we have a 9 mth female sibe who "seems" to have a very laid back "husky type" attitude called akira.

we are able to bring her to work with us. she has the run of a very large warehouse but just sleeps all day & seems bored.

to keep her company, we got her a new sister sibe this evening called nova who is 12 mths old but is about 10lbs smaller - she was a "rescue" & was within hours of being killed at a pound some distance from us.

nova is extremely friendly, is rather food aggressive & has just gone into heat - she seems quite the opposite of akira in most respects.

since their first meeting tonight they have done nothing but play fight, nothing serious, just lots of "boxing" & "mounting" from each.

nova is less interested "with interaction" than akira who just continually follows her about sniffing as she goes - at the moment we are generally pleased.

obviously we would like both pups to have equal status but nova has already taken over akira's sofa & to be honest (without seeming to contradict myself regarding equal status) i would prefer akira to have her sofa as before.

therefore could anyone comment on how i can fairly govern/control this rather delicate situation, not with regards to the sofa issue (but pls advise), but in general terms for a happy future?

Congrats on the new addition and thanks for rescuing!!

It sounds like the girls are going to do just fine. If they are already playing after day 1, I'd say you have a successful match

When we got Hailey after having Koda for two years, we made sure that Hailey had a place everywhere Koda did. If Koda had a bed in the living room, we got one for Hailey. If she went to Koda's bed, we'd gently correct her, guide her to her bed, then praise her and treat her. That way she knew that her bed was hers, and Koda his. They still "share" once in a while, but if we all walk into the bedroom at the same time, for instance, they will each go to their bed without question.

I would also increase your Nothing In Life is Free training for both of their sakes. Many people suggest that when adding a new pack member, keep them automatically at the bottom of the totem pole. So give Akira treats before Nova, etc. If they are fed one at a time, Akria before Nova. Just make sure Nova recognizes that you are the leader and teach her to respect Akira and things should work themselves out naturally. You may want to limit their access to toys until you are sure they are both okay with sharing. We took away all toys for a couple of months while our two got used to each other. But again, if they are already playing, you're probably in good shape

hi koda - many thanks for your reply - most helpful.

first night over ok however had to take nova to vet this morning with kennel cough - give her tabs but she keeps spitting them out.

no major probs at the minute except she has messed inside a few times & not on her walks with akira - not able to let them outside presently as exterior of house getting painted.

also as mentioned before you have to be careful approaching her food dish when eating as she might turn & snap - apart from that she has a lovely disposition.