I think you will definitely need to set some ground rules with the new male, especially if he is dominant. You should definitely not wait until he "develops trust" to discipline him... disciplining him will only strengthen his trust if anything. Not to be a jerk, but I think you are taking the totally wrong approach if you introduce him that way.

 

That makes alot of sense. Boy I am glad I posted this. Not jerky at all, these are the things I NEED to know. and yes he is a very dominant dog.

 

I know that you shouldn't do any disciplining until he develops trust with us. He is very sweet and gentle from what we know, however 100lbs of Dobie is not something to mess with, he does not know us and I would not want him to get scared or defensive.

I disagree. You need to be setting boundries, NILIF, making him respect you and your rules right from the start. It dosn't mean out of the way eceptional corrections. Whenever I get a new foster I can usually get a ballpark idea of the dog in the first day. (Not to say how the dog will act always and under any circomstance, I just mean in terms of bringing home a fearful dog, vs a dominant hard dog). Thus I act accordingly and react to the dog the way I would with any dog I want in my home. I don't let them get away with things; that isn't helping them get adopted. They come here and I work with them on everything from crating and potty training, to leash walking, playing nicely with myself and my dog, etc. I would suggest practicing plenty of obediance as a great way to help bond with your new dog. You need to be his leader and not baby him.


Absolutely no leaving them alone together. Not for a long time. And just because you say you have a submissive female, well I am not sure what ways she has shown this but many times a dog can be submit on neuteral ground but when it comes to being the top dog on her turf things might change.

 

Forgive my ignorance but what is NILIF?

 

Nothing in Life is Free

 

Yep, what everyone else has said really. Be firm with him from the start, but be aware that "firm" means calm, strong, and assertive, not challenging and in-yer-face. NILIF is a great way of being assertive without freaking out a new arrival.

And no, don't leave them alone together until you are absolutely sure that it's safe to do so - could take weeks or months but don't take any risks with that.

 

It may sound funny but I think it is easier for a dog to transition of you kind of ignore him the first few days. Obviously feed him, pet him a little and talk to him...but no gushing displays of affection, etc. Go ahead and ask for simple obedience now...sit is a good start, let's go when you walk him, etc.

I'd let the two dogs play a little but then keep them separated when you are not there to supervise, and definitely NO community toys or food out for them to squabble over. With a big boy like you are adopting, you want to go slow and let the dogs get to know each other pretty well before you can trust that all issues have been worked out.

Definitely crate the new boy when you are not home.

It's better to be slow with freedoms, etc than throw all caution to the wind and end up with a dog fight. Just my two cents...

 

great advice. Well the owner called and is going to let us take Zeus for a couple trial weeks. I am very excited! He has a doggie day care he usually goes to that is very cheap, so when ever we are gone, I'll drop him off at daycare.

 

I agree w/ the others re: discipline/setting rules up right away. It's much easier for the dog if the rules are the same from moment one as opposed to suddenly changing as they've been there longer.
I recently rescued a Chihuahua mom and her 2 babies. She's been here for 6 1/2 weeks and has gone from growling/snapping at the Dobes to going outside with them and even letting them sniff her and her sniffing them. When she arrived she was the typical stereotype of the Chi - fearful, unsocialized, wanting to be carried around, fearful aggressive toward everyone. After the first day (which she growled/snapped at me) she figured out that I was the source of her food and care and she decided I was her friend. She still has a long way to go, and it's sort of been like doggy boot camp here for her (I suspect she had ZERO rules where she was), but she's doing great and is getting less fearful. I think she will improve even more once her remaining pup goes to its new home and she doesn't need to protect him (1 pup died at birth and the 3rd was euthanized a week ago for a liver shunt).
I changed her name as she didn't really seem to respond to what her supposed name was anyway. Just take things slowly and don't forget to give your first dog a little extra attention.
Good luck w/ the new dog!