Indydog Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Hello, I've had my 8 yr male BC, Indy for 6 years now and we finally decided to get another BC. We're meeting her this sat.day Both are rescues. I'm a little concerned about how they will get along. Indy loves people and gets along great with dogs smaller than him. He is fine with bigger dogs until they get too close to his face. (Think bouncing 2yr old labs with bad manners) He'll show his teeth first but will snap if the dog comes any closers. The puppy is 3 months old and is a female. I really hope they will get a long. Any advice or past experiences you can share with us about intorducing a puppy to an older dog is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyler Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Any advice or past experiences you can share with us about intorducing a puppy to an older dog is greatly appreciated. As with any age group it is always best not to have the meeting on your property. Some people use treats but to me that is causing more of an issue as food has been introduced into the equation. An open space is much better ensuring that your dog can move away freely should he feel cornered or have the "dog in my face" feeling. If your boy can be free while the other dog is on a leash all the better. If they seem comfortable then let 'em run. It sounds like this is a done deal for you and your family and I hope that is not the case. I would always base my decisions on whether or not they get along - some dogs just dont like each other and BCs are some of the pickiest IMO. Any issues that you see when they meet will likely get worse when you get home and in HIS territory. Not to mention that the pup is going to be six months soon and talk about energy! If they dont get along and your boy doesnt work things out within 30 minutes, I would not take the puppy. Not trying to place a downer on the situation as I hope that your little rescue girl and your boy hit it off with flying colors. If you do, you are hereby notified of the requirement to post pictures Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 If they dont get along and your boy doesnt work things out within 30 minutes, I would not take the puppy. I have a different perspective on this. My dogs don't have to like each other, rather, they have to get along. We recently introduced a pup into our pack of (then) 6 dogs. If I'd have based my decision on all the dogs' initial reactions to the pup, I wouldn't have kept her. Why? They weren't all thrilled about having a young puppy around - it had been quite a while since we'd had a puppy here. We kept her crated when we couldn't observe their interactions. The pup wasn't allowed to bother the older dogs (we didn't reprimand her, instead removed her when she was too boistrous) and the older dogs weren't allowed to overreact to her normal puppy behavior (this approach assumes that your dog listens to you). Today (puppy is 8 months old), 2 of the dogs play with the pup, two are largely indifferent to her and one doesn't like her (another female). BUT they get along . . . The age difference between your pup and your existing dog is smaller than that between my pup and dogs - I bet yours' will be just fine . Just remember to give your older dog breaks from the puppy (this is good for the puppy too) and continue to give it attention too. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indydog Posted May 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 As with any age group it is always best not to have the meeting on your property. Some people use treats but to me that is causing more of an issue as food has been introduced into the equation. An open space is much better ensuring that your dog can move away freely should he feel cornered or have the "dog in my face" feeling. If your boy can be free while the other dog is on a leash all the better. If they seem comfortable then let 'em run. It sounds like this is a done deal for you and your family and I hope that is not the case. I would always base my decisions on whether or not they get along - some dogs just dont like each other and BCs are some of the pickiest IMO. Any issues that you see when they meet will likely get worse when you get home and in HIS territory. Not to mention that the pup is going to be six months soon and talk about energy! If they dont get along and your boy doesnt work things out within 30 minutes, I would not take the puppy. Not trying to place a downer on the situation as I hope that your little rescue girl and your boy hit it off with flying colors. If you do, you are hereby notified of the requirement to post pictures Good luck! Thanks for your words. I agree with you. I keep on telling myself that I shouldn't set myself up to be disappointed but its hard not too But I do know that the more time Indy spends with a dog, the more comfortable he is with it. It was the case with my friends male 1 yr in your face boxer other friends dogs we shared ski cabins. This also the reason why we are getting a puppy. We are hoping that it will help him to feel more secure with pushy dogs. Indy is a rescue dog and his personality didn't really come out till the 3 years ago even though has been with us for a total of 6 years. He never had any issues for the first 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 I would say it depends on how bad you want the new pup. And even if they get along now, it's not to say they will when the pup is older. Jackson loved Skip when I brought him home at 9wks. and Skip adored Jackson. Now, Skip is a bully to Jackson, and Jackson pretty much takes it. So, again, it just depends. As long as there is no out and out viciousness on your older dogs part, they will probly be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarius89 Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 If they dont get along and your boy doesnt work things out within 30 minutes, I would not take the puppy. I completely disagree with this. Adding another dog to a home is a change for EVERYONE. It took Mickey a week or two to get used to Molly being in our home, and several more weeks for them to completely adapt to each other. In the beginning, I honestly didn't think it would work out because Mickey was very depressed - but now it is impossible to tear them apart. Your puppy will have to learn the rules. Baring teeth and some snaps are okay because, IMO, "it is Indy's house". The pup will follow his rules, and for the time being (as a pup) will most likely not be the leader/dominant one of the pair. Honestly, I allow tiny scuffles, but if it doesn't stop in 5 seconds or there is blood, I step in. But don't let her intentionally piss him off too much. If she is persistent, I would leash her and every time she makes a go at Indy, "Ah, ah, (insert name)" and bring her over to you and give her something else to do. It may take a while for Indy to adjust, but believe me, there will be a bond formed that you never thought was possible! Make sure you give the pup a week or two if you don't think it is working out. Most rescues have a standard two week trial period for potential homes. Dogs are very adaptable, but it does take time. