8ntruck 7,006 #1 Posted July 16, 2022 One of the reasons for my recent trip to Ky. was to pick up one of our son's dogs. He is moving into an apartment and cannot keep his large dog. So, mom and dad are adopting his dog. Got home today, and started the process to add another member to our pack. Our dog is a 6 year old shelty/Staffordshire terrier mix that we got when he was about 4 months old. We are his fifth family when we got him. Not sure he was socialized as normally as most dogs due to that history. He has the terrier personality - protective, territorial, stubborn, hard headed, if it moves he wants to chase it, etc. Our son's dog is a lab mix that is about 7 years old. He basically grew up with my son's small dog and his roomie's two dogs. Well socialized and very laid back. So, how do we acclimate the two dogs to each other? Currently our dog sees our son's dog as an unwelcome outsider. They are both in their kennels on opposite sides of the room, with the idea of getting some scent impressions established. The plan is to keep them in close proximity, but separated until our dog's tension level goes down. Advice? Comments? Suggestions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,325 #2 Posted July 16, 2022 Sounds like you are on the right track so far. Food can be a huge issue - you may want to feed them seperately, maybe at different times, for a while. Our old dog was very posessive and jealous of my son's dog upstairs. Our dog would hear him coming down the stairs to put his dog out on the run and our dog would force herself to eat all the food in the bowl, even if she just ate.... Hope it goes well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 7,006 #3 Posted July 16, 2022 Yup. The plan is to feed them separately. I've seen the discussions my son's two dogs got into at meal times. Lots of snarling and snapping. Tension seems to have dropped a notch or two overnight, so we have some minor progress. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,520 #4 Posted July 16, 2022 I've consulted the BBT. She's very much a dog whisperer. She's believes you're headed the right direction. Couple recommendations... You could take leashed walks together. Dogs love walks. Keep them a few feet apart during the walk. NOT able to contact each other but close enough to understand they're both present and equal. ALWAYS feed in separate locations and at the SAME TIME. Feeding one even just before the other can cause problems in dominance. It's VERY important that they are kept as equal dogs in "the pack". Try very much to make them both wait with their full food bowls then allow them to eat at the same time. Any questions or concerns please do keep asking. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 7,006 #5 Posted July 29, 2022 We have some progress! The two dogs crates are now about 5 feet apart. When I take the our original dog (the terrier mix) out of his crate, he is now walking up to the new dog (still in his crate), and starting the sniffing greeting ritual. In a short time, he will get excited and go into 'I'm going to wrestle with you' mode. I give a correction with the leash, and go on about our business. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
