Looking for opinions please:

I have an 8 year Husky. She's been the only dog in the house the entire time, until a few days ago. A friend is trying to get me to take a 1 year old male Husky her sister was unable to keep (due to living arrangements). I'd hesitated getting another dog these 8 years as I wanted my dog to be the only dog, however in the past few days I've come to love this new one.

...I've kept a close eye on both the new dog and my dog, watching for any signs of issues. The new dog is not yet neutered (will be Wednesday) and I found out he's already bred once. He spent the first half hour trying to mount by dog. She wasn't interested, to say the least.

He marked several times inside the first 2 day, and on day 3 I didn't notice him doing it anymore .... until I found one of my blankets soaked in urine. I assumed he'd done it, so I cleaned it and went on my way. Then, that evening, I saw my dog in the corner of the room peeing on the floor, right in front of me. Just to note - she NEVER pees inside. It's been 3+ years since she's even had an accident. A friend suggested maybe she was trying to be dominant?

I've stressed about this because I promised if it seemed like it stressed her out or made her unhappy I'd give the new dog back to my frend.
I notice my dog either seems to initiate playtime by bringing over a toy, or she walks over to the new dog to see what he's doing or grab onto another end of the toy. She typically wags her tail high and keeps her ears held high. She sleeps on the bed, but the few times he's jumped up she doesn't seem to really mind or jump off. I'm afraid, though, of her picking up bad habits and doing things she never does (like the peeing inside).

Given this information, which I know is a lot, is this behavior of hers normal for a dog adjusting, or does it seem like the behavior of a dog who is unhappy in a situation? Are there real indicators that could tell me if my dog would be happier with a permanent playmate/friend or whether she'd prefer to be the only dog in the house?

So the only behavioral problem is the peeing inside? oh goodness I thought that you were gonna say that they have been fighting! lol He has only been there for a few days, give them both time to adjust. It's healthy for dogs to have playmates, and the fact that your female is initiating playtime is a VERY good sign! Neutering your male might help with the marking, but first he needs to know that is unacceptable behavior. Same goes for your female. Did you discipline her for peeing? Make sure that all the pee spots are thoroughly cleaned so that the smell is completely gone. At this point I'd treat them both like young pups in training. Instilling NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) training for both may help. The male is trying to find his place in he new pack, you need to take the "leader" role so that he feels more secure in his new home. Making both of them work for their food and privileges will make them look to you for guidance, and they won't feel the need to have to compete with each other over "territory". It may take time, but I'm sure he's worth it

Thank you for your advice!
Audrey, my female, and Achilles, the new male, have fought. The "fights" have been short, but usually spawned from something like Audrey trying to get his food out of his bowl, or play fighting turning into real fighting spurts.

Audrey shocked me when I stared right at her peeing on the floor. She hasn't done that in YEARS. I was unsure what she was doing because it was dark, but when I figured it out I told her "No" and just thumped her nose. I havent caught her since then, but I know she'd done it. Achilles I've caught twice I believe. He seems to have stopped marking (maybe thanks to Nature's MIracle No More Marking) as far as I can tell, but the sudden change in Audrey's peeing behavior has me absolutely floored.

I guess I'm thinking too "human-like", perhaps? I'm analyzing everything. Achilles could not be sweeter, but in my mind I see Audrey as being "my baby". She's been the only one for 8 years, so I'm terrified that if I keep him she will be unhappy, or that she will wish she was the only dog.

As a side note, I'm "trying Achilles out" for a little while with no obligation (sounds funny, I know) because a friend's sister was irresponsible and unable to care for him.

First of all - welcome! And second - take a deep breath! Introducing a new dog is always stressful. It sounds like they're generally getting along and her initiating play is awesome! I'm a little jealous, we had WWIII for a couple of weeks here while they worked things out!

Did she pee where the boy dog had marked? And did you thoroughly clean the area with an enzyme cleaner? One possibility is that she could be over-peeing the area to show that she owns that space. Before we got our girl, I didn't think girls do that but they do. It's actually quite hilarious to see Frosti try to "mark" a tree the way her brother does...

Make sure spend some quality time with her alone. And reinforce whatever pack structure they work out - even if it means the boy dog is higher than she is.

It's very stressful now, but it'll pass. It's only been a couple of days. Hang in there and we'll help with as much as we can!

I see Brooke and I are on the same page! Definitely follow the NILIF! The dogs will let you know when you're being inconsistent.

