Dec 09 2008
Does a well trained mature house dog need a friend?
We have a four year old shar-pei at home we rescued when she was one year old. She was already crate trained and house trained so she aws easy to deal with from day one.
Now we are staring to wonder if she needs a friend. She spends the day by herslef in the house while we are at work and school.
She doesn’t soil or chew the house up, however we started feeling sorry for her spending so many hours of each day alone.
We decided to take her to a local dog park and she was very intimidated by the other dogs. Someone told us she would be better off if she had some dog company on a regular basis. one guy said he would never have only one dog…it is isolation torture.
So we went to a local dog shelter and got a new puppy. At first she played with him but the play seemed to get a little too aggressive and we had to frequently break them up.
Now it seems like she is ignoring him altogether. Her behavior changed too.
She doesn’t play with her toys except only after he tries to get them. It almost seems spiteful.
Is it possible she really wants to be alone and doesn’t mind the isolation? Or are we acting in her best interest by bringing the pup home to keep her company.
Will they eventually become friends?
Not all dogs appreciate having other dogs around. Anyone that says having a single dog is isolation torture doesn’t understand the nature of dogs. A dog doesn’t need another dog. Their human family becomes their “pack”. Unfortunately, instead of taking another dog for an overnight or weekend visit to see how she would do, you now you have a puppy to deal with.
Without seeing the behavior myself, it sounds as if she’s guarding her toys. Guarding isn’t a positive behavior. One of the ways you can get around it is to let them each have their separate toys that the other doesn’t get to play with. Only take the puppy’s toys out if the puppy is the only one in the room and vice versa. That will prevent the guarding behavior all together.
If you want the dogs to get along, you need to make having the puppy around a positive experience for the other dog. You can do that by giving her treats and lots of praise whenever she sees the puppy or whenever the puppy is in the room. Eventually, she’ll see the puppy as a good thing and won’t mind him being around.
Another thing that might help is to establish her firmly as the alpha dog in the family. You do that by dealing with her first whenever the dogs are together. She gets praised first, treated first, fed first, etc…
I highly recommend checking out “It’s Me or the Dog” or the “Dog Whisperer” either on TV or online for some more free dog training advice. Both shows have helped me tremendously and I have two well-trained German Shepherds to show for it, one of which is a six month old puppy.
Another option is to find a certified dog trainer in your area to help. Any investment made will be well worth it if it makes for two happy dogs and a happy family.
If this is helpful to you, please let me know! I hope things work out for you and the dogs!
demyelinatednotdestroyed.today.com
I also have a dog who does not like other dogs. She hadn’t really been exposed to them, as her littermates all died shortly after birth and her mother was very ill and she had to be bottlefed. (I don’t think she really knows she is a dog.) I wondered the same thing you are now. Would she benefit from having a playmate? Well, after some time we did get a 5 month old puppy that will never be as big as she is. She does very well with him and seems to “mother” him. She is not this way with other dogs at all…only him. It was a matter of finding one *she* liked. She seems to be much happier. I say, he just isn’t the right playmate for her. Keep looking or wait it out.