[Dailydrool] Introducting a New Basset

[Mary Lee Trnka]

We got our first basset, Tucker, from a breeder as a puppy.  We picked him because he was a little smaller, and very low key compared to his litter mate.  He grew up to be the stereotypical basset - a lot like a living throw rug.  He was perfect with the cat, and also accepted the second cat (which came as a rambunctious kitten).

 

When we decided to add a rescue basset, our first basset was 8 years old.  I saw a real cutie named Philby at 4 the Hounds in southern Missouri.   I exchanged many email with the foster mom, and asked lots of questions about how he interacted with other dogs and even with cats.  It was good to know beforehand that this dog seemed to be just as low key as our first basset, and that he seemed to be submissive towards her other dogs.

 

We were careful to introduce them on neutral territory - Tucker guy took the 3 hour trip to pick up Philby.  We emptied out the back of the van, and the two of them got along well from the beginning.  The only problem we had was that Tucker started to show some pretty intense food aggression after we got home, even though we were feeding them separately.  We work with Tucker to discourage that behavior right away, and today it is not an issue.  We tried to give Tucker treats first, let him out the door first, make Philby wait for him, etc.

 

I think the biggest reason we were successful is that we asked a lot of questions about Philby before we ever brought him home.  That's one really great aspect of taking in a rescue.  I didn't know if Tucker would really play with Philby, because he'd been an "only dog" for so long, and didn't really interact with other dogs.  They began to play right away, and Tucker is way more active than he ever was before.  They don't snuggle, but they seem to enjoy each other's company.

 

The more you know about the "new dog" the better.  Also, there are some guidelines for introducing a new dog that will make the old dog seem less threatened.  You can find the info all over the internet.

 

Mary Lee

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