Advice on Puppy and Young Corgi Introduction

[InCorgiLove]

I have 1.5 yr old male Pembroke Corgi and have just introduced an 8 wk female Pembroke Corgi into the household. They are both from the same breeder with the same mothers, different fathers. The oldest, Cosmo, is aggressive, intelligent, and affectionate. He is used to being the center of attention and has typically ignored other dogs (not in our house but on walks) in the past. However, when he met Stella today he seemed quite alert and even scared. He sniffed her until she made the mistake of nearing his water bowl which set off some jumping and growling. I removed the puppy and we tried to introduce them again later. My mom and I frequently petted Cosmo as he sniffed Stella, saying "good dog" in an effort to soothe and reward him. He did nip at her once but has since stopped. He literally hounds Stella...following her around, having to be ahead of her most of the time, sniffing her constantly while she wants to be on her own and relax. She even barked at his a few times which got him off her back for a few minutes.

Is this normal? I really want these dogs to get along and will do what it takes to make them happy. Should I keep letting them get acquanited over the next few weeks? They are always supervised and fed at different times and sleep in seperate areas. Also, I tried keeping Cosmo on a leash but this only made him frantic and more upset. Any suggestions would be great...thank you!

[MyPemCharlie]

Anything is normal between two dogs. LOL Depends on each dog's personality.

I just brought home a new (older) dog on Tuesday. The first 4 hours, I did not let them see each other. I put the new one in her crate and put Charlie on my lap and let him sniff her scent on me. Then I put Charlie in his crate and brought Desta out so she could sniff Charlie's scent on me. Early evening, I set up a puppy playpen in the backyard and put Desta in it. Then I took Charlie out on his leash and let him meet her through the playpen wires. He was immediately all smiles, so I let him off leash to run around the playpen. Desta had rolled over on her back when she first saw Charlie and was curious about him when I let him go free. Next step, I put Charlie back on leash and let her out of the pen.

Charlie can be very overbearing wanting to play all the time and Desta likes him but seems more of a "people" dog than a "dog" dog. Anyway, I have put Charlie on leash so he can't annoy her when he is clearly being too much for her. Inside, I will separate them in different rooms for a bit when he's too hyper. They are warming up to each other very fast, and Charlie is learning to leave her alone on verbal commands to "sit" or "down".

Bottom line is not to let either dog bully the other one. Keep a leash on your dog or keep him in a separate area if your see the pup trying to get away from him. Introduce them off-leash together for very short, supervised periods and be the lead peace keeper.

Congrats on the new pup, and good luck!

[Michael Romanos]

Food can be tricky so i would never allow two Corgis to eat together in a confined space until their is a neutralisation of attitudes. So I'd feed them separately in separate parts of the home or property. Also make sure they are not together when handing out treats. Both Corgis need some space of their own on occasions and they need some individual attention such as occasional separate exercising walks, separate training etc. Don't lump them together as one entity 24/7.

[fogebotom]

Did you do any obedience or puppy kindergarten classes with the older dog? Reason I ask is that if he wasn't allowed to do the typical socializing with other dogs, he might have a hard time relating to a new dog in the house. That will then take some time backtracking to resocialize the older dog.

Next suggestion is don't pet or coddle the older dog while he is investigating the puppy. There might be a chance that you accidently reinforce the bad behavior.

I would suggest putting both on a lead and supervising everything, when it gets out of hand, remove both to time out areas and then let them have their seperate areas where the other can not invade.

Right now I am getting ready to head to Canada for some shows. I have two new dogs in the house that I am taking up with me. I start by introducing them to the middle of the road dog in the house and only allow them out side supervised, while leashing my own dog and giving the new dog more freedom to avoid if need be. After 48 hours I am up to letting the one cardigan girl out with one or two of my boys. The golden is good with the cardigan girls in the house, but unfortunately can't let her out with the boys-she's in season.

Good luck!

[InCorgiLove]

I realized I posted this topic in the wrong spot. I apologize. Thanks for all the advice! Things have actually gotten a lot better between Stella and Cosmo. We do feed them seperately, with Cosmo eating first. They also sleep in seperate areas and we remove any toys before putting them together. I think the thing that has really helped is giving them each lots of "me" time. We've been strict with Cosmo's exercise also. I think Cosmo has also finally been able to say "Hey, I'm boss" and Stella's been able to assert a little independence as well. Thanks so much for the help! I'm happy they are learning to get along.

[thestig]

Take them out on walks at same time. One on the right and the other on the left. Don't give them a chance to stare at each other. Just walk comfortably until they get use to each other. Once they are relaxed you can put both leashes on your dominate hand. This way they are walking side by side. You can walk to a park then introduce them without being in Cosmo's territory. I use to do this all the time back when I was a dog walker in College. I didn't get to pick the dogs and some were aggressive.