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The doghouse

Advice on settling in a new rescue dog with resident dog

2 replies

Localher0 · 13/03/2019 11:01

Dog owners of Mumsnet I need all your advice. We passed the homecheck to adopt a dog who is approx 7 years old. We already have an older dog who is nearly 14. I have mulled over getting a second dog for some time and getting an older dog seemed to be the best option given the age of Dog1.
We are going to meet the new dog at the weekend, the rescue has asked that we all go as a family taking Dog1 with us for the introduction. If all goes well then we hope to adopt Dog2. What things do I need to consider about bringing Dog2 home?

Beds etc - Dog1 has a crate - I think I should get a second crate for Dog2 as Dog1 will see it as his territory. Dog1 has 4 beds dotted around the house - will Dog2 need the same?!?

Feeding - should I feed them separately to begin with? Dog1 often leaves his food to come back to later - should I lift it and feed later?

Walks - should I walk them separately at first or get them used to walking together. Dog1 is very slow given his age and he is part beagle so loves to sniff and squirt on everything...

Anything else I should be considering??
Thanks and fingers crossed!

OP posts:
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eastwestnorth · 13/03/2019 13:19

One thing I decided when adopting a second dog was that my first dog had to get on with the new one. Both times the first dog was not as old as fourteen, but maybe nine or ten. New dog was also mature, around seven.
People said 'they'll get used to each other,' 'they'll sort it out', but I didn't want to upset first dog, nor risk spats in the house. In one case this meant introducing dog 1 to three others before we found one that met with her approval. If none had, I wouldn't have pursued it. Certainly in your case I wouldn't do anything to upset first dog at his stage in life.

I had two beds in the kitchen where they slept and two in the living-room. In one case I made the new dog get off first dog's bed, and one telling was enough. The other time first dog gave one bark when the new one approached her bed and he backed off immediately.

I took them for a walk together before coming into the house at all. After that I tended to take them out together for shorter walks then give the younger one a brisk extra walk at least several times a week.

I didn't have any problem about feeding as none of my dogs have ever left anything in the bowl for later.

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eastwestnorth · 13/03/2019 13:21

Sorry, meant to say good luck with the meeting!

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