Getting another dog!

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Hi folks,


Looking for insight and advice from any pet owners out there. I've currently got a Shih Tzu that we've had for about a year and tomorrow I'm going to look at a 5 month old German Shepard and I'm wanting advice on how to appropriately introduce them. So if anyone has been through this throw me some suggestions. The current dog is a female and the new one is male. Quite a large size difference and that's the only thing that really worries me. The new dog has been with 3 or 4 other dogs it's entire life so I don't see any huge problems but I want to be prepared.
 
German shepherds are on the restricted breed list for most homeowner/renter policies. That is a serious consideration.
 
Something to think about, how protective of your home is your current dog? Our dog is fine with other dogs when she goes to the pet sitter, or the groomer who works out of her home. However, around our house and yard she growls and barks at any dog that invades her territory.
 
GS will protect family members and kids with force. My GS as a kid would bite any adults who spanked kids and would bite my Dad if he tickled my Mom! She had the dog before marriage... The GS would also answer the phone and could jump over a 6 foot fence. The dog ended up being shot by Police in our driveway. My wife had a GS as a kid that would turn door knobs, ended up wearing out his teeth. That being said can you introduce the dogs first at a public place? That usually turns down the turf defence and let's them get to know each other.
 
A Shepard will be fine with a smaller dog, as long as you are the alpha. Shepherds and other working dogs like Rottweilers, Dobermans, need a strong owner.

I have a Boston Terrier, and a German Shepard/ Blue Heeler mix. They do fine together. The Terrier is the alpha dog, but i am the alpha owner, so they get along great.

I would suggest a German Shepard mix, as you might avoid hip problems that show up in the the more purebreds. ( plus you can call the dog something other than a german shepard if you need to).

I have never understood why German Shepards are on restricted lists, and even with some insurance companies.

My advice, is when you introduce them, have someone help you. Have each dog on a leash and walk them together. Two dogs just looking at each other may not do well. Introduce them as you are walking, they get used to being next to each other, yet they have something to do. A tired dog is a good dog. I would not introduce them at all until you are both walking.

Not my dog, but this pic looks close.

blue-heeler-german-shepherd-mix-04.jpg
 
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Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
That being said can you introduce the dogs first at a public place?

That is the preferred way, meeting somewhere on neutral territory.

Personally, I love German Shepards great dogs, but they need lot of exercise and room to run..We have a customer with a large male GS and a medium size female rescue mixed breed. The GS is very gentle with the female, even when she steals his ball and growsl at him sometimes.

However, a GS bit me on leg for no reason once, well I guess he had a reason but darned if I know why, just walked up behind me and chomp!

On the other hand, my worst dog bites were from Beagles, they will take your hand off if you get between them and some food.
 
Shed a lot. The health issues would scare me away unless parents were OFA for hips.

I wouldn't worry about a well-socialized dog---until he's having a bad day with his hips.

Can't imagine GS would do anything but put the other dog in his place right quick.
 
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I've got four dogs in the same house. All of them introduced into the home at different times. Issues? Sure....sometimes. The owner just needs to make sure the transition is not a violent one, but being sure to allow for healthy canine hierarchy to be established.
 
Great advice, neutral ground and something to keep them somewhat occupied. One might expect a dominant/submissive interaction between a 1 year old and a 5 month old puppy, especially if the ST has a strong personality. No reason it can't work.
 
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
Also at 5 months old if the dog has had any trama it's not going to go away. As much as I love the idea of rescues I only get puppies so they are bonded to my family.

I may have thought like that too but I adopted a 4 year old Rotwieler after mine died after 16 years. This dog is so we'll trained. It will not leave the house unless told so, it won't enter a room unless told so. Won't get on furniture. Will follow you to the mailbox and back without a leash and will not beg. I hate to say it but who ever trained this dog did a better job than me and I've had Dobermans and Rotwielers my whole life. It is very protective of my daughter and sleeps in her room at the side of her bed. I am super impressed. Shame dogs get put down for being this breed because lots of good dogs out there that people understood they have to be better disapplined that other dogs.
It's like she lived in our house her entire life.
 
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The advice from a previous response about walking them together is a good place to start.

Here are a few more ideas to consider;

Does the existing dog (the female Shih Tzu) show any tendency toward resource guarding? That is, do you see any aggressive or threatening tendencies or can you safely get near her when she is eating, has a toy, is in a place that she likes, or with a person she is bonded to?

Has the Shih Tzu ever been reactive to other dogs? If not, that's a good start. If so, caution and maybe a little counter-conditioning could be in order.

When you are assessing the new dog, you can check to see if its play responses are intact; does it play-bow, does it give all of the appropriate calming signals when it approaches another dog, does it understand what constitutes an appropriate greeting ritual? Watch for soft eyes, a "C" shaped approach, low, wide tail wag, maybe a paw lift or a yawn. All good.

If you see a direct approach, hard,eyes, raised tail with short wags only at the tip, weight forward, agonistic pucker, it is past time to be careful.

The dog will tell you everything you need to know with its body language.

More than anything, the dogs will respond to your emotional state and expectations. If you are calm and relaxed, they are more likely to be the same.

Five moths old is still pretty young and impressionable; remember that this dog does not have an adult brain yet.

When you bring a new dog into a home environment, especially GSDs and the like, it is best to start out by confining them closely. Do not give them the run of the entire house or yard right away. If you do, this can cause problems later that are surprisingly difficult to correct. Dogs are contextual learners. Too big of a sudden contrast is really hard on them -- they understand safety by understanding boundaries. Again, more so with a GSD. Herd breeds are genetically predisposed to act like a self propelled fence -- everything behind me is mine, everything in front of me stays away. If they don't know where the line is, anxiety can set in quickly. But also watch out for barrier aggression -- dogs that would not ordinarily bother one another in any way can become extraordinarily aggressive the moment you put a barrier between them that they can see through, like a gate or a fence. This is almost like a reflex. I've seen dogs that sleep on the same bed and eat from bowls a foot apart go nuts on each other when you crate them side by side.

