of being left alone and will get after my other dogs if they invade her space.

The trainers who gave advice to FORCE him to tolerate sniffing have a lot to learn about dog behavior! That kind of advice is plain wrong and can be dangerous. You have good instincts to question that kind of thing.

I hope this has helped.

Cindy

15. Question:

We are owners of a Cavalier King Charles 2 year old female. We have been discussing the prospect of adding a “buddy” for her to our home and finally decided that it was time. We also decided it would be a rescue from the Cavalier Rescue of Chicago.

About 10 days ago we drove with our dog (Sophie) to the foster home to meet Merlin (male 2 years old). The foster home had 3 other cavaliers in the home so everyone was at ease when we introduced Sophie. The immediate attention to one another was a good sign and there was no aggression whatsoever, but it was evident by Sophie’s “humping” that she was exerting dominance, at least in that environment. We spent about 2 hours there and then left. The following weekend (3 days ago) we went to pick Merlin up. After a good length of time we left the home with Merlin in a crate in the car and Sophie in her dog bed. The 2 hour drive home was uneventful.

After we arrived home we took them both for a long walk before returning to the home for the first time. We went in first and then allowed them in. Sophie went straight for her water bowl while Merlin explored. Other than that not much happened. That evening we crated Merlin in our room while allowing Sophie to sleep in her bed which is also in our room.

Merlin has absolutely no anxiety issues and has taken to his new home rapidly but starting early yesterday it’s as if somebody has stolen Sophie’s personality. She has become spooked, withdrawn, and lethargic and wants nothing to do with anything. When Merlin is around she tries to hide or cowers in the corner. Last evening we crated Merlin in out spare room for the night instead of our room and this morning Sophie seemed fine, for all of about 5 minutes, then we let Merlin out and she is scared stiff and immediately depressed. They have both had separate long walks today and we have separated them, Sophie in with me while I work and Merlin in with Julie while she works. We have taken them on a dual walk today to our local pet store which Sophie knows well and she was back to normal while in the shop. We know the owner and he gave us some assurances but I need as much advise as I can get.

We just brought out Merlin to my work area and although hesitant and looking to move to a corner, Sophie has settled by me (very close) and they are both resting. However she shook for several minutes before settling down.

So it seems we have the opposite of most of what I read about dogs fighting when introductions are made with a new dog. We have a new dog introduction in Merlin who is bouncing around and loving his new place but resident dog has lost all her zest and wants nothing to do with fun and sleeps and hides when Merlin is around. There has been no aggression on either side and I’m hoping this is just a phase. If it’s not we don’t want to lose our dog to this new side we are seeing and if this is to be the case long term will most likely consider returning the rescue to the breeder who was fostering her.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.

Cheers,
Boyd

PS. Both are fixed, Sophie & Merlin around between 16 & 18 pounds, we are good dog owners and do not let them rule the roost whether walking them (we keep them slightly behind us) or in the home.

Answer:

We have an entire section on the website on the proper way to introduce a new dog into your home. Your dog Sophie is stressed and you are allowing this new dog to have WAY too much freedom. It’s terribly unfair to bring a new dog into a home and because there is no aggression shown, just let the new dog wander around.

Here is the article you need to read and follow. It doesn’t matter that you have already started things incorrectly, you can start over today.

We also have a Q & A on adding a dog to the family.

In the future, I would direct you to the search function in the upper left corner of the website. If you type in your key words it will guide you to articles, Q & A's and posts on our forum.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

16. Question:

Hi There.

I found your website while trolling for ways to control or train a new to our house Pitbull. We rescued her a few days ago and she is slowly putting weight back on, just skin and bones when we caught her, which wasn't hard!

We already have three house/garden dogs and three cats. The Pitbull, now named Harley, just won't stop trying to catch and kill the cats! How do we control Harley as we do not wish to have her put down? Would an electric collar work? What about a muzzle?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Many thanks for your time

Caius

Answer:

I’d start with our Groundwork program. Pack Structure for the Family Pet is the DVD that picks up where the article leaves off.

I’d also recommend this article on how to introduce dogs into a home with cats.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

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