Introducing new Dog?
 

Hi everyone,
My fiance and I have a 1 1/2 y/o girl named Lola, who we have had since she was 8 weeks. She is spayed, has undergone obedience training, and I took her to doggy day care the first year of her life. Recently, my mother's friends have had to move due to jobs and can't take their youngest, a 2 y/o pitbull girl (who they have had since puppyhood and is also spayed). They have another 4 y/o pit girl, a 5 y/o rescue pit boy, and a 7 y/o German Shepard boy. They are moving to a place with a pibull ordinance so are looking to give their youngest girl a fabulous home.

We would like to open up our home to this girl.

I have read a ton of horror stories about girl dogs living together, especially pit girls. I know I won't know anything until they meet (in a neutral place, outside our home) but I am still nervous. I am looking to get my nerves out of the way now so I won't be nervous when they meet, as that will nerve them as well.

Lola has become dominant lately and I pulled her out of daycare because she was not wanting to play with so many dogs and would get into spats.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

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If you don't have a break stick, I highly suggest you invest in a couple now.

Introduce them slowly, on leashes, on neutral ground (not your yard for instance)

Always have collars on them.

I know Zoe has a very slow introduction regimen for dogs, hopefully she'll chime in.

Thank yhou!

Agree.

VERY slow introductions. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/eek.png http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/lol.gif Honestly, I skip the whole ''neutral territory" thing unless I know FOR SURE that both dogs are stellar meeting dogs out and about as some dogs are just as reactive in that situation and you can easily set them up to fail if you aren't careful. The method I use involves VERY slow crate and rotate. Starting with both dogs having their crates in completely separate rooms where the doors can be closed. For the first couple weeks, maybe longer, depending how things go, they don't even SEE each other. They are fully rotated and during that time, all they get is the smell and knowledge that another dog is in the house. Until they are fully comfortable with that, as in will listen immediately to any command to ignore the sounds or smell of the other dog {ie, not obsessing at the door! lol) I won't even move on to the next step which would be the door being open, but the room baby gated and if I don't have 110% control of the ''loose'' dog {respond to command to "nevermind" and respect baby gate, etc...} I either go back to closed doors or leash the loose dog to me. It's never the same really.... as it all depends on the reaction of both dogs. Any reaction and I move back to what was going on before, although there are times that a simple verbal correction will get them back on track and I can just stay where we are, as long as they listen right away and go back to ignoring the other dog. Once they get used to that, I'll removed the baby gate and start doing leash walk bys. If things are going well, I might even move both crates out to the living room and do the rotations there. It's basically a VERY slow form of desensitization. It MAY get to the point where the dogs seem to be interacting like they want to play while one is crated and one is loose (although that is not always a sign that they WILL play! lol}, or at least not reactive to each other at all, and I'll consider THEN doing a walk together, a leash walk by with one in a STAY command (only if I'm a hundred percent sure they will obey the command or I have them on an in house tie down) or an introduction with both dogs on a loose leash and breaking stick in hand. Sometimes this has gone by as quick as a number of days and the dogs are playing with each other, and sometimes years pass and they are still not comfortable with each other and have to be rotated. I don't force anything as I'm comfortable with crate and rotating. I allow the dogs to interact with the dogs they prefer and other than that, I don't force them to get along. Of course during all this time, I am working with both dogs separately, brushing up constantly on their obedience as well as TONS OF EXCERCISE, mental and physical, so all their pent up energy is spent and isn't directed at the new dog. Ya.... I'd say that's the basic jist of what goes on here. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/lol.gif

Our new little Patterdale Roxy is just at the point where she is comfortable in the big cage type kennel in the living room with Tank and Arez loose and they, minus some sniffs as they go by are pretty well ignoring her. I just started leash walk bys with Scarling while Roxy's in that crate and they are going well. Her first attempt at her viewing another dog was a very defensive reaction and now her little stub is wagging at the sight of them so we are definitely moving forward. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

I am with Zoe - super slow, crate/rotate/acclimate to each other's presence.

The 'neutral territory' routine to me does not make a lot of sense, since - sooner or later - the new addioion and the 'old' dog will be under the same roof anyway, and the terriroty will cease being neutral.

Keep us posted!