Will Badger have a Coronary?

[doggylover]

Most of you have more than one dog in your household.  What I am wondering is how they handled it when you first brought a new doggy member home.  Badger has been an only child for 5 years, and all excitement aside, I'm a little worried that he won't respond well to our up-coming addition.  Do you guys have tips on ways to make it easier for him to handle the transition?  He gets really agitated when David pets other dogs, but seems fine when I do it.  I think it's because I'm constantly petting anything with fur, so he is used to that. 
Do you know what I should expect? 

[Gypsy Jazmine]

Sam was great when we brought Pippin home & they both happily accepted Rosie...Then sam decided he'd rather have a bunny or hamster & then the trouble started with Pippin...Save yourself the trouble & send me Badger & his favorite ball...tee-hee!!

[Leah-n-boy-os]

Slow and steady does it.......

Seriously, everything has to be done slow, and at Badger's comfort speed. Is the new addition male or female? Fixed? Is Badger?

Male to male is usually a ton of posturing, a bunch of bent feelings, and a longer period of adjustment. Females seems to adapt a bit easier, but it'll still take time.

Get them to meet outside of Badger's "territory" (his yard/house), a park or even a cul-de-sac will work. That way Badger doesn't have to deal with the intruder on his turf.

As far as in the house, don't let them be in the same room unsupervised for a while, until you're certain that both can be trusted. Expect that there will be some scuffles. They have to establish who's top dog (after the humans of course!) on their own, we can't decide it for them. My Vet said that as long as they are not drawing blood on each other, let them duke it out. They sound like they're killling each other, but they're really not.

I've managed to successfully live with three males. Zeus and Apollo have been with me for over two years now, and they still have their hormonal days. Onyx is our newbie, and he and Apollo are currently *determining* who's "king Fuzzy Butt"...

[lins_saving_grace]

Lady handled Grace well...of course she was only 6 months old when we got her and had been raised with Missy...who died when Lady was about 5 months old. 
It's a transition they handle in different ways.  I'm sure it will all come together smoothly.

[doggylover]

It is going to be a girl, and Badger is fixed.  He has some really odd personality issues, and sort of has a fixed routine that he enjoys, that will be pretty disrupted when the puppy gets here. 
You think they shouldn't be left alone?  We were going to get her a baby playpin so they can interact without having real access to eachother.  Is that a good idea?
 

[Leah-n-boy-os]

Being its a girl, it should go more smoothly. What do you mean by "odd personality issues"? Has he ever been exposed to females? Any chance of him going on a playdate or two beforehand?

I would definately recommend that they not be left alone together at first. I'm not sure how sturdy a playpen would be?

Hopefully, the puppy being smaller than Badger will help, as well as it being of the opposite sex. Does Badger know any kind of "leave it" command?

[doggylover]

Being its a girl, it should go more smoothly. What do you mean by "odd personality issues"? Has he ever been exposed to females? Any chance of him going on a playdate or two beforehand?

I would definately recommend that they not be left alone together at first. I'm not sure how sturdy a playpen would be?

Hopefully, the puppy being smaller than Badger will help, as well as it being of the opposite sex. Does Badger know any kind of "leave it" command?

I don't mean to imply that he is aggresive, he has no trouble with other dogs at the park, or having other dogs over here...he is just a weirdo.  He grumbles over everything, whimpers constantly if he doesnt get his way, pouts, acts like a drama queen if we move his bed, acts like a drama queen if we feed him half an hour late.  Acts put out if we come home late and he misses his full cuddle time.   
It is so strange that a friend dog sat him for 2 weeks a few years ago (she had a dog too) and she said he was the strangest most emotional dog, not even really like a dog.
He knows his commands including: sit, stay,leave it, gentle, wait, take it nice, go around, and he even knows hand signals for down, and out.  You can even make him back up (walk backwards which is hard for dogs)if you say, 'scoot'.  I'm not really so much worried about him hurting her, as I am worried about him pouting and being miserable and him feeling replaced. 
    

[Leah-n-boy-os]

Aw heck, that doesn't sound bad at all. What a sweetie! I don't think you'll end up having too much issues. Just make sure that when they first are introduced, it's out in nuetral space, and just keep caution as your watchword for the first few days.

I've got a drama queen as well, so I ssssoooo know what you mean.

[doggylover]

Aw heck, that doesn't sound bad at all. What a sweetie! I don't think you'll end up having too much issues. Just make sure that when they first are introduced, it's out in nuetral space, and just keep caution as your watchword for the first few days.

I've got a drama queen as well, so I ssssoooo know what you mean.

LOL I think he gets the 'drama queen' thing from ME!