Let's See Your Dogs!!

Alright folks, I need a little help/guidance. We brought home our new male dachshund/shepherd mix (Winston) Friday. He is 14 weeks old and a very smart boy, can figure out a lot on his own and is almost already potty trained. I need some input on how to better adopt him into our family though; we have a 5 year old yorkshire terrior (Mocha) who was accepting of him at first and she even played with him, but as the weekend progressed became a little more shy and reserved. They met on the front lawn as a neutral place for about an hour before both coming into the house. Mocha will jump up on the back of the couch and try to hang out there all day because Winston cannot get her. She turns away from him when he enters the room and all in all has no use for Winston at the moment, she almost didn't even eat her food before work this morning - which is cause for concern because she is very food oriented and always eats as if it's her last meal on Earth.

I am planning on starting some new ground rules this week and need some feedback on my methods:
- My wife and I need to begin reinforcing the idea that WE are the pack leaders. We did this when we first got Mocha but completely forgot that we need to show those boundaries again. Mocha has accepted where she is in line and never challenged us after she submitted as a puppy. Are there any tips on making sure we go about enforcing pack leadership correctly?

- I think we need to show Mocha more love a respect than we did this weekend. Having a puppy makes it tough to be stern when needed because they are very cute. I am planning on making sure the puppy does not come on the couch anymore; use it as Mocha's "safespot". We are going to redirect the puppy to his new bed whenever he tries to come up on the couch to snuggle. Is it OK to let Mocha on the couch (we have done this since day-1, we can't tell her NO to this), and keep Winston from coming up?

- We would like Mocha to be the 2nd in command as she is the oldest and is used to how it was before the new puppy. We are going to let her growl and show her teeth to set boundaries, but if she begins to lash out and attack, we will step in to correct this as we are the pack leader. Should we let her nip and bite to assert or stop this behavior?

- In order to let Mocha be 2nd in command, we are going to let her be the first to get things. This means making sure she gets fed first, let out to pee/poop first, pet first, jump in the car first, etc. We are understanding that the canine world works a little different than the human world and want to make sure that the new puppy won't be put out too much either. The plan is to make the couch Mocha's safespot as well as our bedroom where she sleeps. When we both get home from work, I am going to take Mocha to the couch around the corner and out of sight for a little personal time then let her out to do her business. While she is out, we will play with Winston for a minute and then let him out once Mocha is finished.

I may be overthinking/analyzing this whole process, but I have never had two dogs before and want to make sure this whole process goes as smoothly as it can. At the end of the day, they need to work it out but if I can do anything to make sure Mocha is not put out then I will. Puppy training class may be in order to make sure he is tired out and still gets some social interaction, but with money a little tight from buying our first house, classes may wait a little while. Dog leash walks every evening in the State Forest will hopefully help.

 

for the pack leadership i'd look up leerburg.com great advice and articles on it. he specializes in shepherd and police working dogs but also has great advice on family pets. Although he can be extreme he gives you a great place to start used it with my rottie and shepherd mix and worked great! there is also info on bringing a new puppy in with an existing dog. his site is full of information and my go to when i run into problems!

 

My little knot-head is growing up so fast
6 months now

 

My beardog

 

Dogs will always try to advance in the pack. That's part of their way of life. If one gets injured, another steps up and takes his place. As long as you consistently assert your dominance with them, you will always be the leader.


My dogs have sometimes checked the boundary, but I come down fast and hard, so they do it less often (typically more between 1-3 years old and a lot less later in their lives). Consistency is the key here. Don't make exceptions for behavior you don't want. Everyone must follow all the rules, all the time. I have had to learn this the hard way.

Yes. But it is difficult. When I have multiples, each one has a bed of their own (Their safe spot) and are not allowed to occupy any other ones. It takes a long time to get that to stick though.

I have found that it is difficult to set a pack order yourself. Just let the dogs figure it out on their own. Once they realize they are all part of one pack, they will sort themselves out to follow your rules. Just make sure your rules include not fighting or bickering with each other.


Sometimes two dogs just won't get along. There is nothing wrong with it unless there is fighting involved. I have had dogs that want nothing to do with each other, but hunt and work together as a pack. But I have also had to give dogs away that just will not get along with the others. It sucks when that happens, but it's better for the dog to live somewhere else than in a stressful environment. Stressed out dogs don't make good working dogs anyway.


And the usual disclaimer is: all dogs and people are different in their own way. I just know what works for my hunting dogs past and present. I hope some of my experience can help you.

 

My dogs don't have a safe spot - they just have their own bed and kennel. They pretty much just stay to their own.

 

One thing we did to assert our dominance when the dogs were young was to let the dogs start eating (after the OK command of course) and then after a minute pick up the bowl and stir the kibble like we were eating it. It reinforces they only eat because you let them, and also reinforces the fact that people are not to be challenged for food.

I wouldn't recommend "breaking" an adult adoptee that way, but it works great for pups.

 

My great dane and my psychopath Jack Russell's and myself

 

My new guard dog, WillowBeast.....

 

Here are my dogs...the pit is 4 and his name is baloo and my english bulldog is king louie and he is 10months