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.