A crate is good if the dog is already crate trained, if not, at least confine the dog to one room and a small part of the yard until it gets its bearings. Meanwhile, crate-train the dog using only rewards.

The new dog will be in something like shock for the first three days. Be very gentle with the dog during this time, let him get used to the new smells and sounds, and give him whatever food he is already used to if you know what that is. Gradually over the course of the first week you can expand the dog's horizons as it seems appropriate. Watch the body language, it will tell you everything.

After three weeks you will start to see the dog's personality.

In about three months it will have your routine down.

During that time you can work on relationship, bond, and trust. Just remember, when a dog encounters a new situation, they ask themselves, "Am I safe? Is this interesting? What do I get?" If you can appeal to that with rewards and positive reinforcement, you can make the transition go better.

Also recognize that this is a big change for the dog you already have. Since you've been with the Shih Tzu a year already, I would suppose she already has you figured out, and she is probably already watching you for direction. If she shows signs of stress, take notice. It's worth thinking about where each will eat and sleep so they don't bother one another while they are getting their new life sorted out.

As for the actual introduction, I'd try a neutral place, like maybe even take the Shih Tzu with you when you go to check out the GSD and see if they like one another. Don't force it, let them approach one another in their own time, watch the body language, and you will know right away.
 
Wait until excitement levels are down, distract with bits of cheese both animals. Let them nibble until they forget that the other exists. That's how I did it with the cat anyway. It will take a while, but do NOT do it in the home. Go on neutral ground as your current dog will have one more reason to be fussy - protecting the home from an intruder.
 
I had to switch homeowners insurance because my previous company wouldn't allow German Shredder dogs. I have a 6 month old puppy. It was almost like a light switch at 5 months. Now, she's acceptable.

Ours seems to do good with the cats. She likes to play and is very "in your face". From what I understand, that's a German shredder trait. They like to lick and paw faces.

Smart dogs, though. First dog and she's extremely well behaved ... but she's a puppy so she has her moments. Great with small animals other than the face thing. Not agressive in the least bit. Very vocal though.

We call ours a German Shredder in the house because she shreds any beds / blankets she gets and one time managed to eat her way out of her plastic crate! In the yard it's German Sh---er because, wow, they poop a lot.

Crate Training is super helpful it seems. I'm a cat person so I don't know dog things , but I can see it's benefits. She even asks to go in her crate when she is tired. We have a playpen set up for her in half of the dining room / porch. That way she doesn't have to stay laid down all day.
 
Yes -- that is what I was referring to earlier by "counter-conditioning."

There's more to it than this, but here is the basic idea in wide terms:

Rather than distract the dog, per se,if you have any indication whatsoever that the introduction isn't already going well, at the threshold distance for an alert reaction of any kind for either dog, back up a little farther, and as soon as the dogs both calm down, lots of small bits of any high value treat for both dogs simultaneously, using a helper as previously suggested, such that each dog becomes convinced that the appearance of the other dog predicts the appearance of great treats.

Cheese is good, but no joke, don't use too much. Little bits of cooked meat are good, even moistened kibble will work with some dogs. It depends upon the dog and their food drive. Some dogs don't care about food, but they really want their toy. It's a matter of figuring out what motivates the dog.

Then move them incrementally closer, watching carefully, and rewarding for good behavior only. Do not distract, bribe, or lure in any way, or the dog will learn that bad behavior makes treats happen. We're only rewarding attention to the handler and calm behavior. Nothing else gets rewarded.

Go slow, watch the dogs carefully, move them back away from one another periodically, and keep working this until they both look relaxed, then take a break. No more than a few minutes each time.

I've taught seriously reactive working dogs to handle stressful situations using this approach, and likewise used it for helping pet dogs to become socialized.

Again, there is more to it than this, so be observant. The timing is crucial if either dog is reactive, and there is no way to teach this on a discussion board. This is not advice, it's just an idea to consider. If it looks like it isn't going well, a few sessions with a trainer can be quite beneficial.
 
There's a perception that the crate is a cage, it's not, it's their den. We had a Westy that was crate trained as a puppy but we didn't use it at all after she settled down. Anytime we'd get the crate out for whatever reason she'd go in and lie down and not want to come out. Good job and great way to train a dog.
 
Yes. When introduced properly, crates are a tremendous asset to the mental and physical well being of any dog. And in my opinion, essential for safe transportation. Also very useful for travel.
 
My doodles LOVE their crates, and have saved our sanity. I watched my next door neighbor introduce a 12 week old male GoldenDoodle pup to her VERY jealous 3 year old female chocolate lab over the weekend...went better than she had hoped, and the pup only woke up 3x the first night.

My beasties to go Puppy Camp any day my wife and I both work all day...they are well-exercised, content adn worn out when we get them home, and their nails stay short because most of the camp facility is paved.

https://www.puppycamp.com/
 
Originally Posted By: CCI
Yes. When introduced properly, crates are a tremendous asset to the mental and physical well being of any dog. And in my opinion, essential for safe transportation. Also very useful for travel.



We go our puppy at 9 weeks of age. she had lived in a barn. First few nights were very bad. But after a week or so she got the idea that the crate was her den. Now she loves it.


Unfortunately, she ate the only cage that will actually fit in the back of the Forester. So she has to ride in the car itself. We have a tether that goes to the seatbelt and attaches to her harness. Seems to work well.

Also - get them riding in the car at a young age! Otherwise they won't like it!
 
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