Question for anyone who has adopted a dog, with your other dogs..

We have just adopted a BC girl, Floss, We took both our current dogs to meet her and everything was fine so we brought her home.
She is a very placid girl and loves lots of fuss.
Problem is, Simba!
Hes very jelous, and follows her everywhere in a very upright position, then will growl at her, then she will snap at hime...then we have a fight on our hands.

We try and read the signs but it all happens very quickly.

If we try and take one away they just go mad and fight right then and there.

I know its very early days but we dont want this happening, obviously.

Is there any help you can offer us please?

Tell them both in no uncertain terms that it is NOT acceptable behaviour!

I usually use a 'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING' and a 'GET OUT!'

If you can catch it before the snapping it helps!

I expect they are a both a bit disorientated. Is it happening outside as well or just in confined spaces or just round you?

rune

Hi, thanks for your reply

We try and read the signal and if either raise a lip or growl we say NO! but that almost eggs them on because they then start fighting...

Its not happening outside, yet, its just when they are in the house, especially when they are around us. I try and get away from them, get out of the middle sort of thing, but once they are in a death stare, we find it very hard to get them out of it

Is there any way you can keep them separate for a day or two in the house but where they can still see/smell each other (ie baby gates etc)? Take them out on walks and outdoors together (if they are relaxed around each other outside) and let them get used to each other outside, but keep them separate indoors for a few days.

Another suggestion would be to muzzle them both, so no damage can be done, and just let them get on with it until they have sorted it out between themselves.

What gender is your other dog? Simba is probably feeling a bit put out just now, and hopefully things will settle down over the next few days.

Hi, at the moment we are trying to keep them in seperate rooms, but tomorrow my OH is back at work so things will be more difficult :S

We have taken them out together and they have been fine.

I had thought about muzzling them both coz then they can sort it out between them both but not actually hurt each other...do you think this would be a good idea or should I just persist with stopping them fighting?

The best way for them to get used to each other is walking to start with. so get them together on lead with a "lets get on with it " attitude at least a couple of times a day or more if you can. Are they ok off lead together, or have you not got that far?

And at home, try to prevent situations of jealousy as much as you can. That may mean less or very little fussing for a while, no treating in front of each other and obviously meal times be extra careful and seperate if can.
Can you try the "leave it" command if you spot your boy eyeing up for a fight?

Hi

They are okay off the lead in the garden, but I cant let Floss off lead anywhere else as she has aweful recall and has bitten people.
We feed them all in seperate rooms to prevent jelousy and havent given any treats out together.
Simbas leave it is good when it comes to most things, but when hes staring at her and i say leave it usually just ends in him lunging at her

where did you get him?

can the rescue offer assistance?

did you get a chance to dog the dog mixing of a few weeks nice and gradual under different conditions and tests?

or was it rushed?

did you walk them togehter a good long walk in neutral territory before bringing him indoors?

are the dogs neutered?

do you live in a small house?

do the dog have time out spaces of their own each?

do the dogs have plenty of turning space in the house?

what do you feed them?

are their any exciting activities with or around the dogs going on in the house?

No we are trying to keep it all quite calm with them, they go into the garden together but are kept very calm in the house.

When you say 'him' do you mean Simba or the new dog Floss? We got Simba from a breeder about 6 months ago and we got Floss from a rescue yesterday

yesterday....gosh, i didnt realise it was that early days

Floss' rescue offers assistance but for this matter it seems easier if we can get advice from dogsey really.

why? if its a good ethical rescue, they usually have on board trainers and behaviourists, whom should have built up a knowledge and assessment of the dog.
i used to do that for a rescue and was very supportive in that sense, and was often disappointed when i found out one of my rehomings was having problems, but the adopter wouldnt tell, me depite my offers.
which rescue was it? some are better than others in this respects.

we met floss yesterday, took the dogs for a walk and spent time in an excersize yard before bringing her home.

thats a big part of the problem. way too fast, not enough time for a good picture. was the exercise yard in the midst of loads of noisy stressy kennels?


we walked them all at the rescue center

ah, the rescue should have advised you to take them out for a good quiet calming very long walk before you took the new dog into the home with the existing dogs.
otherwise you are taking a strange dog out of a highly charged stressful situation into another stressful situation.

are the dogs neutered?
Flint is nuetered, simba is not, floss is.

I wouldnt say small, its a 3 bed terrace, large living room which is where we spend most of our time

its it rammed with lots of stuff and furniture etc?

if they get into a scrap they are put into seperate time out spaces eg- kitchen, living room

no, do they have a place they can all call their own for when they feel like having time out?
ie, a separate room, indoor crates.
not so much a room tp put them in either as a punishment or just for when things have got out of control.
that's kind of the wrong message


funny you should ask that, we have tonight moved the coffee table out of the living room as I thought perhaps this was the reason they were getting funny, they perhaps couldnt monuever around it properly?

brilliant move! now think the same way the rest of the house. make sure their are no tight corners, spaces, or flashpoints in or near doorways or entrances, or excitement around the front door (ie, leads out, mailman etc)

Floss was on burns at the rescue, she is fed autarky here, the boys are on wainwrights at the moment

seems ok

No we are trying to keep it all quite calm with them, they go into the garden together but are kept very calm in the house.

excellent

what i would do for now is create space in the home, consider crate training, keep the dogs all calm around eac other, walk separately for the time (or at least dont play games with them together for now, including in the garden), and ASAP contac the rescue of they have someone sutiable, and get a home help professional in, google APDt, APBC, or UKRCB for a contact, or refer to your vet for a referance.
i would also consider calming mentally tiring activities like guided walking, clicker training, and nose work such as treat search games or tracking.

Dont use franchise groups like barkbusters or jan fennell dog listeners.

PS - obviously dont leave them together unsurpervised and quietly get simba to focus on something else besides floss.

its sounds like he may be doing the collie herding obsession thing?

so you need to preempt him, so lots of small obedience sessions in the garden by himself might help.

Im guessing their is no actual injury or proper bite contact, but lots of noise and fur flying?

Im also guessing when you take one away from the fight, its the other that then has another pop at the one being reomved?
If so, thats because the one you are removing is restrained and 'on offer', if you like.
Which means its a good idea of 2 people can remove both dogs at same time.
Having bIoth dogs on short indoor lines all the time will help as well.
Unless you have that confident efficient clean interrpution power that rune referred to, what Cesar Milan calls calm assertive energy...great phrase from a trainer whose techniques i wouldnt recommend.

If you follow time out guidelines and separate focussed calming activity in the garden or on walks, then hopefully you wont reach the situation of breaking up fights.