Are you thinking about bringing home a new dog? Most of you already know that we recently adopted a new Chihuahua. We lost our precious Chico on July 17, 2020. No dog will ever replace him … he was a unique individual.
Bringing Home A New Dog, Our Newest Adoption
But, we have had 3 Chihuahuas in our home for such a long time, it just felt wrong to only have two. I did not, however, intend to bring home another so soon after Chico’s death. Little Cora came along unexpectedly.
Most of the rescue organizations in our area take their rescued dogs to our veterinary hospital. One of those organizations contacted me to let me know about Cora and three other little Chihuahuas that needed homes. (we later, 12-19-20 also adopted Sir Winston from the same rescue organization) I fell in love with all of them, but Cora just fit into our life perfectly.
We brought home our little Corazón, (Cora for short) on October 12, 2020. Cora is six years old and was a rescue. So we know nothing about her background, what her first 5 years were like.
My little Remedy Jane has been in a house of senior Chihuahuas all her life and she is now 5. So, I was a little concerned about whether these two would get along. Having dogs in your home that do not get along can be very stressful for the dogs, as well as the owner, and I did not want that for my dogs.
Especially little Pebbles who is 14 and is now in heart failure. She needs peace and calmness around her. So I took all the precautions and made sure that Cora and Remedy started out on the right foot … err, paw.
How Well Do You Know Your Dog(s)?
So you found the perfect Chi to bring home to your pack. But, wait!, before you bring them home you need to first access their personality and you need to know your dog(s)s personality as well to make sure that they are a good match.
What should you already know? What is your dogs’ personality? That is what is their play style, energy level, socialization level, and playmate preferences.
Male or Female?
Contrary to popular belief, there are no set rules regarding gender or breed. Within every breed and gender, there are different personalities. So, it is not necessarily true that females match best with males. Nor is it true that younger or older dogs make better second dogs or even that two puppies always get along well together.
First Impressions Do Matter When Bringing Home A New Dog
Any rescue will gladly, even insist that you take the dog home on a trial basis first. This doesn’t mean try them for a week and then give them back. Being shuffled from one home to another is stressful and traumatizing for the rescue dog.
Instead, have your current dog and the new dog meet with you and the person he or she is now used to in a neutral place, such as a park. Watch their body language. This may take more than one meeting.
Once they are with you the very first thing to do is to walk them together. A short walk with the dogs walking parallel. When dogs walk together it makes them feel like they are part of a pack and is the best way to start getting acquainted. It helps them to be together doing something fun in neutral territory.
They must be on a leash and there must be two people, one walking each dog. Keep the leashes loose. If the leash is tight, they will pull and this only adds to the tension, fear, or anxiety. Watch their body language.
Do not let them get close to each other right away. After a short walk, pause and slowly bring them closer together. Have both of them either sit or lay down. If one is a little fearful or jittery it could lead to frustration and/or aggression. This allows sitting or laying down helps them to exercise self-control.
Allow them to sniff each other, your current dog first. While doing this as long as they are both remaining calm, feed the new dog treats, then switch.
What To Watch For
Good Signs:
All of these are signs or doggie language that things are going well:
- Their body and movements are loose
- Mouths open
- Bottoms wiggling
- Tails wagging in a sweeping motion
- Inviting play by bowing and/or bouncy movements
Some dogs will simply ignore each other and that is okay. Barking is okay as long as it is happy, play barking. You will know within 2 or 3 minutes whether they are compatible.
Signs that things are not going well:
- Mouths are closed
- Holding tail up high with a slow back and forth motion
- Body stiffness that lasts
- Ears back flat against the head
- Staring
- Growling
Ignoring the other dog is okay, but avoidance is not. When they back up, hide behind your leg or deliberately trying to get as far away from the other dog as possible. Avoidance is a sign of fear and so is pulling ears back flat against the head.
When bringing home a new dog, either dog shows any of the above signs gently pull them apart. Do not yank on the leash. You can begin walking again and repeat, but do not spend more than 30 minutes doing this as that will simply be too much stress for them.
Multiple Dogs
If you have more than one dog currently, and are bringing home a new dog, do the same as above with each of your current dogs and the potential new dog.
If both dogs or all dogs get along and you decide to adopt you shouldn’t stop there. There may still be conflict. To avoid this:
- Make sure that both dogs have their own food bowl, water bowl, (did you know you can even have them personalized?) eating space. They need their own bed or sleeping area and should get plenty of rest while adjusting.
- Continue walking them together and do other fun things with them. Dogs will learn that fun things happen when they are together.
There is no set time for them to adjust to each other. However, many experts say it should take two to four weeks for them to be adjusted and become friends.
Signs of grumpiness should become less, they should be comfortable being close to each other, sleeping together or grooming each other. Their play and interaction should become more frequent.
If two dogs simply tolerate each other as long as they are across the room from each other, that is not a good relationship and neither dog will be comfortable in their own home.
