Hi all,

Well, I have a 2 yr old female who I thought was well behaved. She has always been so playful with all other dogs and B's coming over to the house. I have been watching 2 (female and male) many times when their parents go on travel and for the most part - she has been great and not aggressive. She seemed to live for interaction with other dogs. So, feeling bad for her, I got a "rescue" male, 4 yr old, that had been an only B. He has wanted and tried to play with her and for the most part she wants nothing to do with him. She will play a tiny bit, then turn into an aggressive little brat. he is losing his interest, and I don't blame him.

Question: From your experiences, Is this a hopeless cause and things are not likely to improve or is it more normal and my Skyler needs some time to warm up to Enzo (new male)? Do dogs each have their own individual chemical attraction- i.e. sometimes its there and sometimes not ?

PS - I did introduce them on neutral territory.

Thanks,
Viviane in Falls Church

I added a rescue male to our household when my female was nine years old. She hated him on sight! She never did really warm up to him or play with him, but gradually decided she could tolerate him, and that's how things stayed until she died at age sixteen. They got along O.K. most of the time and I think he was company for her, but she could never bring herself to really like him. However, the overt aggression didn't last.

Give them some time to adjust. It may take weeks for things to settle. I introduced a rescued male to my female and she was quite standoffish. They were both the same age. When you train or play with them do so equally with both and do not favor one over the other during these sessions. If your female has a favorite spot do not let the male supplant her. However, make sure you allow both equal access to you. In other words I had to move to the middle of the couch and later on it didn't matter anymore.

In my case and after a while (about two months) they adjusted to the new makeup of the household. And sure they still had their snits from time to time but I always growl louder than they can to remind both who is the top dog in the pack. As you know they have unique personalities and hopefully with love and patience and you being the leader they will learn all is ok.