Hi all, this is early days but i am looking for some advise or encouragement or something please. Merlin (beagle 21 months old) is really sociable and loves having other dogs for company. We decided to add another dog to our family and we got a beagle bitch aged 3. Well i thought he would be excited as we looked after a friends dog for 3 weeks and he pinned for her when she left, but he is definately not pleased. Yesterday, day 2, he wouldnt stay in the same room as her, she was trying to play and he wasnt interested. If she sat with him he would get up and move. This was very upsetting for us to see. Today he was a bit better, but when she plays she is very verbal and my boy is a big softy and moves away if she makes a noise. This evening and while we were out walking she tried to hump him a few times, he hates it but hasnt got an ounce of aggression and runs away from her. I dont know if things will settle when he gets to know her or not. She is trying to be very dominant which makes him uncomfortable, this leaves me feeling very guilty. Does anyone have any experience of anything like this pease, thanks.

I think it is very early days :) You say he was a bit better today and it's only day 2! Chances are she will be the boss but there is no reason for you to feel guilty about that.  Once dogs have established who fits where in the order of things they are generally very content, even the bloke at the bottom :)

My 2 year old wouldnt even so much as look at the new puppy for about 2 days...she very slowly got used to him...let him get away with murder and now they are very good friends indeed. I felt the same as you when the puppy would actually take treats out of the older ones mouth and she would just sit there looking so sad, but now they are used to each other and the pup is maturing they are very close. I know it is a different situation here as the bitch is older so is maybe trying to position herself as top dog...Im not really experienced with introducing older dogs so Im sure someone more experienced will be along soon, just to let you know that I was soooo worried at first with my two...like you said, it is very early days yet.

She's older and a bitch so she will take charge, he knows it and will have to get used to that fact and he will, I am pretty sure this time next week they will get on like a house on fire, expect a couple of fall outs no more than growls whilst she exerts her status but everything will settle, they will be great company for each other, he will certainly grow to love her, don't worry.

hi
words of encouragement for you!!(slightly different senario)
I recently introduced an 8 week old puppy to my 4 yr old dobermann bitch. I actually wrote on here asking how i should do this as my bitch wasnt keen on other dogs however the replies were less than encouraging and i went ahead and introduced them.
The first day my bitch wouldnt even come down from upstairs, we had to feed her up there and all.
She would snarl at the pup when she eventually came down the next day and when i eventually managed to get her to look at the pup she looked miserable and looked like she resented the puppy.
I learned to let them get on with it, with a watchful eye of course and now 7 weeks on they are the best of friends and the older dog instigates a lot of the games, much to my annoyance as they will play when Emmerdale comes on!!!
So just let them get on with it but let the original dog have its space away from the other dog when you think it needs it.And it is  natural for one or other of them to try to find who is the alpha dog and it may not be your boy but he will cope if she decides it is her, he will challenge her if he feels it should be him.
Dont forget that dogs dont think like we humans do,I think personally that we put our feelings in place of our dogs and this makes us worry as if they were human and they dont make half as much fuss as we do.
Hope this helps

Hmmm....my two play the most when Emmerdale is on??? Intresting...

Hi Stann  I had to smile when I saw your post.

I have been in the exact same position as your self.,

We have an older boy beagle who was the only dog and is a super softy and very laid back  and when he was a year and a half we acquired a little rescue bitch of 5 months.

Well he did'nt want anything to do with her and walked around with his tail down and looked at her as if to say "What the he** have you brought home?" .  Our little girl is very bouncy and verbal when playing and would dominate him and leap about like tigger!!

It took about a week and he went from getting up and walking off in a strop when she wanted to lie down with him to putting up with her and now after a year and a half they are best friends.  The bitch is the boss and he has learned to be more assertive and does stand up for himself more and the play is more equal but they had to find out for themselves but I do step in if the play gets rough.

They go around together and are very happy in their little pack.  So it can work after a getting to know you period

Please feel free to PM me from my profile if you need any tips.

Thanks guys. My boy is such a spoilt baby that I was absolutely gutted when i thought he was upset.They have been a bit better together today, both are trying to hump the other at the moment to decide top spot. The bitch has become slightly less verbal and growly and my boy has begun to gain some confidance and actually told her off twice today, once when they were playing and she caught hold of his tail and once when she stood on him to try and get comfy in a small space. He will actually stay in the room with her now. Fingers crossed it all goes well so they have each other.

I can sympathise, Stann. When we brought our pup home last year, our boy was just so miserable that I cried every time I looked at him :( I felt like I had betrayed him by bringing another dog into the house. It took about a week for him to accept her properly and they get along just fine now :)

Glad to hear things have improved a bit.  Stick with it, hopefully they will be the best of friends in no time :)

When I had a mini poodle staying for 2 1/2 weeks back in May, it took Remy until the very last night of her stay to sit next to her!

We had the same thing when we got our second dog. We'd had our first dog for a couple years and he loved playing with other dogs so we assumed there would be no problems and he would enjoy the company. Boy we were wrong. He had the biggest sulk when we bought our new puppy home and wouldnt go near her. We were shocked as we hadnt expected that reaction. Thankfully after a couple weeks they were fine.

Good luck, though I'm sure they'll be fine. They just need to work things out for themselves.

I think we can easily make the mistake of thinking that dogs are like humans in their desire for companionship. Unfortunately, they aren't and won't necessarily be at all thrilled when a new dog is introduced into the house although all usually settles down once they get better acquainted.

I'd love another dog but I don't think Nips does! He regularly sees (and gets on brilliantly with) his litter siblings as well as meeting plenty of other dogs, and is a friendly chap with no hang-ups or aggression. However, reports from when he goes back to stay with his brother and sister suggest that he very much likes his own space and actively seeks it out. When he gets home he revels in having the house and us to himself so if I did introduce another dog I'm under no illusion that he'd thank me for having a playmate that never went back to its own home at the end of the day!