Introducing New Dog to 2 1/2 YR Old Rottie

[tla0126]

Hello everyone, I was curious if anyone had any advice for me. It has just been me and my male Rottie Beau most of his life. My boyfriend and I just moved in together a month and a half ago and Beau has done great. He loves my boyfriend, so no problems there. Well, we decided to adopt a dog from the local shelter and we picked one out on Saturday and scheduled a meeting for him and Beau. He is a 1 1/2 yr old male Chow mix who is an absolute sweetheart. We took Beau up to the shelter to meet him to make sure they would get along ok, and things were fine. They pretty much ignored each other so we decided to go ahead and bring him home. Well, once we got our entourage in the car, Beau started to get a bit jealous, didn't really want our new family member in his space and growled a little bit. They parted and things were fine the rest of the way home. Well, Beau is defintely trying to show his dominance and that he was there first. He growls when he eats (I put Beau in his kennel where he usually eats), and Samson (the new guy) is just walking around not even paying attention. Or he will be laying on the ground or walking around and Beau will push down on Sam's back and kind of air mount him.

I know that especially with two males, there could potentially be a fight. I really don't forsee this happening because Samson, up until now, has seemed so docile. What I want to prevent is Sam being scared of Beau and thinking that I brought him into a situation where I'm not going to protect him. I want him to fit in and feel loved, and I also want Beau to know that we aren't going to love him any less. Thank you for any advice or input.

[Shelby427]

With two males so close in age, you may encounter bad vibes. Same sex aggression is not uncommon in this breed. If you knew that two males close in age might be a problem, why did you add another male?

Are you prepared to keep them separated if they decide to never get along?

I wish I had better or good advice for you. I would not have brought home another male if I already had a male around the same age.

[tla0126]

I knew with some males it would be a problem, but my rottie has never shown aggression with any dogs before, male or female. And I expected, regardless of whether it was a male or female, Beau would be jealous of any other dog at first. I was just looking for ways to ease the transition.

[harleychik66]

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.

[tla0126]

Thank you for your advice and story, it is definately more enlighting than the gloom and doom of some peoples attitudes on here. I realize it can be a challenge, but I really think Beau just needs some adjustment time. And you are absolutely right. I have Sam in a kennel and Beau is left out and we feed them in seperate areas. I am trying to prevent the situations where their would most likely be a problem. I have also read to not let them play with toy's together, especially right away, and to give them both attention, but seperately. For Beau, to let him know we still love him, and for Sam and us to bond.

Like you said, time will tell. Thank you again.

[SABELLESMOM]

Just got off a thread where this very thing was discussed. (read: JemarsSerena's thread in "behavior") It's natural for him to grumble even if he's crated while eating. Why? The other dog is loose. Beau is voicing his displeasure. You can correct Beau with an "UH-AH!" or "No." or a "OK, knock it off Mr. Silly Pants. He's not even after your food."

Since Sam is not even interested. I'd continue to leave him out while Beau eats. Is Beau's crate open at the time? It's pretty unlikely he'd leave his food to do more than warn, from the sound of your explaination.

There is a year between them. With your guidance, and fairness, I'm sure you can do this. Beau will be making sure he's top dog between the 2 of them. It's expected. Chows are lovely, and Sam sounds calm and confident.

It's probable Beau will be the dominant one, but let it develop under your watchful eye. You will become aware of subtle changes, I'm sure. See something you din't like? Stop it. Simply don't tolerate rude behavior towards each other, if you see it.

I would not allow Beau under any circumstances to push down on him and air mount. It is purely dominant behavior and may not be appreciated after time. It's "too pushy." He does not need to resort to it. Are either of them neutered?

[tla0126]

Originally Posted by SABELLESMOM

Just got off a thread where this very thing was discussed. (read: JemarsSerena's thread in "behavior") It's natural for him to grumble even if he's crated while eating. Why? The other dog is loose. Beau is voicing his displeasure. You can correct Beau with an "UH-AH!" or "No." or a "OK, knock it off Mr. Silly Pants. He's not even after your food."

Since Sam is not even interested. I'd continue to leave him out while Beau eats. Is Beau's crate open at the time? It's pretty unlikely he'd leave his food to do more than warn, from the sound of your explaination.

There is a year between them. With your guidance, and fairness, I'm sure you can do this. Beau will be making sure he's top dog between the 2 of them. It's expected. Chows are lovely, and Sam sounds calm and confident.

It's probable Beau will be the dominant one, but let it develop under your watchful eye. You will become aware of subtle changes, I'm sure. See something you din't like? Stop it. Simply don't tolerate rude behavior towards each other, if you see it.

I would not allow Beau under any circumstances to push down on him and air mount. It is purely dominant behavior and may not be appreciated after time. It's "too pushy." He does not need to resort to it. Are either of them neutered?

He kennel door was leaned shut, but not locked. And he doesn't step away from the food, he just growls and eats it really fast. Beau is a generally a good listener and will stop the bad behavior as soon as I say no.

At this point, Sam doesn't even seem the slightest bit interested in trying to become the top dog, so I definately think this is a positive thing.

(The whole story behind Sam is we went to the Shelter to get a puppy, but decided to go with an older dog that wasn't in its cute cuddly stage because he would be less likely to get adopted out. He has ended up being a wonderful dog who deserves to have a forever home. He is sweet and loving, hasn't tried to chew anything up, and actually, to our suprise, was housebroken!)

Yes, both of them are neutered. Beau was neutered @ 6 months and I'm not sure when Sam was neutured, he came home with us from the shelter like that.

Beau's actions remind me of a bratty little only child instead of a mean aggressive dog. Regardless of the situation, we are planning to work through it. Beau has been a wonderful dog the 2 1/2 years I've had him, but Sam is a wonderful dog as well and deserves a loving home. I know we can work it out. Patience is a virtue.

[tla0126]

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!! Looks like the first night was just a settling period. Beau did great last night!!! Didn't growl at Samson once! Sure, he still tried to be first in line for the treats, but didn't get angry if Sam got one too!!! I'm elated!! I, by no means, am thinking I'm out of the clear. The pup's aren't aloud alone together out of my presence yet, but they are doing great with each other when I'm around. I am confident that soon they will be the best of buds. I knew my Beau was a push over!! =)

[harleychik66]

This is good news. Hope it continues:)

[abbiesdogs]

I used to have 2 dobes 14 months between them, both were neutered, they got on really well MOST of the time but when they fought it was very scary and it was always the youngest that started the fights and always the eldest that finished them. the only bits that got hurt were their ears (cos the're so big on dobes).we lost the eldest (ben) when he was just 6 and zeb pined for months . now we have mixed female rottie male dobe. shes the boss!!!

[tla0126]

Originally Posted by abbiesdogs

I used to have 2 dobes 14 months between them, both were neutered, they got on really well MOST of the time but when they fought it was very scary and it was always the youngest that started the fights and always the eldest that finished them. the only bits that got hurt were their ears (cos the're so big on dobes).we lost the eldest (ben) when he was just 6 and zeb pined for months . now we have mixed female rottie male dobe. shes the boss!!!

Thanks for your story. I like to hear as many good stories as I can.

Yeah, you can't expect to keep two boy's in the same house with no fights. Look at human little boys, I'm sure more than their ears get hurt!!!

Hopefully they will be kept to a minimum and we have a happy peaceful life!!!