hello board members , i would like some feed back on a situation i created . when we adopted hector ( now 10 week old BC ) i sent scout ( 10 year old BC ) to my parents place for a limited time while hector got settled into a routine .
they have since met once on neutral ground . scouts' reactions were pretty much as i had expected : small hackles , low grrrrr nothing violent , mostly ignoring hector .
i do not expect these two to be best friends ,in fact they will not have unsupervised free time together .
i have several questions :
how do you think the re-integration of scout should go ?
should the older dog be used as a training role model for the younger dog ? ( OB , tracking )
do you think the bonding process with the younger dog is weakened when the older dog is present ?
as an aside i have a 9 yo son who is prepared to be scouts' " handler " . they already have developed a relationship , so scout will remain active .

Personally, I would take the pup out of there and bring Scout back first. It's his place first; he's the lord and master. THEN introduce the pup to Scout on his own turf, not the other way around. All rights and privileges belong to Scout, as the dominant dog. I've always been able to keep stable, social relationships between my males so that they can all be out together with no problem, but I don't try to change the natural order of things. The older dog is the boss and the pup is low man on the totem pole.

thanks lee , i agree with that thinking and can easily arrange that . now , how about those other two questions ?

Ian

That was a good suggest by Lee, keeping the pack order straight will stop unwanted aggression.

yes I think having two dogs stop you from being as close with one. But it can still work, I'd train each dog separately with you and your son taking time out for each. While you are going through routine with Scott, the puppy can be in his crate watching or tie out wacthing.

Of course doing it the way Lee suggested, the right way. You don't have to worry about how Scott will re-intergrate, just have the puppy fall in line. You, your son &or family, Scott then the puppy.

I know he's cute and everybody wants to play with him, but you best give Scott his due, if you want the puppy to stay cute. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I think your way would have made the older dog upset that the puppy gets to work out with you and your son is working with him, kinda like pulling the stripes off a sargent. It build resentment. It's my opinion, that you both should work with each dog one at a time, until they get to the point were they will down side by side.

This thread does not belong in General health issues so I moved it here.

I have two warring bitches, and when I figure out how to get them to get along, I'll let you know.

Just some general tips: Don't set up situations where they will be competing for resources, such as food, toys, doorways (believe it or not, entrances are often tense; if you come home and both dogs are uncrated, a fight could break out around greeting you), your attention, etc. Don't expect Scout to put up with Hector's puppy ways. Scout is a senior, set in his ways, and will probably be resentful of change. He needs his own space. I agree with the others, to make sure Scout still gets his due; but don't completely shortchange the puppy either. One thing you can teach Scout is that when the puppy gets good things, this means good things for him, too; espcecially if he shows self control and waits his turn.

A reading recommendation for you: "Feeling Outnumbered? How to Manage and Enjoy Your Multi Dog Household" by Karen B. London, Ph.D., and Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D. $7.95 + S&H on Amazon.com.

Oh, BTW, my two bitches got along great for two months. The first fight was when I came home and all three dogs were loose....the older female attacked the younger one (the younger one had also recently been through her first heat). Not saying that will happen with your two males, just something to watch out for, as the puppy matures. Good luck!

There could be a point in time where the younger dog becomes the dominant one. Don't try to change that out of sentimentality. When My younger (by 6yrs) male matured, and decided he was the new boss ove my older male, I went along with it. As long as I'm top dog, the lower rungs on the ladder can be decided by themselves. Now that my older male has gone, my older bitch is starting to rule the yonger male. She was always at the bottom. Go figure! Social structure is an interesting thing to watch. As long as my dogs are allowed to run together, I don't feel I should decide their places. Except with me, of course.

Lisa, as you found out/already know, when bitches decide they dislike one another, It rarely if ever changes.

ok , all good advice and i will take it , thank you . now , is there any benefit to using scout as a tracking role model for hector , or should i let him learn as scout did , on his own .