Will this work?

[Liss]

My neighbors boyfriend just lost his house and has asked me if I can take his 2 year old female. If I dont, she will have to go to either the pound or a rescue. I have been considering this for a few days now and have decided to give it a try. (I have been wanting to get another rottweiler for awhile now anyway) Heres my thing though, I have met this dog, she is really sweet, very well behaved and great with other kids and dogs. My male has a bit of problem with some dog aggression, seemingly only with other males but I am a bit nervous. We have made arrangements to get the two dogs together to see how they do and if they can get along but Im wondering...... first of all, will we know right away? I mean obviously, if they go at each other from the start, then it would be obvious, but I mean how long will it take for us to truely know? Also, should we meet somewhere neutral first and then bring them both to my home? Or just jump in and let them meet right here? How long should we keep them on lead before allowing them some real space to see how it goes? I have my own ideas here, I dont mean to sound so lame, but Atti has been my only dog since he was 5 weeks old, he is now 5years old and spoiled rotten! I just want to make sure we do this as safely as possible, Im probly being a worrywort over nothing and they will be best friends but I just want to make sure. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by Liss

Also, should we meet somewhere neutral first and then bring them both to my home?

Definately meet on neutral ground first. Generally male dogs will not show aggression to females. I am sure more experienced people than I will reply but neutral ground is the way to go.

[fbkeays]

First off, your male should not have any serious problems with a female. I would first let them meet through a barrier of some kind like a wire fence on neutral territory. If that goes well, then in a safe, neutral location, preferably off lead.
If you are comfortable with this bitch, there shouldn't be a reason why your male will object to her. Remember to give him lots of time with just you too.

[Shaw_2112]

I've heard neutral territory is best, that way neither feels like the other is infringing on his/her space. From what I've heard the most problems come from same gender dogs of approx the same age (that maybe why yours doesn't like other males), with female/male I think you should be OK. When they meet, I would keep them leashed with a good choke or pinch collar just in case, but no tension on the leash. Let them decide how long to greet each other (unless a fight breaks out of course) Let us know how it goes. Wishing you the best of luck!

[moondog]

My son recently adopted a 1 yr old female black lab from a shelter. Needless to say, I was very cautious about how to introduce her to my 9-1/2 yr old female Rottie to avoid any problems. It has worked out great, and I think it was a combination of us making sure neither dog was unduly pressured and implementing a plan for socializing them together that made the difference.

The first time they met, it was out in the neighborhood on leashes. Luna (my dog) went right up to Gracie (son's dog) to check her out and Gracie responded by raising her hackles, backing up, and showing some teeth. I didn't give Luna a chance to tell Gracie what she thought of that, we immediately turned and started off on a walk, giving both dogs plenty of space between them. We walked them together 3-4 times a week for the first couple of weeks, allowing them to take turns giving the other a rump sniff, but not allowing either to dwell on it. Get a sniff, walk on. We discovered that Gracie, being a bit defensive, would snip at Luna every now and then, so we began practicing "Sit and Pass" where we would have one move ahead and sit, and then have the other pass right on by. Gracie got a correction for any attempt at potshots as she passed Luna and I noticed that Luna would take care to curve her path when she was passing Gracie (a calming signal?) As they began to relax more, we put them in my yard after our walk with a chain link gate between them so they could sniff noses and generally check each other out. When they started licking each other through the fence, we decided to attempt a short off leash play session in the yard. We hoped for the best, and expected the worst. We took care to pick up all toys and anything else that might spark competition, including the water dish.

The first time they were loose together in the yard, they completey ignored each other. I was thoroughly happy with that, but realized that it did not mean a storm wasn't brewing, in fact it could have meant there was. They got about 5-10 minutes each time we let them loose in the yard and we made sure to end before any tension developed. They progressed really well with a series of short and sweet visits. They became increasingly more comfortable with each other and started passing each other, then sniff and pass, then kiss and pass, then play bow and interaction.

Now they are having a grand old time playing. Gracie is brave enough to get the zoomies and Luna halfheartedly tries to herd her as she flies by. Sometimes we have to stop Gracie and let her settle, but all in all they are doing great. We can now allow toys, but do not allow one to try and take the toy from the other. Because of that, what we see them doing now is passing the toy to the other dog, back and forth. One will have the toy, then will spit it out and wait for the other get it...and on like that. They have mapped out a deal that so far is working for both of them.

The moral of my story is that at first glance, I wouldn't have thought these two would get along. I still am cautious, and will continue to be, but so far.....so very good.

[Patty1231]

Well, my experience was kind of different and the advice I got at the time was that the "neutral ground" thing didn't necessarily fly. Rocco was 18 months when I got 4-year-old Perle. Perle was very aggressive at first and I had to keep her leashed to the stairway for the first week on a 6-foot lead. After that, I advanced her to a 10-foot lead, allowing more space for the two to integrate, allowing Rocco free space (he's non-aggressive) and to also get across to Perle that this was his house first. By the third week Perle was off lead. After that, she was out of crate at night and a week later out of crate entirely. They are very good buddies now.

[Liss]

Thanks all, I really appreciate the input. We are planning to do the on lead on neutral ground within the next few days. I will let ya know :)

[AngelBunny]

The M/F combo is the easiest to get to work, for obvious reasons! You shldn't have any problems.

I know about the "meet first on neutral ground," but I don't practice this. The foster (it's almost always males) gets out of the car, usually marks a bush, and is then walked over to the pen to meet our girls. Everyone sniffs noses thru the fence. One girl is let out of the pen and that girl (free walked), the foster (leashed), and I go for a brief walk around the yard. Then I switch the girls and we go for a short walk again before both girls, the foster, and I go for a longer walk.

I am careful to pick up all toys and old beef marrow bones from the house before the foster arrives. Our youngest dog is not into sharing at all. Toys don't start reappearing til the foster has settled in. If the male has what our youngest girl thinks is bad manners--trying to mount her, sniff her rudely, or otherwise bother her, Mox will launch into the dog, and that will be the end of that.

I remember one time when Mox was drinking water and our new foster boy walked up behind her and stuck his nose hard into her hind end, lifting it slightly from the floor. Mox didn't turn around; she just growled low and hard. I saw her eyes--they were as hard as stones. The foster immediately backed away and focused his attention on the ceiling. Mox went back to calmly finishing her drink. He was polite to Mox for the rest of his stay with us and she ignored him.

We've been fostering for the life of our youngest dog and for 2/3 of the life of our older girl. Both girls take the coming & going of dogs in stride.

Good luck