Bringing Current Dog To Meet New One In Rescue?

[Mushiemum]

Hello all, I am a regular forum reader but not directly involved in Rescue so don't post much. I have bucketloads of admiration and respect for the work you all do and the passion with which you do it.

We have had three rescued Samoyeds over the past 5 years. We lost our beautiful boy to Canine CDS a month ago and I have been thinking about finding a companion for us and our other remaining Samoyed, an almost 9 year old desexed female. Probably not another Samoyed at this point.

I have a question for those in Rescue as this would be a situation you'd see a lot. Is it vital that the prospective owner takes their current dog to meet the new dog? Every rescue organisation I have contacted insists on it and I can understand why as a general rule, but I think that if we took Kiska to meet a dog in a pound/kennel situation she'd love them all, she'd be so excited just to see all the new dogs as she's well socialised and loves meeting new dogs on walks. So it would not be an accurate indication of whether she'd get on well with a new dog? The situation would be different though if a new dog came to our home, on her turf. Only because Kiska would feel she was in charge, and it would take some time to establish the boundaries but I feel she'd soon be fine and accept a new dog quite well. My reason for asking is partly because we live in rural QLD and most dogs we'd be interested in are probably going to be in Brisbane or the Sunshine coast, 2.5 to 3 hours away so that's a long car trip for Kiska and if we did adopt the new dog they'd be in the car together all that way home, and we'd have no idea how the new dog would take the car trip etc. so their first experience at being together might not be a great one which may set the tone for their doggy relationship.

I read your temp notes about the dogs in the pound situations and often feel the way they behave in the pound would be totally different to how they would behave when in a new home?

When we brought home our last 2 Samoyeds (in different years) to meet our existing Samoyed, their first meeting was at our home due to distance constraints, it was not possible for them to meet beforehand as both dogs came to us from interstate, and after the initial brief unsettled period they all became great mates. Is that just luck? Sammys are a placid breed but then again Kiska can be bossy and had never lived with another dog before she came to us but she settled in fine.

I guess my question is, if you're taking a dog to meet another in a kennel, that's not a situation where you can accurately judge how well they get on? Or is it? In your opinion is it vital to take the current dog to meet the new one?

[Aphra]

It's a good question. In general our preference is that people bring an existing dog to meet a prospective new dog; we have found that some people can have a tendency to overstate their own dog's sociability with other dogs. A few times there has been outright hostility from the get-go and it's clear that the relationship is never going to work. On occasions where the current dog is a bit over-excited by new surroundings we've organised another meeting, and they often work better because both dogs are a bit familiar.

We try and give the dogs as much time as possible to get to know each other, and because we're not in a shelter situation we that luxury. We parallel walk the dogs on a long, quiet stretch of road for as long as necessary until they both settle and then let them meet, so we generally get a reasonably good idea of how they are going to get along.

However, there have been occasions where people haven't wanted to bring their dogs (don't travel well on long trips, etc) and we're willing to be flexible. In those instances our concern will be that the prospective adopters are sufficiently dog-savvy to recognise and correct any issues as they happen; or are sufficiently motivated to get help if the relationship isn't working out.

We have a two week refund period which we will extend if necessary, to give people time to make sure things are going to work between two dogs. In the end our concern is the safety of both dogs, and our preference really is to be able to over-see them together, but sometimes that isn't possible.

You'll probably just have to work with rescues until you find ones who understand your issues and are willing to be flexible; every group will have their own policies for their own good reasons. Establishing a relationship with a group or groups and talking to them about your own dog and your understanding of her behaviour and how you'd address any issues which might arise would be a good start.

[garnali]

I take my fosters to their new home, where possible..

I advise how to introduce and when to step in if the interaction is too intense..

If some one brings their dog to meet a possible adoption I suggest an on lead intro in say a dog park or open area where they can interact on neutral territory..

I have my own dogs at home to consider when doing first introductions... My dogs may not interact with the person and dog that are visiting.. Also the foster dog may use my dogs as 'moral support' when meeting a potential friend.

I guess the main thing is to have neutral territory if possible.. Have people that are dog savvy in regards to introductions.. Not stepping in too soon if there is a growl but also knowing when that growl is more than a warning. Foster carers usually have a good understanding of the foster dog and will know the limitations of that particular dog.

I would not recommend direct adoptions from the pound unless you are certain that the dog will 'fit'into your home.. Rescue groups provide support for the new family regarding behavioural issues and most have a refund policy..

There are so many things to consider when introducing new animals.. I guess the main thing is being honest and upfront on both sides in regards to the adoption.. The more the humans work together the better the chances for the adoption to be successful..

[Mushiemum]

Thank you to you both, excellent answers :) I would much rather adopt a dog who is being fostered, but how do you know which ones are? On Pet Rescue are some are in pounds or shelters and some are in foster homes? On AWL, they are all in the shelter, is that correct? Same with Lost Dogs Home?

[Guest Ams]

I am flexible and will either take the dog to the new address or arrange for one of my helpers to do so, people are allowed to come out to Peiradise and meet the dogs but I specifically ask they do not bring their own dogs along. Meets can be in their home or a park nearby. I mainly rescue shar pei who can be lead / fence aggressive but fine once in a yard together so it is especially important for me to get that first meet right.

I currently have one neo mastiff male coming into care (maybe two) and a Catahoula x American Bulldog male as well. Heres hoping they get on.

[Mushiemum]

Thanks Ams :) There is a beautiful looking Shar Pei in the Warra Lost Dogs Home impound section, been there for a while so I think he may soon move to the Adoption page, he's lovely. So you specifically ask that people do not bring their own dogs for a meet because of their territorial nature?

[Guest Ams]

I have put my name down for the shar pei boy at LDH. I run a pack of dogs and trying to ascertain if two dogs like each other with another 15 of them running around is impossible. Also my pack will get very excitable when visitors arrive and fights sometimes break out so I try to limit who comes out here and my application form helps me to narrow down which dogs may be suitable and I can then just bring that one or two along to a meet and greet.

Running a rescue pack is not as easy as running a stable standard pack of breeding dogs. Rescue dogs come in and out at infrequent intervals and with different temperaments and different levels of training and socialisation. If I let everyone bring their dogs into Peiradise it would be setting a lot of dogs up for failure and would instigate a lot of unnecessary vet bills for me if it got out of hand.

Rescue dogs are introduced into the pack after they have done their quarantine time and then to two or three dogs at a time. There will always be dogs that don't like each other and so sub packs form (ie: certain dogs only allowed to play with other certain dogs) and they are housed in various yards accordingly but all are allowed access to the house in rotation.

Does this make sense?

With the bigger dogs I will only take on one or two at a time as experience has shown that a 4ft fence doesn't stop a Neo from coming to meet me down the driveway or to mingle with the other dogs if they so desire and a Neo can do a lot of damage to a smaller pei in a short time. I am currently working on getting some smaller areas with higher fencing up to help with this issue. Luckily most mastiffs that arrive are reasonably okay and easier to train than a pei.

[Mushiemum]

Makes perfect sense, thank you :)