What methods does everyone use to do a meet and great

MyPetTherapyDog · Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 667

What methods does everyone use to do a meet and great with their own dogs and other pitbulls to see if they are compatable to live together or at least play together. I know sometimes first see body language is not what is seems. My dog Cairo and my dog Daisy both like other dogs and live in a household that has multiple putbulls and a lab. But when either dog sees another dog for the first time (especially if Daisy is on a leash) their hackles go up, they growl, they do the front posture with the ears front routine. But when they finally calm down and are able to meet the other dog (sometimes not on first visit) it can take a few times) they are alright. Neither dog actually has dog aggression issures but it would sure seem so by reading their first time body langauge.
I am actually looking for some solid advice to bring with me to different shelters ( Which I know this board is full of) on WAYS TO PROPERLY introduce two shelter pitbulls to see if they are compatable to live together. (I also have males andfemales coexisting So I do know that it does not have to always be male to female. (All of my dogs are spayed/neutered) Again, I do know that it usually takes more than one or two tries to get a true reading but any advice or idea's will help. At my house, everything was done VERY VERY SLOWLY. (With usually my husband doing the intros because his body language is calmer than mine)
Thanks,
Sue

DeLaUK · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:34 pm Post subject:

From what you say it seems like your husband and yourself already have a good handle on it. Having your husband do it as he is calmer is definitely the best way, any anxiousness on the handlers part can cause the dog to instinctively want to 'protect' you, even with a dog you dont know well.

The only thing I would add is to take them on neutral territory for the first couple of meetings.

I know of some cases where 2 dogs have 'got along' fine for a month or so and then it seems like 'out of the blue' they've got into a serious fight but I think the people who had the dogs were often missing the signals.

Sara · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:13 pm Post subject:

When I bring new dogs home to live... FIRST I let them meet the pits in a park or neutral place... We just meet on the end of leashes... I have a female pit who doesn't like other dogs...so we have to combat fence aggression... Anyway... We meet in a neutral place on leash... THEN I bring the dog home (all my dogs are crate trained) and we crate the dogs in the same room... Each dog gets a chance to hang in the living room...the new dog the longest at first and then the others... We do that for about a week... Periodically havin meetings in a neutral setting... After we get over the first issues that the old dogs will have with territory (with the crate int he same room etc...they learn the dog is there to stay...) We let them meet in the yard on leash and then off... (not my aggressive female...she never gets to go off leash with other dogs)...

But it goes well this way every time... smoother transitions, less posturing etc... Keep in mind I have two strong breeds that are likely to be aggressive to other animals/dogs... carefull and we never meet off leash with two males... Just never happens... UNLESS one male is neutered.