Bad Experiences With Introducing Pups To Older Dogs

[IggiePiggie]

So our first family dog was an abandoned mini dachshund(Boudine) that had been mistreated and as a consequence had a fairly snappy attitute.

Our second dog was a another dachshund(Albert) who also learnt some bad manners from our original mini, Boudine.

Now the problem is that Albert was almost 9 when i got my first Italian Greyhound (Borris).

And not only did Albert not like Borris, he actually went him a couple of times.

And not a playful, nip. But an all out charge and bite.

Now they are good friends now. We ended up taking it slower to get them used to eachother and kept a very close eye on them.

Borris and I no longer live with Albert and we are getting another IG pup and I am just a bit nervous that Borris may have, in turn, picked up some bad habits.

Borris has done a lot more socialising that Albert had and he definitely has a certain affinity with other IG's he meets.

The only problem is that when the I first introduced Albert to Borris i was not working and could keep an eye on them.

However i may be able to take a couple of days off work but i won't be able to monitor the pup and Borris 24/7, after say, the first week.

Does anyone have any advice about how to deal with this?

[Miranda]

The only problem is that when the I first introduced Albert to Borris i was not working and could keep an eye on them.

However i may be able to take a couple of days off work but i won't be able to monitor the pup and Borris 24/7, after say, the first week.

Does anyone have any advice about how to deal with this?

You need to have facilities to separate them when you're not there, a dog run would be ideal. I wouldn't leave them together unsupervised until you're 100% certain that they are getting on.

[bobchic]

I watched a Dog Whisperer episode about this last night... Well it was actually a cat and a dog... But still the same principle applies...

You need to show your top dog and do not allow any dominance between them. Neither dog can be dominant. You need to be dominant.

And then they should get along and be happy chappies...

So correct them when they growl, are tense etc...

Or maybe consult a professional before doing any of the above... as per the episode disclaimer...

Goodluck!!

[pebbles]

As Miranda said - separate them when you can't supervise. Better safe than sorry and things can go wrong very quickly, the best of friends can have a falling out.

[Miranda]

I would also recommend that you get a female rather than another male.

[IggiePiggie]

I would also recommend that you get a female rather than another male.

See, i have read that in a couple of places. But a couple of breeders have told me to definitely go for a male, as they are much more even-tempered.

If both pups are de-sexed will it make that much of a difference?

The dachshund was a male as well and they ended up being friends.

[CBL]

I would also recommend that you get a female rather than another male.

See, i have read that in a couple of places. But a couple of breeders have told me to definitely go for a male, as they are much more even-tempered.

If both pups are de-sexed will it make that much of a difference?

The dachshund was a male as well and they ended up being friends.

I have heard that with iggies too - females tend to be more dominant and rule the roost.

Given Boris is more socialised then you probably won't have any major problems, but as the others said - definitely separate them when they are unsupervised. I think that many adult dogs can 'detect' a puppy and are much more gentle.

We were very concerned when introducing our iggy puppy to our adult greyhound - however he was extremely gentle with him, but put the pup in his place when he needed to be.

Lots of positive reinforcement for good interactions too - lots of praise and treats when they are together so they know good things happen

[Miranda]

I would also recommend that you get a female rather than another male.

See, i have read that in a couple of places. But a couple of breeders have told me to definitely go for a male, as they are much more even-tempered.

As a general rule a male and a female usually get along, that isn't always true of two males or two females. I am not saying that two dogs of the same sex can't get on I'm just saying that in my experience one of each sex is the best combination. If you have a male who's likely to have problems accepting another dog into the household then you may find it easier to introduce a female rather than another male. A desexed bitch is more likely to be even tempered than an entire bitch because they don't experience any fluctuation in hormone levels, but once again that's a generalisation, all dogs are different.

However I have no personal experience with Italian Greyhounds, my advice wasn't breed specific and if iggie breeders recommend getting another male then I would follow their advice.