Taking on a new cavalier

Hi everyone, just wanted some advice. I am going to be adopting a rescue Cav on Friday, his name is Charlie and iis a 15 month old Tri. I was just wondering on any advice about how to introduce him to my current Cav Bailey? Bailey is very very placid and Charlie is a very energetic dog - I think more then anything my fear is that they will not get on - and I do not want to have to give up Charlie as I am adamant and really want it to be that this is his forever home...


Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Gini

Congratulations!
Is it possible for the dogs to meet first? That way you can see how they respond to each other.

Jen and Ilsa

Hi, Gini,

Congratulations on your rescue! He's lucky to have found you!

I had the same concerns when I introduced my tricolor pup, Josie, to my male Blenheim, Jasper, who was a year old at the time we got her. Jasper is a very placid, gentle, almost shy dog, and Josie is his exact opposite. We knew that when we got her but chose her because we hoped she'd bring Jasper out of his shell a little bit. She's done just that.

The breeder told us that it was very important to introduce the two dogs in a neutral location. I had my sister pick Jasper up from my house (we weren't there) and take him to her house, and we brought Josie over there so they could meet in an unfamiliar territory. My sister has a Shih tzu and an Aussiedoodle, too, so there were other dogs there in the mix. Much to my surprise, they both ignored my sister's dogs but immediately came over and sniffed each other. I really think they recognized that the other was another Cavalier! We let them get to know each other and start playing for about half an hour before we brought them home. I don't know how we got this lucky, but Jasper accepted her right off the bat. I wouldn't say they fully bonded for another couple of weeks, though.

We were careful to pay special attention to Jasper and praise him for being with Josie, and we didn't interfere when he'd try to correct her (he didn't like her eating his ears and promptly put her in her place). If I were you, I'd let Bailey know he's still top dog and praise him when he interacts well with Charlie. He may need some time to adjust. I've read on this board that sometimes dogs need a week or two before they accept a new member of the family. You may need to separate them for awhile.

Don't get discouraged, and I really think things will work out just fine. I think Bailey's going to love having Charlie around once he gets used to the idea.

Lori

Thanks so much for your advice. Charlie has arrived today and we already have a few problems, as he is a rescue he has come with some very deep scars from his past...and for some reason does not like men and lunges towards them and bites. My housemate has already been bitten today twice but we are not going to force Charlie into being in any situations which he does not feel confortable...Peter (housemate) is putting nice treats into his crate and this seems to have cured the constant barking at him and then in time we will hopefully introduce him out of the crate...the weird thing is that he was fine when he first met Peter but as soon as he stood up (he's 6 ft 2) he went to bite his legs - obviously something has upset him in the past with tall men possibly?

We will keep working on it! -fingers crossed as he is a lovely little boy :xfngr:

I am going to walk him with Bailey this evening - at present on advise from the behaviourist Bailey is at my parents so that Charlie can just settle in but by the end of the weekend they will be living in the same house. I have been told to muzzle Charlie at first, just to be safe but i hope in time they two boys will become the best of friends - I just have to be patient and keep working on Charlie and try and take away whatever has upset him in his past and show him he has a forever home with me...

Thanks again for your advice and I will keep you posted on the progress

Gini x