Sounds like their fighting is normal - they're working things out. We also had the play fighting escalate! A very loud "Hey!" would usually break it up - but if it escalated more, we'd have to pull them apart. Tip: pull one dog (whichever one is the aggressor) by the back legs like a wheelbarrow. Don't get your hands in the middle - lesson learned the hard way!

Funny you ask about where she is peeing ... no, it wasn't where the male has been. Yesterday I noticed the blanket on the couch soaked ... Achilles isn't allowed on the couch, so Audrey did that on her own. Where she peed earlier was in the middle of the room - there were no previous markings there.

I appreciate all the help. I'm excited to find this forum! I've fallen in love with Achilles' sweet disposition and polite nature ... my patience is getting thin, though, and I hate that feeling because I'm getting attached. Seeing the little agressive and dominant-like attitude from Audrey makes me sad as I've never seen it before, so it's going to be a real adjustment.

Thank you for welcoming me and for your help! I love seeing everyone's beautiful fur babies as well!

fourtsixand2 wrote:

I'm analyzing everything. Achilles could not be sweeter, but in my mind I see Audrey as being "my baby". She's been the only one for 8 years, so I'm terrified that if I keep him she will be unhappy, or that she will wish she was the only dog.

Oh my goodness does this bring back memories! I sounded just like you when we brought Kody home. Mya was alone for 4 1/2 years of her life and my husband thought it was a horrible idea to bring another dog into our home. Mya isn't too doggie "friendly" lets say. After much convincing he agreed to get a puppy. We brought Kody home and Mya was OK with him, but totally dominated him (still does!). It took a good 3-4 months for her to start acting like her normal self. Thank god for this forum or I wouldn't have know what to do! It's normal for her to act of the norm, but believe me when I say that she'll grow to love him. When you see them playing with no fights you'll be so happy that you got him. Like Brooke said, it's awesome for them to have playmates. I just wish I would have gotten a 2nd one when Mya was younger, but wow has she learned how to play with her brother.

Breathe, be calm, and have lots of patience. It will work out for the best!

Those fights are normal. They need to learn what is acceptable and what is not with each other. They are still feeling each other out. It's important, IMO, to have those spats, but to not let them escalate. They both get the massage "don't touch my food" or "I don't like playing like that" but without getting hurt. Nature's Miracle is AH-MAZ-ING lol I love that stuff. Sounds like you are doing everything right. Just remember, if you feel tense about a situation, your pack will sense it and react. So relax, and enjoy the new member of your family. Things will mellow out eventually. My Doxie acted out when we brought Kale home as a wee pup, she peed a few times, would steal stuff off the tables, dig little pot holes in the backyard, UGH! lol but after a few weeks of consistency, love and some one-on-one time with my special girl, she got over herself lol. Now they are the best of friends, kinda like Mutt and Jeff haha Sam's second paragraph is perfect advise! Kale ended up being the dominant one, and we treat him as such.

The rescue I work with just posted this - please read - it's definitely appropriate for this situation! It's written by an awesome dog trainer!

http://positively.com/2011/12/06/pets-add-life/

Don't feel bad! Since we brought Jezebel home Sunday, Dante has taken to peeing in the house again. In fact, this morning my husband and I were laying in bed before he went to work, and Dante hopped up in the bed, stayed for a minute or two, then came over to me, stood over me while I was laying in bed...........and peed all over my legs. I was NOT happy to say the least and he has not been allowed to stay on the bed since. I feel like he is jealous of the attention she gets, even if it is negative such as a correction for peeing on the floor, so he decided to do it too. We have decided to make a conscious effort to pay more attention to him, and see if he straightens up any. Here's hoping!

capblossoms wrote:

Don't feel bad! Since we brought Jezebel home Sunday, Dante has taken to peeing in the house again. In fact, this morning my husband and I were laying in bed before he went to work, and Dante hopped up in the bed, stayed for a minute or two, then came over to me, stood over me while I was laying in bed...........and peed all over my legs. I was NOT happy to say the least and he has not been allowed to stay on the bed since. I feel like he is jealous of the attention she gets, even if it is negative such as a correction for peeing on the floor, so he decided to do it too. We have decided to make a conscious effort to pay more attention to him, and see if he straightens up any. Here's hoping!

I definitely give Ayudrey all the attention and extra love I can ... he goes back for a little bit to get neutered, so that will be a good test of how she reacts while he's gone.
Good luck to you too!