second dog

Question
Hi Kristen,
   I submitted a question to Lorie and she answered with very valuable information which I will use with my second dog.  But I did have a follow up question regarding the sleeping arrangements and the site said she was maxed out.  I hope you can help me as I am getting my dog tomorrow.  He is a 4 year old French Bulldog and I have a 1 year old Boston Terrier.  The Frenchie has been sleeping in his owner's kitchen in a bed.  Lorie suggested I put him in a crate for a few days.  He will be on one side of my bed on the floor and my Boston Terrier is on the other.  I was thinking of doing that but felt kind of bad about crating him (the Frenchie) as he hasn't been crated in 4 years.  Please let me know if you agree.  Thanking you in advance.  Annette

Answer
Annette, on the one hand, I agree with Lorie, because you will be bringing the Frenchie into a completely new environment and sometimes that can cause a short 'regression' in house training until the dog gets used to his new home. On the other hand, if he's never had any problems with soiling in the house or tearing things up in his current home, I don't know that crating him is really 100% necessary.

Whenever I bring a new dog into my home, I do use a crate, at least for the first week or so. This is so the dog can feel safe and secure, and get used to the sounds, smells, and goings-on of my household. Do you know that your Boston will get along with the Frenchie? What I usually do is take the new dog for a short little leashed walk around my yard and let it go potty if it needs to, and then I bring it inside (my other dogs are put away) and put it in a crate in the living room. I put a baby gate up at the doorway to the living room, and let my other dogs loose in the kitchen (which shares the living room doorway). This way, they can see and smell the new addition and vice versa, without overwhelming him or her. After a few hours, when the new dog has settled down and is sleeping in the crate, I will go and let him or her out, hook a leash to the collar, and take them outside again to potty. Then I will bring him/her back inside and let him/her be loose in the living room. Again, the other dogs are in the kitchen, with a baby gate up over the doorway. They can sniff each other through the gate, but any sign of aggression or dominance gets corrected immediately, so that the new dog learns very quickly who is in charge (me). If things go well like this, I will take the new dog for a walk with one of my other dogs (both leashed) a little later, so that they can begin forming a pack bond. I will repeat with each of my other dogs, and then take them all together.

For the first several days to a week, I do not allow the new dog to be loose in the same room as my other dogs, just so that they can settle in and be accepted by my other dogs. Usually on the 2nd or 3rd day, I can allow my other dogs to be in the living room while the new dog is crated, and there are no problems. When I start giving the new dog some house freedom, there is ALWAYS a leash attached to the new dog.






In your situation, I don't know that I wouldn't just baby gate the Frenchie in the kitchen (hopefully his current owner will let you bring his bed home with you) and see how it goes. If he potties on the floor or tears something up, then you will know that he may need to be crated for a little while when you cannot watch him. Once he gets used to his new home, you shouldn't have to bother with the crate anymore.