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Old December 18th, 2012, 11:05 PM
robinskitties robinskitties is offline
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Adding a new dog to the mix - how to integrate?

Hey everyone. I know nothing about dog training so I'm hoping you can help. We have a perfect mutty beaglish 25 pound dog named Kasee (since she's perfect, we never really had to train hee). :-)

For the next few days we are dog-sitting my son's dogs - a 2 year old 50 pound brown lab named Dexter and a something named Jackie. We brought Kasee with us and are hoping we can make it work. I might be too anxious about it though.

Dexter has a history of barking at other dogs though he's fine with Jackie. Well, we used Doritos as a treat (we forgot real treats) and we got the barking under control. The problem is that Dexter snaps at Kasee. Now he may just be trying to play - that's how he and Jackie play (they're both very mouthy) but I'm very nervous about letting them get too close. Kasee doesn't seem afraid but I am. :-)

Sleeping is also a problem. I have Dexter and Jackie with me and my friend has Kasee in the other room. Dexter whined for over an hour. He calmed down briefly but now he's whining again.

What do you more experienced folks think? Is this a process that will take weeks? Any suggestions about how to acclimate them? What about suggestions for the worried mommy?

Last edited by robinskitties; December 18th, 2012 at 11:18 PM.
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Old December 19th, 2012, 09:50 AM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robinskitties View Post
Hey everyone. I know nothing about dog training so I'm hoping you can help. We have a perfect mutty beaglish 25 pound dog named Kasee (since she's perfect, we never really had to train hee). :-)

For the next few days we are dog-sitting my son's dogs - a 2 year old 50 pound brown lab named Dexter and a something named Jackie. We brought Kasee with us and are hoping we can make it work. I might be too anxious about it though.

Dexter has a history of barking at other dogs though he's fine with Jackie. Well, we used Doritos as a treat (we forgot real treats) and we got the barking under control. The problem is that Dexter snaps at Kasee. Now he may just be trying to play - that's how he and Jackie play (they're both very mouthy) but I'm very nervous about letting them get too close. Kasee doesn't seem afraid but I am. :-)

Sleeping is also a problem. I have Dexter and Jackie with me and my friend has Kasee in the other room. Dexter whined for over an hour. He calmed down briefly but now he's whining again.

What do you more experienced folks think? Is this a process that will take weeks? Any suggestions about how to acclimate them? What about suggestions for the worried mommy?
It would be best if you could act calm , the dogs will pick up on you acting nervous and that will made them feel nervous too. Dogs can pick up on people feelings so you will need to let the dogs know that you have everything in control. I really think it would had been best to had your son's dogs stay at kennel ,as it sound like you bite off more than you can chew. Can you take your son dogs out to play so they can get rid of some energy
then take so your dog . Does any of the dogs know how to sit and stay, if not I would start teaching the dogs that right way.
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Old December 19th, 2012, 10:55 AM
robinskitties robinskitties is offline
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Kasee knows how to sit and stay but neither Dexter or Jackie have any training at all. I've watched his dogs before so I'm not worried about that - I just never took Kasee up with me. I'd like to have her there as... Well, obviously, I like having her around. I don't think I've bitten off more than I can chew because I can always take her home. What I'm looking for are suggestions on how to avoid that.

We've been letting them out separately to work off some entergy but that hasn't helped much...
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Old December 19th, 2012, 11:02 AM
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Loki Love Loki Love is offline
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It may just take some time.

As for the snapping - when is it happening? It could be communication and as long as Kasee is 'listening' then I would let the dogs work it out. You need to intervene if you see it escalate or one of the dogs isn't 'listening' to the other.

Not sure about the whining.. where do the dogs normally sleep? If Dexter isn't used to sleeping in the room, maybe try to let him have his own routine back?

I agree with lots and lots of exercise.. tired puppers make for good puppers!
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Old December 19th, 2012, 03:41 PM
robinskitties robinskitties is offline
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Dexter and Jackie normally sleep with me when I dig sit. The only new thing is the other dog. Even the friend who's there with me (the one Kasee slept with) is the same.

Like I said, I'm unsure about the snapping thing because he does it to Jackie when he plays with her. I'm just afraid he'll hurt the older, smaller dog before I get in the way. We'll see how things go tonight and, if they're still difficult, I'll have my friend take Kasee home.
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Old December 21st, 2012, 06:30 AM
robinskitties robinskitties is offline
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FYI, it all worked out beautifully. I admit, I had to leave the room a few times and let my friend handle it, but the dogs worked it out. Dexter is head over heels in love with Kasee and, although Kasee seems less smitten, she plays with him. He follows her around... Well, like a puppy, and every once in a while I'm sure I've caught her rolling her eyes at him.

Anyway, I know you kind of have to let the dogs work it out but I was afraid Kasee would get her much tinier button kicked. In fact, turns out that Dexter just wants her to like him. :-) I guess it's hard to predict the whole alpha thing.

I just wanted to let you know that it looks like it's all good. We do have to watch them around food - Dexter gets really hot if it looks like she's getting too close to his food but he's the same way with Jackie so that's not surprising.

Now, if we could just get Jackie to forget how to bark, life would be perfect... Thanks for all your help!
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