| Re: Introducing New Dog to 2 1/2 YR Old Rottie
This could be a tricky one. As Shelby said they may not get along. I wouldn't recommend 2 boys this close in age.
Has Beau had any training? Are you getting Sampson into obedience classes?
When hubby and I got together he had a male GSD, I had a rottie mix. The boys were 3 years apart in age and both were neutered. Niko the GSD was 5 and Dude the rottie mix was 2. We let them meet on neutral ground about 2 months after we got together. They got along great. Never in the 5 years (when Niko died) did we have a bit of problem. The two were the best of buds. Yes we were very lucky.
A few months after we lost Niko we adopted a GSD mix. We opted for a female so we wouldn't have same sex issues. The meet and greets(on neutral ground) went extremely well. Brought her to the house to see how they would do. Again it couldn't have went better. Well when Dude realized she wasn't going home his whole attitude changed. He wanted nothing to do with her. He would leave the room if she was there, curl his lip if she got within 5 feet, and at least twice a week not eat his meals. I did take him to the vet to rule out any medical issue. Meanwhile Bop loved her new "brother". Every once in a while he would growl. He was never agressive just very unhappy about the whole situation.
It took about 3 months until Dude accepted Bop. They get along great now. Every once in a while Bop gets on Dude's nerves(she's still a pup at 16 months)and Dude lets her know it's time to quit. She respects him and everything goes well. Bop is also crated when we are gone, while Dude has the run of the house.
I would make sure to always allow Beau first, be it greeting him, first out to potty or giving a treat. Don't allow Beau to bully Sampson but don't expect him to play second fiddle either. Keep Sampson crated in a separate area where Beau can't get to when your not home and hopefully it all works out, but only time will tell. Remember, this is all new to Sampson and he is still in the honeymoon stage. He may develop some type of aggression toward Beau when he feels more comfortable in your home.
I wish you the best of luck and hope it works. Keep us posted.  |