Looking for advice...
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My husband and I have just rescued a 10 year of Basenji/Jack Russell mix. His name is Chester. He was severally neglected and abused. He has 6 teeth and weighed 13 pounds. He was neutered a week before we adopted him a few weeks ago. We could not leave him... My question is how to help Chester get along with our 2 year old dog. He is fine with the cats. Chester has many of the Basenji traits. He has already giving me the "turn the back" doggy finger. I was wondering if anyone had any hands on advice I could work with. He will attack my other dog when he is across the room just sitting. I know there is an adjustment period yet it is very scary even if he only has 6 teeth. Thank you.
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You have taken on a dog with major issues and have a very long road ahead of you. I can tell you love and patience will do the trick but really think you should seek out a dog behaviorist or trainer with knowledge of abused dogs. Good luck
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I have one coming the 28th. Thank you :)
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It's hard to suggest anything without a more complete picture. Are you allowing the two of them loose together? I would keep Chester on a leash at all times until you get a handle on his behaviour, so that you can quickly intervene if things become dangerous. If he is mostly not aggressive and these attacks are random, having a leash to grab (even if you just leave it on but don't hold on to him) will make it easier to gain control of the situation. How does your 2 year old react to Chester? Is he trying to be friendly, ignoring him, or what?
Good luck to you. Rescues can be unpredictable and it often takes quite a bit of time for them to adjust to new people and new surroundings, even when they haven't been abused.
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When I bring a new dog into the home, I limit contact to seeing each other.. could be a few days, could be a couple of weeks. This new guy... the world is frightening right now. He needs time to settle in and to get to know your other dog isn't a threat. As Shirley suggested, using a leash on him helps a lot for control. But just giving them a couple of weeks of no physical interaction may help settle things down. It also isn't fair to your other dog... 6 teeth, no teeth, it's stressful to be attacked.
After you can having them in the same room but not trying to get to each other, work on getting them closer. Maybe have someone leash the 2 yr old and give the treats near each other... or with a coffee table or crate between them. Doing something they enjoy (food) next to a previous stressor, can help build different responses. Working like that may have them settled a bit more for when the trainer arrives. just make sure the trainer does not use any harsh training.
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I cannot thank you enough for the help. My other dog, Herbie, has been very patient with Chester. I hope someday they will be friends...and Chester will understand he is finally safe. Thank you again.
