New Dogs, Together In The House

By Adam G. Katz

Hello Adam,

I just finished your book and I really enjoyed it. I am going to read it again to "apply" what I learned. I will take you up on your offer to answer a question via email....

[ To read about the book he's referring to, go to:
http://www.dogproblems.com/secretsbook.htm ]

This is probably a simple question for you, but here goes ...

We just got another Shiba-Inu (fixed 3yr old male) on 2/18. Our first we got in Aug. 99 (fixed 2yr female). They are both very sweet. The introduction went well in the garage and then I walked them around the block (leash of course) and that went well. The mistake was to let them go in the house. Well...the fighting started...not long but intense. No blood, but it looked like she was protecting her territory and he was showing his dominance. To make a long story short, after about five minutes of those incidents we separated them in the house and would only let them loose together in the backyard.

During the last fight in the house, the male pinned the female until she quit growling and then let her up. Guess she figured out that he was the dominant one, because now when they're outside they've become "buddies."

They play great together. The problem is that the other day the male walked by the female on his way out and you could see that there was a bit of tension...like a fight could begin...I said "aaakkkkk" and it quit.

Now...after all that, here is my question:

I want to let them loose together in the house so we don't have to keep them separated any longer but I want to do it correctly and not have a skirmish ruin what has been accomplished in the backyard. How would you suggest the best way to make this happen so that they will have a good relationship in the house, too. I plan on hiding all the toys and chewies when I do this. I appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Thanks,
Brian.

Dear Brian,

Thanks for the question. It's a good one.

This is pretty much an identical situation to the relationship my dog has with my parent's dog. I "dog-sit" for them probably two or three times a year and the relationship is 100% analogous to the one you've got.

 

Here's the deal:

1.) It sounds like the dogs have pretty much worked out who is the pack leader.

2.) There still may be some dominance skirmishes. This is normal, but I would not allow these to happen in the house. The fact that your verbal correction was enough to make them stop shows that the dogs respect you. If you leave the training collars and tabs on the dogs, you can correct the perpetrator if you feel that it was inappropriate (even though it's natural for the alpha dog to throw his weight around)... YOU (being even more dominant) can decide that this is inappropriate behavior in the house.

In sum, you will not "hurt" the progress in their relationship by letting them be together in the house. Just don't leave them unsupervised together for the first three months.

 

To read more of my dog training ramblings, read about my book:
Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!

For more dog training information, visit the following links:

Main site: Dog Training
Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer Book--
http://www.dogproblems.com/secretsbook.htm
Dog Training Articles: http://www.dogproblems.com/articles.htm
Dog Training products: http://www.dogproblems.com/products.htm
Dog Training Discussion Forum: http://www.dogproblems.com/dogtalk/

You are welcome to use this article written by Adam G. Katz  for your web site or publication.

Our only requirement is that you must maintain the copyright, byline, and link back to this site. Copyright 2002 By Dogproblems.com  All Rights Reserved.

Subscribe to our free weekly dog training tips e-zine! http://www.dogproblems.com

DogsCorner Home	Dog training, grooming, health care, dog supplies, dog beds, collars, crates, doors, food, gates, houses, tags, toys & treats
Dog Beds	Benefits of dog beds and types of dog beds
Dog Collars	Dog collars, dog training collars, electronic dog collars and bark control collars to train my dog.
Dog Crates	Benefits, tips for buying dog crates and crate training
Dog Doors	The types of dog doors, from standard and patio dog doors to electronic and automatic dog doors
Dog Food	About dog food and types of dog food
Dog Gates	About dog gates
Dog Grooming	Dog grooming tips and dog grooming supplies for your dog.
Dog Health Care	Total dog health care from flea and tick control to dog vitamins, supplements and dog medical health care insurance
Dog Houses	About dog houses and dog house plans to build different dog houses designs
Dog Supplies	Dog supplies, from dog beds, collars, doors, food, houses, treats, toys, dog training, grooming and health care supplies
Dog Tags	Dog tags & dog id tags for dog identification
Dog Toys	Types of dog toys and tips for buying and using dog toys.
Dog Training	Dog training, dog training collars and dog training supplies for easier and more effective dog obedience training.
Dog Treats	Dog treats for dog training