Introducing a new pup?

Hi everyone,

Just after a bit of advice....

I own two giant scnauzer/collie cross sisters, aged 2. I have had some bhvrl problems with them, particularly 1 of the (the leader of the 2). She developed dog on dog agression. The good thing is now that I have managed to nearly eliminate this problem with training.

BUT...my bf just got a new pup, a lovely little boxer. She's 4 months old now and i would love to get them all used to each other as eventually they'll be living in the same house. They did all meet once, went very badly, my fault as i brought the pup into my house and my 2 just went mad. Since then though the dog on dog agressioon has eased considerably.

I was planning to take them all out for a walk, so they can meet again on 'neutral' territory. Do you think this is a good idea?

p.s the boxer, as you can imagine is very lively and bouncey, i don't think my dogs will appreciate being jumped on so was planning to keep her on the lead whilst out with them.

If anyone has got any other suggestions pls let me know,

Thanks.

Initially I would keep them all on the lead. Make sure that the boxer pup has had a good run round first to get rid of excess energy.

Just keep the meeting short and don't make a fuss. Then increase the time they spend together gradually.

Good luck!!!

Neutral territory is the best idea, and should have been done from the start. Most adult dogs will permit puppy licence, putting cheeky puppies in their place gently but firmly when necessary. With normally unaggressive adults little interference by humans in the process is required or needed and they should be allowed to sort themselves out unless things start to look serious, in which case you must step in for the safety of the young one. Also older dogs may need a respite from a pup if the pup is provoking and teasing them.

But ... be very, very careful, particularly with the bitch whose dog aggression is only "nearly" eliminated. Never leave the puppy with the adult dogs unless you are there to supervise every second. Puppies are so vulnerable and serious damage can be done in the blink of an eye.

You may also have problems later with another adolescent/mature bitch in the household.

Thanks guys,

I'd never leave them unsupervised together. I know that eventhough her dog on dog agression has eased off it was a learnt behaviour that is going to take a long time to completely disappear, if ever.

What technique(s) would you use to deal with a problem of dog on dog agression? She is absolutely fine with humas, and some dogs. The problems occur when other owners let their dogs bound over to mine. She is muzzled, for her safety and the other dogs. I think she is really confused tho. When we meet some other dog owners we know in the park they can't believe she has this prob, she'll play like a pup with some dogs, sniff nicely at others but then lunge at some?!

I've tried to see if it is a partic breed/colour/castrated dog she lunges at but there's no discrimination between them.

As i say she has improved LOTS but on some occassions she will lunge.

Hi Sara I can't really add to the above advice except to say puppies need to be given a lot of time and if the Boxer puppy is going to be living with you and the Schnauzer xs I do rather wonder if maybe you should drop one of the other activities for now until the puppy is a little older..the Dip in Canine Behavior course/grooming course/ agility work/obedience training/helping a trainer/sorting out 'dog on dog aggression' in your dog etc. are all very time consuming I am sure and it may help to prioritize things in order of importance at this time
Good luck with the puppy ..

I should have added to my previous post that the presence of the pup should mean Good Things to your dogs - a game or fussing, etc. Do not do anything that may lead to resentment of the pup, such as making a lot of fuss of it, picking it up, giving it more attention than is given to the older dogs.

You say you have "nearly" trained the dog-dog aggression out of her. That takes quite a bit of doing and considerable experience. What methods have you used? (A muzzle is not a 'method' merely a management tool).

Dealing with dog-dog aggression depends on what is causing the aggression. Only you, or an experienced observer can tell. If it is fear-based, or nervousness the principles suggested in this Dogweb article can be of help: http://www.dogweb.co.uk/dog-articles.php?t=8050

Thanks for that, the article was really interesting. I can apply those techniques to the other dog I have, chloe who is quite an anxious dog.

You all probably think my dogs are full of problems, they do have some but they didn't get the best start to life which I believe has contributed to the way they behave. I got them from a rescue centre in Ireland, someone had found a litter of pups dumped on a beach left to drown. If the person who did that was willing to let them suffer a terrible death then who knows how they were treated when they were with them as I got them when they were about 12 weeks old.

I did get a behaviourist in to see them, with regards to Cassie (dog-dog agression) she said she just didn't know how to play properly and told me to put her back on the lead and go home as soon as she displayed any signs of agression. I did this but it did not work as later Cassie actually hurt another dog, not seriously but the fact that she hurt it horrified me. From then on I went to se another person about it, I didn't want to have to remove Cassie away from other dogs for the rest of her life, she needed to learn that other dogs were a good thing. What she told me to do was to keep Cassie on the lead for a while, when dogs approached her and she lunged say 'NO' in a very strong voice. She also told me that Cassie had to be moved down a rank as she was taking it upon herself to protect me, so I did things like ignore the 2 of them for a period of time when i came home, give them atttention when i wanted to not when they demanded it etc. This has worked to an extent but just wanted toknow if there was anything else I can do.

The singing idea in the article sounds good, i'll give that a go, people might think i'm crazy but who cares!!