The first night is the hardest, right? Adding to the pack, part two...

[CalistogaPyr]

Greetings BPO folks!  Well, we did it.  We finally got another dog.  AFter much deliberation and anxiety on my part, my husband went to a shelter and brought home the newest member of our family.  Floyd (as in Pink) is a 1 year old, male, lab/chow mix.  He's pretty funny...very smart, but NO training.  He was found as a stray and had been adopted out once before, only to be returned two days later because he likes shoes.  Go figure...a year old dog that likes shoes!  Bo didn't outgrow her love of shoes until 2!  Anyway, my husband took Bo to the shelter to meet Floyd and they got along FAMOUSLY!  Playing, romping, both initiating play, all the good things you look for.  Well, that ended the moment he came into the house.  She reverted back to all of her old, unfriendly ways and we spent the night mediating various "snarking outbursts".  Floyd, to his credit, seems unphased by Bo's grumpy attitude and really wants to play.  Finally we had to put Floyd in the kitchen (at about 3am, mind you, and with very little sleep on my part), and Bo in the bedroom.  Peace at last.  I took them for a VERY long walk this morning and once we got back to the house, most of the bad behavior on Bo's part ceased.  The only time it got a little rough was when they were playing & she took a corner too fast and tweaked her bad knee (luxated patella, right rear leg)...boy did she let into Floyd for that!  After a breif separation, they had forgotten all about it & life marched on.  They are home alone today, so wish me luck that I still have a house with two dogs and two cats when I get home!  And hopefully the neighborhood will forgive me for adding to the pack! 
Anyway, aside from the general announcement, I wanted to solicit other people's experience of adding to the pack.  Do they eventually fall into a rhythm?  How long does it take for dogs to bond?  Bo is my first dog, so I'm REALLY new to all of this!  Your stories and suggestions are welcomed!!
Thanks,
Jenn, Bo & (now) Floyd

[Kermit]

Aw, what a sweetie Floyd is! Bless you for adopting a shelter dog!!!

When I have brought home new members, there has definitely been an adjustment period. With the puppies it has taken awhile. Zoot didn't warm up to Nigel until after he was with us a few months, and Mokey has been here 2 months and she still gets picked on pretty badly. But when we brought home Furley (my boyfriend's dog) who was already full grown it really only took a few days and he just meshed right in with the routine, and the other dogs accepted him really quickly. Don't get me wrong, we have had our share of "disputes" and bared teeth, but we have 5 in our pack now and I think everything is pretty dern smooth considering. They really know how to work things out among themselves. The only thing I worry about is that Mokey is going to get revenge when she is a little bigger- Nigel tends to bully her a LOT. But he is a teenager (9 months old) and kind of going through a brat phase... just wait til Mokey goes through her brat phase and I bet she is going to come back to Nigel for payback time!!! It is pretty amazing observing the different relationships between dogs. You can really learn a lot by watching them.
I hope everything works out for your duo... I bet they will get to know each other and I'm sure Bo will start being happy about having some company around!
Good luck!
I bet some others will have some great input for you too!

[Scootergirl]

Bo was so playful at the shelter because it wasn't on his home turf.  Bo is just letting Floyd know that he is now, and always will be, King of the Castle (under you and your husband, of course). He has to establish his elevated position in the "pack" and good for him. As long as no blood is drawn, then things are going as I would expect them to. It won't be long at all 'til things calm down and you wonder why you were ever worried at all.

I call lab/chow mixes the "Louisiana State Dog". There are more lab/chow mixes in our shelter than anything else. I am not a big fan of chows, but this mix has always been one of the smartest, sweetest, best family dogs you can ask for. It takes the best of both dogs and rolls it into one. They are always smiling, always playful, look to you for obedience and guidance and desire nothing more than to be a part of the family.

Congratualtion s on your new addition!! Can't wait to see more pictures!

