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by Irina Dumitrascu on 30 December 2015 - 02:12
by hexe on 30 December 2015 - 07:12
If that goes well, the best way to introduce the dogs to one another is on neutral territory, so neither feels the need to defend turf or toys. You and the other dog's present owner meet up someplace where you can walk the dogs alongside one another without crowding each other. After you've walked awhile, if there's been no negative nonsense between them, stop walking and let them interact a bit...and then end the session before either dog gets over-stimulated and wound up.
Do that once or twice, if possible, before having the present owner bring the new dog to your home, and when that happens, have the dogs on leash again at first, and if possible have them meet in the yard first. From there, see how they progress, and when you're comfortable, let both dogs off-lead to do some directly-supervised touring of the yard and/or playing together. When you've tired them out a bit, bring them both into the house--put up all of the 'high value objects', i.e. toys, bones, balls, biscuits or other food that could trigger resource-competition before the other dog and it's current owner arrive at your place--and again, let them make the tour of the home under your direct supervision. Proceed from there as seems best to you and the present owner of the other female.
by yogidog on 30 December 2015 - 08:12
by joanro on 30 December 2015 - 14:12
"How can I keep them from fighting? "
Easy... keep them separated.
The problem with 'seeing' how they will get along is when they don't get along at introduction, what then? How are you going to separate two big rottie bitches, one of whom doesn't know you from Adam's off ox.
Even if they don't fight on introduction, doesn't mean they won't try to kill each other another day...that's what female dogs do, fight to eliminate the opponent....it's not a Disney world scenario.
by yogidog on 30 December 2015 - 14:12
by joanro on 30 December 2015 - 14:12
Yogi, in your other post you said; 'my advice separate pens out a different times if you can do that get a male.'
Didn't you mean to say '...if you CAN'T do that get a male.'
by yogidog on 30 December 2015 - 15:12
by sagey on 30 December 2015 - 23:12
by hexe on 31 December 2015 - 01:12
She asked how to introduce the two females, I told her how to introduce them in the safest way possible. I didn't tell her to just bring the new bitch home and pair the dogs up--which is why the first introduction must be in a neutral place, with no other dogs around, and with the other dog's present owner handling their bitch...it is reasonable to expect that the other person is familiar with their own dog, after all. If it goes badly right off, there's no hope for it--I didn't think that needed to be said.
And while I'll be the first to admit that there's nothing worse than a bitch fight, I also know that it IS possible to keep two [or more] females together without having fighting, if they are the right two females, and the owner is the right owner to do it. I did so when I had a pack of 20 sled dogs, and I've done so from 1994 until 2011, when my last senior bitch passed away and left my younger bitch behind. I had trouble between females twice, in all that time--with the sled dogs, had one mother who wanted to kill her daughter after the latter matured and entered her first heat [though they could run in harness alongside one another with no difficulty--just couldn't stake them or kennel them together], so I kept them well-separated; and with the GSDs, when one of the 3 females I had, a rescue who was never a very stable dog to begin with, but had been manageable since arriving 3 yrs earlier, broke down entirely after an 800 mile relocation which included the loss of the person one of the others had chosen as 'theirs'.
Are these two Rotties the right females to have it work out, and is this the right owner to be able to do this? I have no idea--and neither does anyone else here, since none of us know the dogs or the people involved. I'm not a big fan of any dog having to live as a full-time kennel dog, however--even my sled dogs had their time as house dogs--but it does take a lot of work and commitment to do it, and it's not for the faint of heart.
All that said, we always have to remember these are dogs, and they do dog-things for dog-reasons that we don't always understand and can't always anticipate...and they aren't static creatures, either--dogs that get along today may try to kill one another a year from now. The rescued male I now have was fine with my friend's dogs coming to stay for a week while she was out of town the first year he was with me, yet a year later he decided he won't tolerate any other dogs visiting for more than a day--after that, he'll try to take them out, and at 100# he could do it, since the friend's dogs are only 20# terriers.
But I'll stand by my advice on how best to introduce two adult dogs in the safest way possible, if it is going to be done regardless of the wisdom of doing so. What happens after one gets past introductions can fill books...there's already plenty of them on the market.
by Sunsilver on 31 December 2015 - 04:12
If you want to be absolutely safe, muzzles would be a good idea. I still regret not using a muzzle in the above situation!
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