Can a JRT and a Cairn Terrier be friends?

Question
We have an 8 year old female cairn terrier who has arthritis ans is overweight. She has always been fine around other dogs. We took in a very active three year old female Jack Russell 2 months ago.Her previous owners never exposed her any dog but she is very well trained and a joy in every way except that these dogs hate each other. I keep them in separate parts of the house now but I would love to have them get along. My older dog is too frail to handle a fight. I broke up three the first 2 weeks, now I don't allow them access to each other. Is there any hope for peace? Please help, I don't know where to start.

Answer
Anne -

I hate to sound pessimistic, but with an older cairn who is in a vulnerable condition, there is not likely to be much peace unless the JRT can learn to just give her the space she wants and needs.  The problem being that the JRT is likely to just love being a pest and trying to assert herself as the dominant dog.... the other factor is gender. female terriers are much more prone to fighting than 2 males or a mix.

Are you using a baby gate so they can interact, but not fight ??  I usually keep new fosters apart for at least a few days and sometimes longer.

Do you crate the JRT when no one is home to supervise ?

At the very least, you are going to want to put a harness, and perhaps even a leash on the JRT so you can snatch her up at a moment's notice.

Without being right there, I can't assess the body language between the 2, and so I would recommend a behaviorist - not a trainer - and make sure they are terrier experienced since the terrier temperment can be confusing and frustrating for folks used to labs and goldens and the like.

Let me know how you make out.


PS - Have you had your cairn screened for hypothyroidism ?  It's fairly common and would contribute to the weight problem which in turn makes the arthritis worse.  I also encourage you to not free feed them - measure a certain amount and then adjust based on their weight and condition - NOT whether they seem hungry or not.  My cairns usually get 1/4 to 1/3 cup twice a day of high quality food.

-Beth