New members of the family

I’ve always had a multiple animals home…breed and species mixed…big dogs and little dogs…cats…(well, I don’t keep hamsters and cats…that could be very trying :)) …but for me, it’s simply a matter of who’s boss…and that’s ME! I’m alpha…and they are beta, ALL of them…(they may have personal social structure between themselves) but it’ll have to be expressed in a way that I approve of…It depends on if the newby is a pup, or an adult, or kitten…on how I make “my will be done”. The one thing we do daily, when a new dog comes in is takes walks together…even a young puppy…To me, this is ultra-important.

I brought in a certified Rottie/Pit cat killer who learned to live with our cat…I would not allow her to take even the slightest interest in the cat…over time and adherence to a absolute strick consistancy, she learned that THIS cat was “our” cat. Even tho, I never could break her of going after strange cats…I know a puppy can be irritating, but not so much that an adult needs to do more than discipline…so everybody knows, I’ll protect the youngster. The pups know, I will also protect the elderly. Generally, dogs are amiable to one another, with minor spats…a lifted lip, even a growl…but nothing is ever allowed to escalate…I always feed on opposite sides of the room, even if no one has ever shown food aggression.

If your dogs get along now, with no spats, or just minor spats…then the chances of them going any further when you aren’t there, are very small…In the beginning, it takes a lot of vigilence on your part, to “read” what they are saying to one another…Always watch their eye contact…the eyes are what start fights…Staring is not allowed.

phrannie