Breaking In Our Second Dog And We Had An Incident

[Guest fueldeacon]

We have had our current dog Essie for about a year and a half, we recently adopted her sister Abbey this past week. They got off to all things considered a good start with a couple barking incidents but not much else. Our current dog is possessive of her kennel while our new dog is a toy hoarder. Now Essie doesn’t mind Abbey taking toys from her she is actually doesn’t care. Except that this time the toy was in her kennel and this caused and issue leading Abbey biting Essie and leaving a gash under her eye. Needless to say we are stressed out thinking that we have ruined our old dog’s life by bringing a new dog in. Reading this board however we realize that however unfortunate this event is it has happened to several people and they have stuck it though and have dogs that coexist. Things we have read on line from time to time contradict each other so I wanted to get advice of what has worked for you on several topics.

 

They are fine on walks so we will continue to walk them together and we will go with muzzles going forward.

1. Our current dog sleeps in our room; however our new dog sleeps in her kennel down stairs. There were suggestions of the new dog should sleeping in the room with us so she bonds with the pack quicker. Should we allow her to sleep in the room outside her kennel?
2. During the day when we are away they stay in crates. Is it okay that their crates are in the same room?
3. Our new dog loves toys, if we have muzzles on should we allow her to have toys? When is there a time we can allow toys? Maybe have a play time when they are separated where we give them toys to play with?
4. Our old dog seems a little traumatized by last night events any ideas on how to get her back to normal?
5. Should we pay more attention to our older dog? Who do we feed first?

[CharlieRhea]

I'm sure more ppl will weigh in on this. I'm sure they will eventually work it out but I know their welfare is foremost. I would crate them

 

in the same room, to me keeping them separate won't allow them to bond. I feed my dogs together but do put my older dogs food bowl down first.

 

Can you feed them at a distance from each other and watch them for awhile to see that there isn't food aggression? I'll be back!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

First off, breath. Its not as big of a deal as you think. Dogs live in the moment, they are over it. I have anywhere from 3-6 hounds in my house at any given time. I have 3 creates set up next to each other. Feeding time they are all fed in their crates at the same time. That whole "feed one first" is a bit dated dominance theory that has been seriously challenged in the last decade. Just be sure that they cannot move around after they are done eating to bother the other dog. Toys, you said your older dog doesnt care about the toys, so why then are you worried about your new dog playing with toys? All you need to do is make sure that the toys are up when you are not around to control where the toys end up. Your older dog is possessive of the crate, then be sure that your new dog doesnt have a reason to go into the other's crate. I had a foster bite one of my hounds' head and puncture her skull. It was because one hound when into the crate of another when they had a high value treat. My wife stepped out of the room for a minute to use the bathroom and didnt close the crate doors. One hound went into the other's crate and wham. Bite and hole. They didnt act any different to each other a day later. As far as sleeping arrangement, i let everyone sleep in the same room with me. I keep a baby gate up between my fosters and the rest of my pack to discourage movement in the night as well as keeping accidents to a minimum.

 

Long story short, I wouldnt worry much about the situation other than to control where the toys are and where the new hound can/cant go when the older dog is in the crate.

 

Chad

[silverfish]

One thing I would add is that in a dog pack there are more fights among the 'beta' dogs than ever happen in challenges to the leader. This can be reflected in a household where there are multiple dogs in that, while it's not a true pack, they do look to you as the overall leader, so there can be jostling for your favours. One thing I always make sure to do is to avoid favouring the more timid dog over the pushier one, because this can lead to spats when you're not there to supervise.

 

So, basically, no matter which dog came to live with you first, try not to interfere with the way they arrange things among themselves. Make sure they get their fair share of food, treats, pets, etc, but be careful how you dispense them. If Essie seems to be taking a back seat, it is wisest to let her do so. Dogs are happy in whatever 'pack' position they have, so long as they know where they are. Trying to favour the 'underdog' leads to confusion.

 

That has been my experience.

[juliemac]

If it helps -- I brought in a senior hound to be a companion to my 2yo boy (she was a return who had some serious neglect issues in her previous home, and needed a quiet home). It turns out that she was a curmudgeon, and growled at any hound movement within 10 feet of her for her entire life (I think there was a combination of failing eyesight, fear of being hurt, and desperation for her 'fair share' of the food). Anyway, even with my 2 hounds fed in separate rooms, I still had 3 evet trips within the first 6 months (she would start something and Riley would finish it ... she always lost in the deal).

 

After those first 6 months, however, my two hounds got along great for the entire 18 months that they lived in my home. Riley learned that Paige's bark was always worse than her bite (because I think she only had 6 teeth), and Paige learned that there would ALWAYS be enough food for her.

 

I recommend the advice of others: protect your hounds & your home while you're not at home, and help both of the hounds realize that there will always be enough of their own favorite things.

 

Good luck, and please keep us informed of their progress!

[zimsmom]

My two girls have lived together 7 years. No issues at all. Then all of a sudden a year ago one has a bite on her butt one week later the other has a bite on her face. And a year later no incidents at all. It may not even happen again.