Kingdom of Pets

Posted by Liewald
Apr 29, 2012

Hello!
We are moving from Mexico to Chile, with our 2.5 years old Neapolitan Mastiff Massimo (max) and 2 years old toddler.
We will arrive at a house with a large terrain, currently guarded by two German Sheppers 5.5 and 5 years old. The bitch is the oldest and more dominant.

My dog is trained and mainly friendly to other dogs but has had very little interaction once he grew up, he is 110 cm tall and most owners just run away from us.
My son can take food from his bowl while max is eating without any reaction from the dog.

Now my concerns:
I will have only two days with the 2 Sheppers until my dog arrives.
Max will arrive from a very long trip and it's very likely he will be altered.
My son is used to a safe dog, that takes orders from him, now it will be different.
The Sheppers have no training, their owner is elder and may not be available to help when we arrive.

How should I introduce my dog to this pack?
All tips welcome.

Regards
liewald

Posted by KOPCaroline
May 1, 2012

Hi there,

For starters, I'd suggest introducing the dogs in a neutral environment. When you dog arrives, have the Shepherds locked up if possible, and establish one room in the house for your dog to stay in. After he's a bit recovered, and has heard the other dogs through the door/smelled them in the house - try taking them all off the property to a park or outdoor area. Neutral places like this make for better introductions because no one feels the need to protect anything.

At home - always give your dog a place he can go without the Shepherds. You may not experience any aggression or issues with the move - but just in case you should have a room that the Shepherds are no longer allowed in (at all!) and that your dog can go.

Obviously going to the toilet for the first bit may be an issue - you may need to put the Shepherds away every time you take your dog out.

And on the other hand, all three dogs may get on fine (you should expect a bit of grumbling, which is normal as dogs sort out heirarchies between themselves) and you may not need all the seperation!

Wishing you the best of luck, and don't hesitate to post more concerns if you have them!

One Neo, two German Sheppers