I am open to all suggestion and ideas. I'm trying to prepare ahead of time. Our two 12 lb dogs lived with a 80 lb Airedale their whole lives but have never been around other dogs much. We've been taking them out every week to pet stores to help socialize them. I've also been doing some obedience training and they're doing well. Any ideas on how to introduce Remy to them the day she comes home? We'll be able to visit her every week from 3 to 8 weeks of age. I was thinking of bringing a small cloth to rub on her to bring home for our dogs to get used to her scent. Is this a good idea? I prefer not to bring them with us to pick her up because they may be territorial of the car. After we get home I was thinking I could take Remy in one car and hubby could take two dogs in the other and drive to an empty parking lot near our house to make introduction. How's that sound?
Hi Jade, introductions on neutral territory and scent swapping can be helpful - have a look at this article by trainer Liz London
My husband took our resident dog (Pippin) out for a long walk when we first came home with the puppy. By the time he brought Pippin home, I'm sure our family and the first floor of our house were covered with the puppy's scent. Also, we had been petting and holding the puppy, so she smelled like us. We had gated off our family room and the dogs met on opposite sides of the gate because we weren't 100% sure of Pippin's reaction. He was calm and not all that curious, but we kept them separate and they took turns going out for a couple of days until we were sure that Pippin was relaxed about having the puppy around. Hope that helps!
We've had the puppy for a month, and we still do separate walks and outings most of the time so that we can train, and each one gets our attention. We also separate them in the house for feeding and just so that they can have space from each other (even though they get along). We have a family room gate and a kitchen gate, so they can be separate or together in a big space but with the puppy still gated off from the rest of the house. A tricky thing is when Pippin has to be separated from me because I'm training or grooming the puppy. He often whines softly even if other family members are with him. It helps if I take breaks from the puppy to play fetch with Pippin (he brings the toy to the barrier so I don't have to keep going back and forth but can reach over and throw it again). It's definitely a juggling act, but it sounds like having had three dogs at once, you are already a pro at that!
Thank you so much. Yes having three can be quite a job but it certainly gets better with practice. It's great to hear other people's stories. It helps a lot.
