Introducing Stella...

[robsam]

Sorry, no pics yet, but I am bringing home my second rescue dog tomorrow.

Our first one, Bennie, is a fiest, he looks like a really tall Jack Russell but he is supposedly a squirrel hunting dog. He is actually a house cat, hates being outdoors, hates getting his feet wet, is scared of our pool.

Stella is a tiny little Miniature Pinscher, like Bennie she had a tough time earlier in her life (she is maybe two years old), and needs a good home with some love. I saw her at my daughters soccer game last night, overheard that she was up for adoption, and, yeah, I was smitten.

I FINALLY managed to track down the number of her foster parent, and we are picking her up tomorrow to see if she will like our home.

Anyone have any good ideas about the best way to introduce her to Bennie? He isn't aggressive, but he is sooooo happy when my friends bring their dogs over he tends to annoy the hell out of them by trying to play with them too much. A "normal" dog will growl or bark to back him off, but I'm worried Stella is too insecure to defend her ground.

[ElGuapo]

Generally from what I've read what you do is let both dogs know you are in charge. This means you let the old dog know Stella is an accepted member of the pack by showering Stella with praise and affection while Bennie can see her. Then you let both dogs meet while monitoring them and praising both. It's also a good idea to take them both immediately on a walk and make sure they are both beside you (i.e. don't let one run way ahead on leash, keep them both back). After a long walk that tires them out a
bit bring them back and relax. This will provide a stucture to the pack order
immediately and let both dogs know their place which will calm them down and comfort them. Dogs like to know the pack order. Then you just let them figure out little things like who gets what bed, where the relax and lay down, etc. They will establish who is dominant on their own. Keep an eye put for conflict but in general if they know you are in charge by leading, you won't have problems.

I've introduced new dogs this way and the key is to calm everyone down
during the introduction. I know everyone will be excited but riling them up by you being overexcited (or anxious) will give them confusing vibes. The vibe you want to give the dogs is "this is no big deal and everyone is friends here".

[Eric Majkut]

Still no pics? Harumph! :(

[TomChick]

Still no pics? Harumph! :(

No kidding.

Worst. New pet thread. Ever.

-Tom

[robsam]

Worked today, pics coming shortly.

http://i34.tinypic.com/2akhf2b.jpg


Sorry, having trouble sizing these, better too small than obnoxiously large though.

Here she is last night in her little rescue dog bed that I placed on my couch. She pretty much stayed there all night watching me watch football.

[robsam]

http://i38.tinypic.com/14so611.jpg


http://i34.tinypic.com/2w4l4w6.jpg

So there's another one of Stella on top, I'm guessing she weighs about ten pounds at the most, and Bennie on the bottom, he's about twenty-five pounds (3 pounds overweight).

[Scrax]

My grandparents moved in with my parents not too long ago, and their yorkie didn't get along with my parent's PBGV. My dad started taking them on walks together, and now they love each other. Soooo, that method seems to work, as long as they don't try and kill each other.

[kerzain]

That dog looks much too tiny to rescue anything.

[robsam]

That dog looks much too tiny to rescue anything.


Pfffttt, shortly before this photo was taken she saved three kids drowning in the pool. She is just too cool to let on how bad-ass she really is.


http://i37.tinypic.com/2d9wuf.jpg

[TomChick]

Stella does look like a pretty cool customer. Bennie looks like the kind of dog easily distracted by shiny things and squirrels. In fact, in that picture, he looks like he's seen a shiny thing or a squirrel.

-Tom

[Houngan]

Yep, that's a dog's dog. Just your classic midsize mutt. She'll be healthy as a horse and loyal as herpes.

H.

[robsam]

Stella does look like a pretty cool customer. Bennie looks like the kind of dog easily distracted by shiny things and squirrels. In fact, in that picture, he looks like he's seen a shiny thing or a squirrel.

-Tom


Well, he is a squirrel dog by breeding, but he probably sees a couch in the distance. I have never seen a dog in my life that loves a nice comfy couch as much as Bennie does.

[robsam]

Yep, that's a dog's dog. Just your classic midsize mutt. She'll be healthy as a horse and loyal as herpes.

H.


I'm so confused, I think you just insulted both of my dogs! Bennie is midsized, but not a girl. Stella is a purebreed Min Pin, not a mutt! Which one has herpes and which is a horse??

(Thank God I didn't post pictures of my kids.....)

;)

[Houngan]

I didn't know there was a breed for "small, generally black dog." She looks like a mutt, and I mean that as a compliment. Mutts are what needs to be adopted, and are generally a lot healthier than purebreds. And they are notoriously midsize black dogs.

H.

[robsam]

I didn't know there was a breed for "small, generally black dog." She looks like a mutt, and I mean that as a compliment. Mutts are what needs to be adopted, and are generally a lot healthier than purebreds. And they are notoriously midsize black dogs.

H.


Stella has been identified by a vet (not mine) as a pure bred dog, but there are no AKC papers to prove it, as she was abandoned and left to live or die on the side of the road. I could not care less about her "pedigree", and I didn't mean to imply I did, I was joking about your comment. I took her in because she needed a break, and I hope we can make her happy here. She gets a bit better adjusted every hour, but she is a much tougher case than Bennie was.

El Guapo, took them on the walk today, kept Bennie reighned in tightly, and they did GREAT together. Stella got a bit tired and started trying to hop into my leg so I would carry her, but I kept walking and she settled down and stayed on course. A good walk, I'm proud of both of them.

[Scrax]

You may have already done this and omitted it from your post, but it is generally a good idea to introduce your pets before you actually adopt the additional pet*. Some dogs just don't get along with other dogs, and it's easier to see how they will first react to each other without making a commitment. Wouldn't want to adopt a dog (especially one that has been abused/abandoned before) and realize that you can't keep it.


*This goes for children too!

[robsam]

You may have already done this and omitted it from your post, but it is generally a good idea to introduce your pets before you actually adopt the additional pet*. Some dogs just don't get along with other dogs, and it's easier to see how they will first react to each other without making a commitment. Wouldn't want to adopt a dog (especially one that has been abused/abandoned before) and realize that you can't keep it.


*This goes for children too!

I have to admit that I didn't introduce them properly, as we say down here, but I made sure to keep space between them as they met each other. Bennie saw her as a great new friend to play with, Stella got all stiff and calm and let him sniff her wayyy longer than a mentally healthy dog would...I broke them up, it was just sad that she stood there and didn't do the dog thing and try to sniff him...

They are getting along better now, she is beginning to do her own thing in our house, checking out rooms without Bennie folowing her every second, I think they will both be okay. We are showering Bennie with so much attention now he doesn't know what to do...and he was already spoiled in a way...

[robsam]

They played together tonight for about two minutes, I finally saw her personality, Bennie was thrilled at first, then confused that she was actually playing, so he quit before her...Awesome moment...

I am aware no one cares, but I can't help sharing....

[ElGuapo]

It's awesome she's coming out of her shell.

[ScurvyPig]

They played together tonight for about two minutes, I finally saw her personality, Bennie was thrilled at first, then confused that she was actually playing, so he quit before her...Awesome moment...

I am aware no one cares, but I can't help sharing....

I'm waiting for her to rescue something.

Or look like she can rescue something.

Something.