How do I get my 10 yr old chow used to another dog?!
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Akolade313
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How do I get my 10 yr old chow used to another dog?!
Diamond is 10 yrs deep and is gettin some grey hairs and i think she needs some more family. So me and my girlfriend are adopting a trained Lab named Peso and we want to get diamond used to him. Diamond is really all lights no action...lol..when her brother was around they got into it but D looked scared afterwards. So how can i get her used to another dog slouchin around the house?
Another dog
You might want to check out my post under the "unaffectionate" topic about bringing more dogs into the house. Our oldest is the queen. She and our youngest (though second dog in the house) try to get into it sometimes but stop when we yell at them. (Hey, maybe we are the bosses, I thought Sullivan was). Sullivan, our oldest, does not like our other chow mix, Gilbert, at all. She gives him a little "I'm in charge" growl whenever he walks by her, like he's her pesky little brother, but I guess she's sort of gotten used to him, as long as she can't catch his "cooties." They actually walk beside each other pretty well. We solved our problem by getting a third tiny dog, so Gilbert has someone to play with.
We also found that as long as we pay ALOT of attention to Sullivan, she's OK. Good thing there are two humans in the house to spread the love.
We also found that as long as we pay ALOT of attention to Sullivan, she's OK. Good thing there are two humans in the house to spread the love.
There are a lot of varibles at play here and only you can make this decision. But, since you ask for opinions, here's mine... 
IMO...if my chowkid was a "sloucher" or "king-of my domain" type of 10 year old, I would have to think long and hard about bringing another dog into the mix, especially a younger dog, or a breed that is high-level energy such as a lab. Is your 10-year old very active, is he settled in and enjoying his non-encroaced space, or does HE long for a playmate?
My personal preference is for all of my pets to be the same age and same energy level. It just makes for harmony among all.
However, there are plenty of people who mix all levels of energy and ages with some obvious success.
Some things to consider..........
If you are dead set on bringing in a new pet, then maybe you could allow your chowkid to meet the new dog before you make the decision to adopt it. If either is disgruntled,
at least you have gotten a bit of a feel for things.
If they are friendly right off, you have hit the jack pot!Questions like yours are difficult for me, because I'm all about rescue, ok?
I would love for more people, like yourselves to open their hearts and homes to all the homeless pets out there.
Bless you and your girlfriend for your warm heart and open arms!
Unfortunately, there are a lot of homeless pet, longing for homes. But, at the same time, I see pets who get re-homed, because "they just couldn't get along". And so the cycle is continued.
I'm not saying getting another dog, is a bad idea,
I'm saying first, the decision to do so is worth much pondering. Then, the right selection is important for peace and harmony for all involved:D
Good Luck to you and your girlfriend, I hope everything works out smoothly!
Please, keep us posted.
IMO...if my chowkid was a "sloucher" or "king-of my domain" type of 10 year old, I would have to think long and hard about bringing another dog into the mix, especially a younger dog, or a breed that is high-level energy such as a lab. Is your 10-year old very active, is he settled in and enjoying his non-encroaced space, or does HE long for a playmate?
My personal preference is for all of my pets to be the same age and same energy level. It just makes for harmony among all.
However, there are plenty of people who mix all levels of energy and ages with some obvious success.
Some things to consider..........
If you are dead set on bringing in a new pet, then maybe you could allow your chowkid to meet the new dog before you make the decision to adopt it. If either is disgruntled,
at least you have gotten a bit of a feel for things.
If they are friendly right off, you have hit the jack pot!Questions like yours are difficult for me, because I'm all about rescue, ok?
I would love for more people, like yourselves to open their hearts and homes to all the homeless pets out there.
Bless you and your girlfriend for your warm heart and open arms!
Unfortunately, there are a lot of homeless pet, longing for homes. But, at the same time, I see pets who get re-homed, because "they just couldn't get along". And so the cycle is continued.
I'm not saying getting another dog, is a bad idea,
I'm saying first, the decision to do so is worth much pondering. Then, the right selection is important for peace and harmony for all involved:D
Good Luck to you and your girlfriend, I hope everything works out smoothly!
Please, keep us posted.
**Photo by Sweet Pea.
She has a photogenic memory...really!
Adding a dog
I guess I could add how we've added all our dogs to a divadog driven home. We did meet them all before hand at shelters, and, in Gilbert's case -- we had a home visit because he was in rescue. Of course, Sullivan got along fine with Gilbert at the home visit and when we had met him once before. And truly, while she doesn't act like she likes him, at worse she mostly ignores him, but every once in a while, when she thinks we're not looking, she even gives him a sniff. As I've mentioned previously, everybody loves Charlie, Sullivan, Gilbert, and about every dog he's ever met -- he's a social butterfly (and a bit of a ladies man).
Charlie and Gilbert are about the same age (Gilbert is six months younger than Charlie, though he is literally 4 times bigger). But they are both about 5 years younger than Sullivan. I think one other key, at least for us, is to have opposite *Censored Word*, which I've heard is true for most breeds. I don't know that Sullivan would have tolerated another girl. They are all fixed, but I would have still been wary. I think Gilbert likes Charlie because Charlie is smaller than Gilbert (and again ... everybody loves Charlie).
So maybe pairing by age is a good thing as is mixing *Censored Word* (I'm pretty sure about that one). But as always every dog is different. Oh- something else we did before any of the dogs came in was to have them meet and walk around outside our house.
Good luck.
Charlie and Gilbert are about the same age (Gilbert is six months younger than Charlie, though he is literally 4 times bigger). But they are both about 5 years younger than Sullivan. I think one other key, at least for us, is to have opposite *Censored Word*, which I've heard is true for most breeds. I don't know that Sullivan would have tolerated another girl. They are all fixed, but I would have still been wary. I think Gilbert likes Charlie because Charlie is smaller than Gilbert (and again ... everybody loves Charlie).
So maybe pairing by age is a good thing as is mixing *Censored Word* (I'm pretty sure about that one). But as always every dog is different. Oh- something else we did before any of the dogs came in was to have them meet and walk around outside our house.
Good luck.