PLEASE HELP me

[starr]

i have a huge problem. well my dad has to be out of his house by September 10, and he has no place to go. he has two dogs, which are the parents to my two. anyway, he asked me to buy a house with him and i said of course. i live in an apartment full of drunks. i have live here for almost a year. the problem is i have to get my two and his two to get along again. i have done it before with Starr, it toook some time but i got them to accept it. they occasionally fought, but was broken up right quick. what am i going to do to get them all to accept each other again. oh, i forgot to mention Starr hates other dogs. (wrinkles is an acception). how can i do this in such a short time, and this time with two?????????????????????? PLEASE HELP! what have those of you with dogs, who go and adopt other dogs do to make them accepting towards each other?? ANY ADVICE will help. thanks, kim :confused:

[dlaura]

Hi Kim,
Have you & your dad considered a two family home. In NJ there are two families with the living quarters either being side by side or upstairs & downstairs. This way not only would the dogs still have their own domain -- but you and dad would still have your privacy also.

[Newfi lover]

Oh my gosh Kim,
you are such a sweetheart, I will gladly offer any help I can. I have two dogs that just aren't meant to get along, so we rotate them. That is the best solution to the issues.
If you are buying a house, you could separate the backyard, (get cost of a fence rolled into the loan) which would be helpful if that is an issue.
So there are the two worst case senarios.
Here are some other options: When re-introducing them, make sure it is on neutral territory, bring lots of treats and reward good behavior.
Try and stay calm and relaxed, if you are nervous, your babies will be in protective mode, and it may not go as well.
Keep the first meeting short, and if at all possible let it end on a positive note.
Keep re-introducing them on the neutral territory for a couple of weeks before the house closes.
Whenever the dogs meet, and there is no signs of aggression, give them a cookie and praise them well. Eventually they will see each other as great ways of getting cookies, and have good feelings about the other dogs.
When you bring them home, who is the more dominant one of the group?
I would make sure your home areas are clearly defined by you and Dad, and let the dogs investigate together with close supervision, while letting them drag their leashes. (If all went well at their other meetings)
Do you have crates?
I wouldn't let them be alone together for quite a while, crating them or keeping them in your room at night while you sleep would be preferable.
There will be some scuffling, and boundary testing, but worst case senario, you would just have to learn to do what I do, keep them separate, rotate, rotate, rotate!

[starr]

thank you both for answering. we did look at duplexes but with the time we have, the ones we seen were so run down and needed alot of work. and i have done this before with Starr when i moved back home to take care of my mom, but i only had to deal with starr liking the three dogs, but i now have my sisters dog she gave me (which is the son/ brother). so a total of 4 dogs. i used timbits before and it took a few hours, but i did it. my female and my dads female (mother of my two), are both the "boss". starr thinks she is queen sh#* and has to have everything her way. (i spoiled her when it was just the two of us). anyway, i really appreciate the help, and i think newfi lover i will try the things you mentioned. though i cannot see either one put in a crate or a room. i believe they all deserve their freedom. i know dogs will fight (just like siblings) and before they didn't last for long, it is just the fighting i can't deal with. i squirt my two with a squirt gun if they start to fight and that seems to break it up. i guess i will have to buy a holster for my guns then. anyway, thanks again and i will try this out. kim p.s the backyard is way to SMALL to separate. i mean if i separate it it will be two small patios. and they need some room. did i mention our city has a two dog per household by-law?

[Newfi lover]

Can he live with you for a month or two so you guys don't feel so pressured to "buy right away"?
I am in the final stages of my job search, I was a Sr. loan Processor for a few years, now I am getting hired on as a Loan Officer. I think the worst thing that anyone can do is rush into a property. Most of the time you are stuck for 3 years or better after that, before you can move on to a property more to your liking.
Just an idea, I know most apartments are very small, but the alternative could be some very unhappy experiences for awhile.

[bisquik]

Gotta love it when the good ol' gov't tells you how many pets you're allowed to have :rolleyes:

Dogs are adaptable. Dogs form their own pack and hierarchy. Ditto on not leaving them alone for long periods of time at first, but that's not very convenient for the long run. Let the dogs sort it out--they're pack animals. And don't be surprised if your one that hates other dogs, really just has a bad alpha problem and ends up as the pack leader. It'll take adjusting since they're not used to each other but dogs are far more flexible than we are.

[starr]

the thing is i fell in love with the house, and the other is my apartment is way to small for him to move in with me especially with 4 dogs living here. plus, a cat and guinea pig. we only have two bedrooms and my sister lives with me and my fiance now. my dad is sick and like he said wont be here that long. i will not see any of the dogs in a new home. i love them all. his two were my moms dogs (and the last thing i need is her haunting me for giving them up). plus, they are my family too. we plan on having kids one day and this house is perfect. we looked at over 10 houses and the last one we liked. i want my dad to move in with us (since my mom died he has been quite lonely) plus he is sick now too and he needs people to be with him. i think it will all work out in the end. my sister-in-law is going to help me get the dogs together. we are going to bring them to the park this week and get them together. thank you all for your replies and i will let you know if it works out. thanx again kim