Hi Guys

I am hoping there are some of you out there that can give me some advice on how to introduce a new dog to our existing one. I have an 11 mth old male gsd - Alfie, a lovely big bear with a great temperament and loves other dogs. On Saturday i visited a rescue centre and have fallen in love with a 3yr old gsd bitch who has been there for 3 months, she has no real problems and apart from being  a bit boisterous seemed to get on well with my dog and kids. Asssuming we pass the home check we will be getting her in about 2 weeks and i would appreciate some advice on how to bring her home, should i take Alfie to meet her at the rescue place and let them travel back together in the car or would this be a bit too much for her to deal with on her first day out? or should i just bring her home and let the dogs sort it out between themselves. Also how do i deal with it if Alfie becomes jealous of her?

Look forward to some good advice :-)

HI Mich

From what I gather your puppy has met the new dog already and got along fine!  I would tend to introduce them on neutral ground before entering the house.  Your current dog probably will not bother that much as he is male and the new dog is a bitch but you never know!!  Let them meet on neutral ground and have a short walk together so that they can become accustomed to one another and then take them back once they seem fairly calm.  This has always worked for me when introducing dogs.  I used to do petsitting and I would take the dog that was coming to stay on a walk with mine before going home and it always worked fine - no problems at all.  I'm sure this will be OK.

Good luck
Annie

Thanks Annie
They met again yesterday and had a little play and were absolutely fine , we are hoping to bring her home on Friday :-) . What about night time? do you think i should seperate them when i go to bed and at feeding times or shall i just let them sort it out? I don't want to overwhelm the poor little girl as she is quite nervy and has had a really sad life so far as her previous owners were cruel to her so i want to let her know that she is safe with us and wonder what is the best way to go about it.?

I don't know what your current dog is like around food, however bear in mind that feeding is a high arousal time for dogs and an "only" can have a personality transformation once competition is introduced.

If it were me, I would feed in separate rooms to begin with........

Great, thanks Tohme.

Alfie is fine around food, infact he doesn't guard anything  - food, toys, bones etc he will happily let any one of us pick it up and take it away but he has never been fed when another dog is around so i will keep them seperate and see how we get on. Tell me if i'm being really stupid but i was also thinking about his toys and things, should i buy new ones for the new girl or just let her play with Alfie's?

Do you agree that i should seperate them at night time to start with?

Reallly you are the one that has access to the info, so you may need to suck it and see.

Bear in mind, in zoos etc and certainly when I bring a puppy home, animals are often segregated, especially in the absence of supervision to avoid issues.........

Don't bother with new toys.

Hi MIch

I agree with Tohme about feeding.  Often that is the time when it can all go horribly wrong!!!  It may be that she settles in very quickly because you have another dog.  I know that my Bazil did.  He seemed to get comfort from the fact that Megan was there.  When she arrives just take things easy and don't expect too much too soon.  Try not to put any pressure on her and don't let people come in and make a fuss of her if she is a bit timid.  Let her come round in her own time.  It took me about a year before I could honestly say that Bazil felt completely safe.  He is now a wonderful boy and well worth the effort but, I have to say, he still doesn't get any pressure put on him.  I notice a reall difference between the dogs I have rescued and the ones I have reared from puppies.  The puppies are both bold, confident dogs without a care in the world.  To be honest, they've never known a days hardship in their lives.  Take things easy and I'm sure all will be fine.  It seems to me that this little girlie is going to a wonderful home with somebody who has only her best interests at heart.

Good luck for your new arrival.

Annie

PS  I had a problem with Baz and the cat when he came so he slept in a cage until they got used to each other.  You sound like you are a sensible person so just wait and see how things work out.  Your boy may be delighted at having a new friend and vice versa!

Thanks guys for your great advice, i will keep you posted on her progress. Thanks for your words Annie, they were really kind, i think maybe i am being a bit hysterical cos i know that she was treated so badly and i want to make up for it.:-)