Advice needed. Getting a second dog

Charisma

We have a Rottweiler which we have had since she was 6 months old. She is now one and a half and very well behaved and we have had no problems at all. Due to the fact that we are out all day and that she is alone a lot we have decided to get another dog to keep her company.
We decided on another Rottweiler as our dog is quite big and still young and tends to jump on other dogs playfully and we feel we need something that will be as strong as she is.
We are due to collect the new dog -a male 2 years old- next Saturday. He comes from a family that cant take care of him as they have a small garden and due to the fact that he is alone he barks a lot and the neighbours complain. Can anyone give me any advice on introducing the new dog to the house and what I should and shouldnt do. Any experience or pointers to watch out for would be greatly appreciated as I am quite apprehensive about it and am aware that if anything does go wrong, it will be quite serious due to the strength and size of both dogs.

fenris

Introduce them somewhere neutral, to let them get aquainted, bring them home, then let them sort out who is the boss, it will be noisey and will probably look potentially fatal over the course of a few days, but it will mostly be all show. They are both quite young so they will work out most of the initial angst through play. Do not interfere when they are trying to sort out their pecking order, you will only escalate potential conflict.
Two dogs is a great move, it makes a huge difference to the dogs and can be very funny at times!


Best of luck!

peasant

He comes from a family that cant take care of him as they have a small garden and due to the fact that he is alone he barks a lot and the neighbours complain.

Are you sure that it is a good idea to introduce one dog that has a history (and habit) of getting upset and being a nuisance when left alone to a dog that is quiet (up to now) but also alone all day?

we are out all day

So, what do you propose to do, if (and when ) your hope of two well behaved dogs quietly keeping each other company doesn't materialise and the new "hooligan" just motivates your girl into creating just as much noise and nuisance as he is used to (and in the habit of) making?

I don't think this is such a good idea ...not without anyone there to keep a lid on it.

peasant

fenris wrote: »

Do not interfere when they are trying to sort out their pecking order, you will only escalate potential conflict.

emmm ...

We're talking two Rottweilers here.

Of course you interfere. Actually, you lay down very strict and precise rules of what is and what isn't allowed under your watch from the very first second. In particular no fighting!

Otherwise they won't take you seriously and might just decide to gang up on you some day.


And definetly have several meetings on neutral ground first. You do not want two large, powerful dogs on your hands that cannot stand the sight of each other ...you have to find out first if they have the potential of getting along.

fenris

If you continually interfere in their introduction it can lead to serious scraps as opposed to a bit of snarling barking and the ocasional rush with teeth bared as they sort things out. Dogs as a pack animal will sort it out very quickly themselves, without killing or injuring each other. Forcibly elevating the bottom dog does not do that dog any favours and can cause a lot of anxiety for that dog, remember they are not people.

Interference in this context means:
1. trying to put the present dog first just because she was there longer
2. breaking up the initial scuffles
3. uneven treatment after a scrap

By all means lay down the law, but make sure that it is consistent for both dogs. I have made all of the mistakes listed above personally, it was only when my wife and I left the dogs get on with sorting things out themselves that peace returned. We were on the verge of rehoming the new arrival untile we got some very good advice from the animals.ie board.

Also dogs have very fine control of their jaws, just because a dog is big etc.

I think that it is important not to over analyse the situation, you are introducing a male and female of similar age of the same breed, if both dogs a healthy both mentally and physically it should just work out.

A single dog is a different animal to a dog with company, two dogs is in a lot of ways less work than one dog, it can be a bit noisey at first but when they settle there is a lot less needyness and walks can be pure entertainment and way more fun than a stroll with a boring, slow human.

There will be a lot of teritorial stuff, just arrange things so that it is impossible for one dog to cover all bases e.g. beds and food far enough away from each other so that one dog cannot control both, this is a temporary measure, it won't be long before they are both curled up in the same bed!

peasant

fenris

now that you put it like that, I totally agree.

Charisma

Thanks for the advice. We collected the new dog today and brought him home about 4 hours ago. We got our dog out of the house for a while to let the new one get his bearings. He has been a bit neglected so isnt as strong as her. Then we introduced them both on the green(neutral territory as suggested) in front of the house. He was fine as he was with another dog before. She was a lot jealous of the new dog being with me and did a lot of snarling and snapping. We have them both in the house now and hes fine but shes not being very sociable and keeps snapping at him. We have them seperated now- her in the kitchen and him in the living room. We have double doors and ive put a clothes airer across the door so they can see each other and sniff each other but not get at each other. Will let them together again in a while and see if shes any more comfortable. Shes starting to show an interest in him now without snapping. Guess it will just take time.

peasant

The green in front of the house is not neutral territory, it is very much part of your existing dogs daily routine and therefore "hers". That she snarled at him there doesn't surprise me.

The fact that she snarled at all is not good news though ...hope this works out without too much drama

Whispered

Any more news? How are they getting along?

wazzoraybelle

I suggest you only pay attention to your existing dog when they are both together. This will reaffirm her dominance. You can then gradually over a fortnight or so pay as much attention to the other dog. By that time they should have bonded.

~Good luck.