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Advice On Introducing Two Dogs


Perry's Mum
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Everyone seems to be pussyfooting around here, but geez, you are not doing either of them any favours.

For a start why would you feed them together, big no,no, you never feed a new dog within sight of the resident dog till you know them better.

There may not be that many actual fights atm ,but you can bet they are both very stressed. :(

I think you need to rethink this whole thing, being in constant fear of attack is not helping Friskie, or Perry.

Edited by juice
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This is why I asked for advice in the first place - what else should I be doing or not doing? Perry is getting just as much attention as she always has together with the rides in the car and ball throwing and plenty of one on one time - Friskie is mostly with me inside when Perry would be outside any way. Perry has always taken her time to warm to the numerous foster dogs we have had over the years but she got on well with the last two who were both bitches and also seniors. Do you think I should rehome Friskie? I was pushed into taking her in the first place because her owner died and nobody else was putting their hand up to take her and I am not sure where I will find someone else to take her.

Edited by Perry's Mum
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This is why I asked for advice in the first place - what else should I be doing or not doing? Perry is getting just as much attention as she always has together with the rides in the car and ball throwing and plenty of one on one time - Friskie is mostly with me inside when Perry would be outside any way. Perry has always taken her time to warm to the numerous foster dogs we have had over the years but she got on well with the last two who were both bitches and also seniors. Do you think I should rehome Friskie? I was pushed into taking her in the first place because her owner died and nobody else was putting their hand up to take her and I am not sure where I will find someone else to take her.

Hi Perry's Mum... Good on you for trying even though pushed into it... I do hope it all works out in the end for everyone...

I am wondering what you mean by 'attack'... Is your dog being truly aggressive towards the new dog or asserting himself as number 1?

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This is why I asked for advice in the first place - what else should I be doing or not doing? Perry is getting just as much attention as she always has together with the rides in the car and ball throwing and plenty of one on one time - Friskie is mostly with me inside when Perry would be outside any way. Perry has always taken her time to warm to the numerous foster dogs we have had over the years but she got on well with the last two who were both bitches and also seniors. Do you think I should rehome Friskie? I was pushed into taking her in the first place because her owner died and nobody else was putting their hand up to take her and I am not sure where I will find someone else to take her.

maybe a bit early to consider a rehome .. however, they may not ever be best friends. ....

Feed separately out of sight of each other ..and immediately collect bowls . Don't put them in situations where they both need to get to a place or thru a door at the same time ;)

Walk them at the same time ..as far as is comfortable ...one in each hand ..maybe somewhere new ?..Just walk ..No stops..no park ..just a gentle straight walk .....

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I think Perry is just making sure she is no. 1 - although I would say the other one is not at all interested in being no. 1 - she just wants a quiet life.

Sounds like there is a lot of hope there... Good luck...

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If it's going to be OK then it could take 2 months to completely settle.

Very important not to feed together and not pay Friskie too much attention, at least for a couple of weeks. Just relax and stick to a normal routine.

It all just needs to settle ...

At least you know that Perry has been OK with other females so there's hope, it's just too early to say - you are ALL going to go through an adjustment phase.

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My girls have lived together for 5 years and will still get on the biff if there is a food bowl or bone between them. I would just assume that resources may be an issue for quite a while if not forever and just keep everything seperate and feed them well away from each other. I found food items to be the catalyst for most arguments here and the simple act of removing the empty bowls and not leaving them lying out there made a big difference.

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We had a quiet and peaceful day today, out in the garden together. My real concern at the moment is how little Friskie is eating - no matter what I offer her - I have tried several different kinds of kibble, salmon, sardines, chicken, beef and vegetable stew. She has a little nibble but that is it.

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PM, it can take some dogs longer to adjust to changes than others. I imagine this is a huge upheaval for an older dog. Some dogs adjust more quickly than others and I would think that the average adjustment time was at least three weeks for a new dog to get the flow of the new home, the rules and who sits where..

I tend to walk my dog with foster dogs a lot in the beginning because, I think it was Mita who suggested, this creates a bond in the pack structure when they are working (walking) together. The behaviourist I used with Ziggy last year has many dogs and takes them all on a walk every day to maintain the harmony she has in the group.

Just from what you have posted (and I could be wrong as I can't see them together), Perry is just enforcing her position in the group and once she realises that the new girl isn't a risk to her position, she will most likely accept her being there (whether they end up friends or not remains to be seen).

As others have said, feeding should always be separate.

Good luck with your new girl and I hope you get the harmony in the group soon.

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We had a quiet and peaceful day today, out in the garden together. My real concern at the moment is how little Friskie is eating - no matter what I offer her - I have tried several different kinds of kibble, salmon, sardines, chicken, beef and vegetable stew. She has a little nibble but that is it.

OK, so some dogs I get don't each much in the beginning but I've learned not to panic as I've always had them to the vet before I get them so health checks done. It's normally just stress and change of environment and within 3 or 4 days they start eating. Quite often we have no idea what they ate before - some dogs I've had have never seen a biscuit ...

It is important though to ensure they don't have any dental issues - has Perry had a dental and/or vet check in between her owner dying and you taking her on?

Her owner may have been feeding her on canned food and what you could do is get some small cans of dog food - get a tablespoon of the canned food and mix it in with the biscuits.

Gradually you will reduce the canned food and start mixing in the other food you have.

They soon learn to love the change of diet.

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Friskie is the new one and she had a vet check the other day. Her front teeth are fine but she would not let me or the vet look at her back teeth. I had not thought of canned food - have to try it.

Try this...

Dilute some vegemite in hot water and add to meal...

I had a 1.2 kilo pup a while back that wouldn't eat and it worked a treat... Phew!!! I couldn't eat worrying about her...

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