Hi this comes from another thread in general dog chat regarding my grey Kym who is a bitch and is coming up for 4. We are thinking of getting another grey and had a bit of a bad experience at a rescue where we felt pressured in to taking home a dog in the back of our car with our other dog and they fought with each other. I know this was a recipe for disaster putting them in together but the rescue were happy to see us go i think. We are proably going to go to a different kennels where they are a bit more patient and try to match the right dog. Has anyone got any advice on introducing them to each other and getting them home etc
I'm no expert but I have introduced adult rescued whippets and a lurcher into my house . I like them to meet on neutral territory and go for a walk . I would never have them together in a confined space eg car for a few weeks . I feed them in separate rooms for a few weeks . If they are left alone in the house they would be in different rooms . Sleep in different rooms , new dog in my room till I see it is settled . New dog on lead for a few weeks , till I am sure of its behaviour . If they seem possesive over toys etc the toys would be removed . I watch them very carefully at first for any signs of either of them becoming annoyed with the other . Maybe I am over cautious but I have never had any problems so it works for me
Can they meet a couple of times before you bring the new dog home? Can you pick up the dog and then bring it home without your resident dog...then meet on neutral ground?
When we had Button we had to meet my friend who had picked her up for me. I was going to take William butwent in my OH's little car and didn't fancy 2 dogs in the car that potentially didn't get on. When we got home William was in the back room so I took Button in and let her settle for a while. After about half hour I let William in. to be honest he didn't see her at first but when he did he went up to her a sniff. She snapped at him. Fortunately we had muzzled Button just in case. They had a few sniffs at each other and then they just curled up together and that was it. Now nearly 18 months later they are inseperable.
Go to a good rescue where they will help you find a match for your existing hound. My local RGT was brilliant when we were looking for our second dog, the kennel manager helped with the initial introduction at the kennels, then let us take both dogs out for a good long walk (wearing muzzles) and then turned them out into a paddock for a run together. We then visited a couple more times with our own dog, doing the same again on each visit. We collected the new dog on his own and as soon as we got home took both dogs out for a good walk before going into the house. This seemed to do the trick and the dogs have always been happy in each others company. To be fair most greyhounds (at least ex-racers) should be used to changes in companion as they are regularly moved about in racing kennels so most introductions should be OK - but there are always exceptions... Good luck looking for a new grey!
