We have added a third but have some problems

Right then so last night we added Marty - A Tri Colour Cavalier to our ranks and we got some teething problems. Fido our eldest Cav has been amazing with him like he as when we had Rusty as a pup. Rusty is the problem. Rusty has always yapped and since we added Marty he is doing it even more but aimed towards him. But the strange thing is Rusty seems as though he is scared of him by keep backing away and barking and not looking at him. Rusty has made 2 very minor attempts to nip him but hasnt done it yet. Any advice on what we could do as we are in love with Marty so bad. We are thinking of phoning a local Dog Behaviorist to help.

I would try to do introductions more slowly and always make sure they are supervised.

From the sund of it, this is pretty normal -- I'd just manage their interactions more carefully. There's a whole set of links in the Library section on adding another dog. I don;t think you need a behaviourist at this early point.

BUT: do you now have three male dogs? Are they neutered? Having three males may -- and I am only saying MAY -- not be a great idea. Generally the advice is to try and balance out males and females -- a group of males, especially if they are all not neutered, are going to be far more prone to fighting than a mixed group. Also, you now have three dogs competing for their roles in the dog hierarchy, and this is going to take time. Sometimes it just won't work between two dogs in a household -- eg one simply will not and won't ever get along with a newcomer -- and is more likely not to work between all males or two females. Any trainer would advise against keeping three males or three females, from the start.

So: if these are not neutered dogs, I'd advise doing that. I'd also read some of the links on how to manage introducing another dog. I'd also keep an eye out on that nipping -- and learn what signals means 'danger' between two dogs. If this starts to accelerate, and these two actually do get into a fight as opposed to warning nips (the latter are not unusual at the start between new and established dogs so you need to give this time) then you will likely need to try working with a behaviourist to assess the situation and may need to either totally manage those two dogs separately at ALL times, or rehome one. That's the worst case scenario but it is important to take a responsible role -- it is virtually impossible to make dogs like each other if they really do not care for each other and a fight could be very dangerous.

Thanks for the replies. To be fair the nipping hasnt really worried us, as Its not really been nasty or vicious its just been daftness. Its just the way Rusty seems to be scared of Marty that we dont understand. And the barking is just daftness really.
Would we have to neuter all 3 dogs, or just 1, as Rusty has a Heart Murmur and Fido we were interested in breeding?
Thanks again.

Just to let everyone know in the space of 3 days things have improved dramatically. Rusty has started to play a little bit with Marty and the barking has all but stopped. Hes still scared of him but every day there is an improvement. We are so happy and he is every such a good puppy, he is only 9 weeks old and is pretty much toilet trained.

I had a feeling you'd be posting something like this good news soon These things take time but I can understand your initial worries, I'd be the same.

Aren't you forgetting something though...:snap::snap::snap:

*Pauline* said:

I had a feeling you'd be posting something like this good news soon These things take time but I can understand your initial worries, I'd be the same.

Aren't you forgetting something though...:snap::snap::snap:

Click to expand...

Yes you are photos are a must
---Aileen and the gang(Barney---Jazzie---Jake)

When we got Misty, Murphy would bark at her like mad. He seemed scared of her too, she just ignored him though. All we did was keep an eye on them, and let them work it out in their own time.

They've turned into best pals, we'll have has Misty 4 months on Tuesday