This is just such an interesting topic to me. I've got 4 dogs of my own with the wee ones being added one at a time in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Adding puppies to a pack seems to be the easiest thing, with adults being more difficult. It took a while (a few weeks) for Skipper to truly part of the pack, mostly because Mitzy took a while to accept him.
Now, I've added a foster dog, Danica. It's been one week today. She's an adult but still young and puppyish. She really has worked to get the other dogs to play with her and accept her....she makes herself as small as possible on the bed, rolls over and shows her tummy, lets them sniff her....and it works! They have really accepted her as part of the "pack" now. Even Mitzy plays with her. And the "growl talk" that goes on when they all play! Everyone of them except Loco does the rattie "growl talk" and it's hysterical when they're all talking at once!
I have to say that lots of long walks in various groupings (I usually only walk 3 dogs at a time) really helped the dogs fit together. |