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missclaudia · Jan 6, 2007, 07:58 PM

Hello,
I have a 5 month old shar-pei and a 6 week old mini daschund.
We just got the Daschund today.
My question is how do I start to introduce them?
Slowly or what?https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/images...s/confused.gif
Sometimes my shar-pei can get too excited and lick or sniff to hard and hurt it just a little bit.
How can I get them to introduce and become friends?

Claudiahttps://www.askmehelpdesk.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

s2tp · Jan 6, 2007, 08:39 PM

Both dogs are puppies, I would think just letting them play with each other would be fine... just keep an eye on them I guess... I really don't see any reason to have concern since they are both young. The older dog will most likely have dominane over the younger one, but I doubt he/she will actually act on it

AMHD has some actual dog professionals here, when they get online I am sure they will give you a more professional answer.

... I have had a lot of puppies and adult dogs, and they have never had an issue when introduced to each other.

labman · Jan 6, 2007, 09:02 PM

Start with the older one on leash, and let the little one approach it. They should be excited, sniffing, and perhaps pawing each other. As long as the Shar Pei doesn't show aggression, growling or raising it hackles, I would let them play. The 5 month old my not be quite mature enough to realize it needs to take it easy. Be quick with time outs if needed. Usually these things go fine. Don't worry if it looks too rough. As long as the Doxie isn't trying to get away, it should be OK.

6 weeks is borderline too young. Some people put great faith in introducing dogs in a neutral place. I don't know that it does that much good. You need to limit the 6 week old's exposure to disease in a public place.

missclaudia · Jan 6, 2007, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by labman

Start with the older one on leash, and let the little one approach it. They should be excited, sniffing, and perhaps pawing each other. As long as the Shar Pei doesn't show aggression, growling or raising it hackles, I would let them play. The 5 month old my not be quite mature enough to realize it needs to take it easy. Be quick with time outs if needed. Usually these things go fine. Don't worry if it looks too rough. As long as the Doxie isn't trying to get away, it should be OK.

6 weeks is borderline too young. Some people put great faith in introducing dogs in a neutral place. I don't know that it does that much good. You need to limit the 6 week old's exposure to disease in a public place.

Dear Labman,
Just wanted to thank you! My mom and daughter came across this site - and all day I've heard nothing but labman this and labman that. You won us over! :)

I am getting ready to begin dog training school next week - (my 62 year old mom too) and in the meantime, need a little assistance with things I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with.

My shar-pei, Cubby, is very playful - not really aggressive, but her play could probably hurt a six week old doxie. Do you think I should keep them separated for now? Cubby is in the kitchen (open crate) and Symphony, the doxie, is in a large pen in family room, with her crate contained in there... open door and newspaper.

Just don't want to mix them totally - but not sure when or how to do that.

Thank you, THANK YOU for all that you do!

God Bless YOU!

Claudia

Aka
Miss Claudia from the BBQ Bob Show
Barbecue Bob's BBQ and Beer Bash
Barbecue Bob's BBQ and Beer Bash!

labman · Jan 7, 2007, 07:12 AM

You do need to watch carefully, but I see no problem letting a much bigger puppy play with a little one. Us, our daughter, and many other people we have met in the dog guide program all get a new puppy every year and frequently let the new ones and older ones play. We sometimes do have to step in, but not very often, and the little ones are never damaged.

missclaudia · Jan 7, 2007, 07:23 AM

Hi again, Labman...
Thanks for your answer.
But how long should I keep them separate? Can they share same living space?
This is my concern..

Also - when letting them play I notice that it's the doxie who becomes aggressive first towards the shar-pei...
Then she comes to me... my shar-pei gets kind of rowdy with his play.
Then the shar-pei mouths the puppy - no growling - but geez, his mouth could fit a lot of her body in it - it just scares me.
The doxie doesn't like him getting close and so she snaps his muzzle - and then it kind of ticks him off.

As you can tell I'm slightly freaking out - thinking these two won't get along. :(

Thanks in advance...

Claudia

Sorry for the many questions... just trying to make sure I don't screw anything up or end up with a dead puppy. :(

labman · Jan 7, 2007, 11:16 AM

It sometimes looks worse than it is, and sometimes a small puppy is intimidated by a bigger dog. My daughter's Lhasa/Min Pin has had a terrible time of it. They picked him up where her inlaws live and returned to the inlaws' house and their adult Labs. Then a week or 2 later, I showed up at her house with my 10 month old Shepherd. He has survived that plus them bringing home 2 Labs and a Shepherd pup that all quickly grew larger than him.

I remember my friend talking about her Lab pup carrying new born Yorkies around with their head in his mouth. I wondered how the mother Yorkie took that.

I do want to emphasis that although you should let them play together under your careful supervision, they are not left alone together. In all the above, all the dogs are in crates when nobody is watching them.

Normally any young puppies of any size quickly adjust to enjoying playing together.

badams007 · Jan 7, 2007, 12:08 PM

I often use a baby gate to introduce new dogs to each other - they can go through all their various postures and doggie things without anyone getting injured.

And of course, as Labman pointed out, a 6 week old pup is pretty darned tiny and would be susceptible to injury by a rambunctious 5 month old larger breed dog. Caution is the word.

-Beth

missclaudia · Jan 7, 2007, 06:09 PM

Thanks, Labman!
Being the anal retentive person that I am - I need to ask you something else...
How long before one is usually able to let the dogs alone together?
I mean - I am not going to have to crate them forever when I leave the house, am I?
I'm so NEW to this - and I know my questions may sound totally ridiculous - but I need to ask so I can learn from you more experienced dog veterans. ;-)

I'm slowly introducing the two of them... I have the shar-pei in the kitchen and the doxie in the living room, in a large metal pen - to give her some square footage, and then her open crate inside of that...

My 3 year old though wants to keep opening the pen. :(
He has ADD to top it off...
I'm determined though to make this all work.

So ideally, I guess I'm wondering how long NORMALLY does it take for the two dogs to be able to be together alone?

And do most of you quarter off your dogs when you leave your homes, even when they are adults?

Thanks for putting up with all of these questions..

Your loyal fan,

Claudia

labman · Jan 7, 2007, 07:49 PM

Perhaps I am a little anal myself, but we don't even leave our 13 year old Lab loose in the house at night or when alone. Rather than in a crate, she is on a tie down, a short length of chain with a snap on the end. That is a remnant of her life as a dog guide and was what she was used to when she retired at 10 years old and came back to live with us. The partners are trained to do that. When they return home with their dog guide, they are given a big screw eye and a short chain with a snap at each end. I am sure there is a strong element of the way it always has been done going back most of a century. The service dog school our 5 month old Holly belongs to sends a newly trained 2 year old home with the same crate as they lived in as a puppy. The dogs partners can do as they please once home. I know for a fact that some of the dogs sleep in bed with them.