two dogs

Question
Hi Mr. Kelley,

We have two dogs, our oldest one is 7 (male) and he is mix of German shepherd and something else which we're not quite sure. We've had him all his life and he is an outside dog who has had our fenced in backyard all to himself. About 4 days ago we picked up a fixed 4 year old Australian shepherd  (female) to pair with our older dog. We have been keeping her in the smaller pin inside our back yard. The only problems we've had was the first night she escaped from the pin and our older dog got very territorial. Other than that they have gotten along very well since then when we have had them together on a leash. We were wondering what the best course of action is to help them get along but also be able to let them out together in the backyard instead of keeping one pinned up.

thanks,
Stephen

Answer
Hey, Stephen,

It sounds like the dogs are just getting to know each other, which might take a little time. Taking them on long walks together (on-lead) is always helpful in getting two dogs to feel like they're packmates in the best sense of the word.
I'm not sure what you mean when you said the shepherd acted "territorial." If you gave me a description of the actual behavior I'd be better able to give you a more detailed solution.
Barring that: long walks, lots of praise for both dogs, and see if you can find a way to ease them into playing together. Play is Nature's miracle cure for a lot of behavioral problems in dogs.

I hope this helps!
LCK