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedismom Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 If your purpose for getting the puppy is to be a playmate for Indy then it is important for them to get along. I agree with Skyler that they should initially meet in neutral territory. They probably won't be best buddies right off, but you will be able to tell if Indy can't stand him or if it's something you can work with. What is the energy level of your 8 yr. old? Would he enjoy chasing, and wrestling with a high energy puppy who will probably have the tendency to get in his face? It it were me and this is totally JMO, I would probably get a more settled adult BC for a 2nd dog. Cadi was (and still is a little) somewhat possesive with all her "stuff". So what I ended up doing was, I took all her toys, bedding and put them up for a week. This helped them get a relationship going because she wasn't spending all her time guarding her stuff. I also made sure I fed Cadi first and other things to establish her as the leader. Though she does not really need help in that area...my little queen bee I feed them both together though this took some work. They both wanted to hover over the other just to check if I had suddenly added a filet to one of the bowls. Feeding them the same food helped with that situation. Anyway, I hope it all works out for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyler Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 If your purpose for getting the puppy is to be a playmate for Indy then it is important for them to get along. I agree with Skyler that they should initially meet in neutral territory. They probably won't be best buddies right off, but you will be able to tell if Indy can't stand him or if it's something you can work with. Bingo. One thing to consider is how aggressive Indy is to the pup. You have to be careful not to open a can of worms in your household. Like Aquarius stated, there are ways to work on the situation but you must consider how much work on top of the already demanding puppy you are willing to deal with. If you separate them you are also splitting your time that much more between the two dogs. Personally, my first dog (Indy in your case) takes priority. His happiness is what I am most concerned about. Given that premise, would this puppy just cause an uproar and make everyone stressed beyond normal puppiness? You could work out issues and there are always going to be little spats (mine have them every once in a while) but if there is no foundation to work from I personally feel its not the right pup. I looked and looked for the right dog to be Koda's friend - and mine of course that also had to tolerate my wife's chihuahuas. There were several I really loved but THEIR relationship wasnt right so I passed - and one was particularly difficult to not take. But, when I found Zak, they took about 2 minutes to break down the walls and they have been best friends ever since. The best advice I can give you is to be honest with yourself, set aside your desire for the pup and look at Indy's happiness - after all, he has been your true blue friend for 8 years and deserves your discretion. If you think it can work and will bring joy into your family rather than heartache, then go for it. If not, save your dogs happiness and pass on this particular pup and look for another - there are so many that need homes and there is surely one to fit "perfectly". Good luck and I hope that this girl is the one for you. Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indydog Posted May 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 Personally, my first dog (Indy in your case) takes priority. His happiness is what I am most concerned about. Given that premise, would this puppy just cause an uproar and make everyone stressed beyond normal puppiness? You could work out issues and there are always going to be little spats (mine have them every once in a while) but if there is no foundation to work from I personally feel its not the right pup. I looked and looked for the right dog to be Koda's friend - and mine of course that also had to tolerate my wife's chihuahuas. There were several I really loved but THEIR relationship wasnt right so I passed - and one was particularly difficult to not take. But, when I found Zak, they took about 2 minutes to break down the walls and they have been best friends ever since. The best advice I can give you is to be honest with yourself, set aside your desire for the pup and look at Indy's happiness - after all, he has been your true blue friend for 8 years and deserves your discretion. If you think it can work and will bring joy into your family rather than heartache, then go for it. If not, save your dogs happiness and pass on this particular pup and look for another - there are so many that need homes and there is surely one to fit "perfectly". Good luck and I hope that this girl is the one for you. I completely agree with you. Indy is my boy and my first priority. If he is not happy, even if there is no disagreements, there is no use in keeping the puppy. Plus, she will have no problems finding a home. In fact, I think there is a waiting list. Ideally, a smaller, 1 to 2 yr female would've been a better choice. We will be meeting the puppy on netural grounds. Foruntately, its a long weekend so we'll have more time to bond with everyone. During the work week, we'll take turns working from home and I can always come home mid day to check on the puppy. Thanks to all for your great advice and opinion. Here is Indy: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/37018 The puppy's pic is attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 Ceana and Poke fought over "things," for the first month. Now, 5 months later, they hate to be apart. Some relationships take time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarius89 Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 If he is not happy, even if there is no disagreements, there is no use in keeping the puppy. Plus, she will have no problems finding a home. In fact, I think there is a waiting list. You can't adopt/purchase a dog with the thought "if we can't keep her, there are plenty of other homes out there who want her" running through your mind. When you get a puppy, you are making a commitment. She deserves a chance with you, and I don't mean just a few days or a week. I hope you will give her at least two weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indydog Posted May 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 You can't adopt/purchase a dog with the thought "if we can't keep her, there are plenty of other homes out there who want her" running through your mind. When you get a puppy, you are making a commitment. She deserves a chance with you, and I don't mean just a few days or a week. I hope you will give her at least two weeks. Trust me, we will try. There is undoubtly going be an emotion bond thats going to be hard to break but why not give a puppy to another home if she would be happy with someone else? Its the right thing to do. Everyone on the waiting list is carefully screened by the rescue. Its not like I'm taking her to the pound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indydog Posted May 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 She's home! We named her Abbygail or Abby. Indy is growled a couple times when doesn't want to play and she gets too pushy. But he'll actually play with her on his terms though. We keep the living/common room toys and food free. She eats like a porker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Well, a few years back DH brought home an 8 wk old female BC pup. Our male was about 10 at the time but had always lived in a multidog household. ..a few months before I lost my female. Jake took to that pup like you wouldn't believe, found his second youth... Some males do like pups, some don't. Jake put up and even enjoyed her antics and taught her all the appropriate ways to behave as a dog. When that young pup was 5, she had a planned litter. Jake, bless his heart, arthritic,deaf and vision not quite as good as it used to be, starting checking on those pups as soon as the last one was born...filling the role of 'great uncle'. He just adored puppies. A few months after that his body gave out on him and now he rests in the shade of a young peach tree, where a couple of those pups will play. Sorry gang... just reminiscing about a good and well loved dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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