multiple dog owners,, help please

[LorraineO]

I , as you might already know,, am hopefully adopting a second dog and am a bit nervous,, I have always only owned one dog at a time, so this is new for me,,, How do I help the dogs to get along and not fight?
Do they figure out who is alpha in the house?
Do your dogs fight much and when they do,, how do you break it up?

How do I make sure both dogs feel loved equally?

How do I gain the trust of the new dog and yet not show more attention to it over my first dog?

do I feed from one bowl or two?

eeeek,, I have a million questions!!!

I feel so UNeducated here,, HELP!!!!!!!

[Tonya]

Originally posted by LorraineO
How do I help the dogs to get along and not fight?
I don't really have a problem in that area. Hopefully they'll hit it off!

Do they figure out who is alpha in the house?
Yes
Do your dogs fight much and when they do,, how do you break it up?
Mine don't. Roxy will snarl and snap at Dusty if he crosses his boundries. He has to let her eat first.

How do I make sure both dogs feel loved equally?
I give them one on one attention as much as I can, but it is difficult because Roxy gets anxious if I take Dusty away.

How do I gain the trust of the new dog and yet not show more attention to it over my first dog?
Just give them both equal attention

do I feed from one bowl or two?
I would start off feeding them in two bowls.

[cloverfdx]

First off congratulations on your possible new addition .

I am a multiple dog Mama and i personally dont have any trouble at all with the dogs fighting, there is the occasional telling off (Eg Elvis standing on Clover when she is asleep, and Clover snapping at him) but never anthing serious.

Introducing new dogs into the home can take alot of work but in some cases it is very easy. I always like to introduce new dogs the the first dog on neuteral ground away from the home say at a park or at the Shelter (If a shelter/ rescue dog). Let the dogs get to know one another and play if they want to. And most importantly always supervise the two dogs when you bring the new dog home.

As for food dishes each dog should have their own, i would start off by feeding the new dog in a seperate room/ area untill both dogs are comfortable with one another.

The dogs should work out who is Alpha over time, try not to interfere much at this stage unless it is realy nessescery.

You have come to the right place and you should get some excellent help from people here.

Good luck with your new dog search.

[LorraineO]

tonya,,,

thank you for your suggestions,, I will have to REEELAX!!! thanks again for your input.

[LorraineO]

cloverfdx..

thanks,,, Rose is a rescued dog,,, and we will be having our first meeting this saturday in neutral territory for both dogs. rose is partially blind too. she is 7 or so they are guessing and our Lucy is 2

I will definately be relying on everyone here for help,,,,,, hope I wont be a bother!!!!!

[cloverfdx]

Oh how exciting goodluck with meeting Rose .

Of course you wont be a bother, PT is a wonderfull place and people are always willing to answer any questions.

Please let us know how the meeting with Rose goes on Saturday.

[Glacier]

Originally posted by LorraineO
I , as you might already know,, am hopefully adopting a second dog and am a bit nervous,, I have always only owned one dog at a time, so this is new for me,,, How do I help the dogs to get along and not fight?
Introduce them slowly and carefully. Neutral ground might be best for their first meeting, that way your first dog won't feel like her territory is being invaded. Rose may startle easily given her lack of sight so limit sudden movement and loud noises as much as you can.

Do they figure out who is alpha in the house?
They'll work that out, but watch with two females that it doesn't get out of hand. It's more important that they know you are the alpha of both of them.

Do your dogs fight much and when they do,, how do you break it up?
Sometimes they do. I don't break it up unless it looks like one of them is going to get hurt. Then I grab the back legs of the dog on top and lift them up--forces the dog to look back at you and you can remove them from the fray. In a minor tussle a shot of cold water or a loud banging sound sometimes works to break them up.


How do I make sure both dogs feel loved equally?
Follow their cues--they may not need or want the same amount of actually attention. They will tell you if they are feeling neglected.

How do I gain the trust of the new dog and yet not show more attention to it over my first dog?
Consistency and gentleness will earn any dog's trust.

do I feed from one bowl or two?
Two-if they are going to fight it will likely be over food!

Good luck and enjoy the new addition.

[pitc9]

I had Sierra for almost a year when I brought Buddy home. Buddy had already had a bad life, he was dumped in the woods, and was afraid of everything and everyone... so when I brought him home to Sierra... he was afraid of her, and would hide his face from her. But that didn't last long! He realized pretty quick what a wonderful girl she was! We were lucky to never have even the slightest of fights. They were made for eachother!

Food... two bowls. This way I know how much each one is eating

How do you make sure both dogs feel loved equally? They will let you know when they need loving!!!

[LorraineO]

glacier,, pitc9..

Rose is sociaized well with her other foster brothers..... she has had no agression with them. so I am hoping it will be the same here with my dog,,, Lucy has gotten along well with another female,, she isa pittie,,, sounds like they are gonna kill eaxhother,, but its all play!!!
I will definatley opt for 2 bowls,, it makes sense to do that not only because rose is a tad possesive of food having been starved most of her life but also so I know how much is eating....

A million thanks ,,, I appreciate all the advice here,,,,,,

[Toller 42]

You should also feed out of 2 different bowls because alot of ogs don't like to eat out of the same bowl.