[CalistogaPyr]

Thanks, guys!   
I don't know much about Chows, so I appreciate the info.  Floyd seems really keen to appease us (me & my husband), which I think will come in handy once we start doing obedience.  He's got a lot of energy, so I'm thinking of doing Agility or Flyball with him once we've established a relationship.  Bo is a therapy dog, so she's got her job already established! 
Doghealer, thanks for sharing your experience...I really appreciate it.  I am sometimes prone to overanalyzing situations & I underestimate the dogs' ability to work things out for themselves.  So far, so good in terms of no blood drawn & no hurt feelings (except for Bo, as she's used to being an only child, but I imagine she'll get over it). 
Jenn
P.S.  I can't get Floyd to hold still for photos...all the ones I took this morning are blurs!!

[Kiahpyr]

I'm so happy for you and your new addition. That's great you were able to bring home a shelter dog. I'm sure it will just take time for the two to adjust to each other. Floyd is a cutie!

[Binky]

Congrats on the new family member!  We have added four animals to our family since we've had McDougal ( our 6 year old Papillon)and there is always an adjustment period.  He is just now starting to tolerate Binky whom we brought home in August! He is a grumpy old man and he pouted for an entire week after we got Binky.  I try to let the animals deal with each other as they will and only interfere when things get too rough (or they drive me crazy with their barking/ growling/running/jumping!)  Just give it time and it will work out! We just give him extra attention and time alone with us so he knows he hasn't been replaced.  Good luck.

[dgodden5459]

Congrats Jenn on your new member. He kinda looks like our dog Macie. We were wondering what kind she is. She was dumped out in front of our house. Does he have short legs? She does, and her face looks almost exactly like floyds.

[CalistogaPyr]

Well, the second night seems to have gone a little better than the first.  Bo is ADAMANT about not letting Floyd in the bedroom when we're in bed.  I think that makes sense, though, as he hasn't earned entrance to the "den" yet.  They survived their first full day alone together without any blood being drawn, so I guess we're doing ok!!  Bo seems to be more tolerant of Floyd in the morning than in the evening.  I imagine that it's his persistant need to play with her that wears her out & makes her tired & grumpy.  He follows her EVERYWHERE...w herever she is, he's not far behind!  The only hitch that I'm coming across is that because of Bo's luxated patella, her knee pops out when they start playing rough (fast chasing, mostly).  When that happens, she reacts with a panicked, high pitched bark & really gives Floyd a dressing down.  Our trainer says that's bad that she reacts that way when in pain, but I don't know if that's a normal response or not.  Fortunately, she's calming faster today than she did yesterday.  Floyd's having his first day home alone, so wish me luck!! =)  I left him with a rawhide & the tv on, so hopefully that'll help.  I really want to crate train him, because I think that would help the nightly roaming behavior that he does & give him a place to hang out during the day (door open, of course). 
Lauriew:10-14 days, huh?  I was wondering how long it would take.  I had hoped for immediate bonding, but that's pretty much unreasonable, I guess!! =) 
THANKS for all of the support...you all don't know how much I appreciate & depend upon this forum for help!!!
Jenn, Bo & Floyd!

[jabear]

Glad to hear that things are working themselves out. Floyd...I just love the name!

[my3dogs]

Floyd is a great name!!!  Hopefully he and Bo will work things out quickly and become fast friends. 
Jack was our first and he adored Jilly when we brought her home. She was only a puppy and he took the role of mama dog quite seriously. 
When we brought home Daisy, Jack once again took the role of mama even though Daisy was already bigger than him and he couldn't even mouth her muzzle!
Jilly was a bit bent out of shape when Daisy arrived.   It has taken about 5 months for Jilly to come around and develop a relationship with Daisy.  Now they love each other.  It's great.
Congrats on adopting a shelter dog.  That's where all 3 of ours came from and I couldn't be happier.
More pics!!! (when you get him to sit still! LOL)

-Wendy

[CalistogaPyr]

Well, I think the worst is over!! =)  Bo & Floyd are becoming fast friends and she even let him come into the bedroom last night!  Big steps!  Anyway, I"m sure there's more bumps in the road ahead, but right now, I'm reveling in the new-found harmony in the house!   Thanks, again, for the support...I truly appreciate having such a great group of people to bounce things off of!
Take care,
Jenn, Bo & Floyd

[Kiahpyr]

I'm so happy that things are getting better. I'm sure it will take time and they'll be the best of friends.