Older dog meeting new dog!!

Question
My nearly 12 year old Doberman is living in Spain with my parents while I have been away with my partner living and working inthe Caribbean. My Doberman is used to being in a large house with grounds and has not been very social with other dogs and humans for the past 7 years due to the fact that the Spanish are afraid of dogs. We have rescued a dog here (silly I know) but he was near to death and nobody else would take him in. He is 18months-2 years and has an amzing nature, he is still really playful and I am afraid that when we go home in 6 months time that my older dog will not take to him. Is there a good way to introduce them or am I crazy and is it not going to work??

Answer

Hi Nichola,

If it's a known fact that your elderly Doberman does not like the company of other dogs, then you already know that bringing home a new dog is going to be a big problem.  It may be wise to use these six months that you're in the Caribbean,  to try to find a new home for the dog you rescued.

You didn't say if your Doberman is male or female, or whether or not it has been spayed or neutered, and if your rescued dog has been spayed or neutered. Most of the time, having a neutered male and a spayed female is preferable over having two unaltered males, or two females in a household. Having two females, even if they've been spayed, has the greatest risk for aggression.

There are ways to introduce a new dog to a household that already has a dog, but if your Doberman isn't receptive to the change or is incompatible with a new dog, the introduction may not work. If you end up taking the rescued dog home, you should expect a month or two (or longer) of "adjustment", during which time the dogs will need supervision and separation whenever they are left alone. It will be a very stressful time for both dogs, as well as for your human family.

You can read about introducing a new dog into a household that already has a dog, here:

http://dogtime.com/new-dog-old-dog-training-center.html

Best of luck,

Patti