Need advice on integrating a new dog

[Maureen2222]

Hi - I've just adopted a 4 year old male terrier mix and I have a female poodle/terrier, age 9 and one year old feral kitten who I adopted 6 months ago. My new pup is not neutered (yet!) So here's the scenerio: the new pup, Shilo, and my previously feral kitten, Luke, can never be loose together, even in the back yard, as Shilo goes after him in almost attack mode. So for Luke to be able to be inside with us, Shilo has to be in the bedroom, and taken out on a leash to potty - or, Luke has to be in the bedroom, and then Shilo can go out alone... I looked up integrating a new dog with a cat, and it said that sometimes it will never work out as it is instinctual for the dog to chase rodents, especially terriers - guess they don't discern rodents from cats, especially if they've never been around them - marvelous! On top of it, I suspect Shilo has been abused at some point in his life as he cowards any time you raise your voice and needs constant praise. He is constantly at my side or following me wherever I go - I also suspect he is malnourished as I can feel his bones under his coat, and always seems hungry. I am trying to address that by feeding him whenever he appears to want something. He is shedding terribly, which these dogs don't usually shed, and his fur is very dry, so I feel there are definitely nourishment issues. The previous owners sent him with a bag of gravy train, which is far too big a kibble for him to eat easily. My little girl Lucy is doing the best she can, but Shilo is showing some slight jealousy towards her and the food situation, and some male "posturing" and as she has always been close with me, I have to watch them every minute too. I started to realize last night that this just may not work out, but it will sure break my heart to let him go. If I only had him, I know I could live happily ever after with him, but it's just not fair for him to spend so much time in the bedroom when he's so needy for human contact, or for Luke to have to be outside most of the time, especially with Winter coming. Fortunately, Luke prefers to be outside, but we had gotten very close with him and miss his time inside already. I'm o.k. for a little while, and am going to go ahead and make the neuter appointment for a week from next Wednesday, but already I figure with a lost day's wages, I'm out about $200, so I'll have to make a decision soon. The neutering and heartworm test and pain meds will be another $75, not to mention the trauma for both of us... It's only been 3 days, but I suspect the problem with him and Luke may not be correctable, and if that's the case, I will have to choose Luke, and find Shilo a good home before I get any more attached. I am willing to do the animal shuffle as long as it takes to determine what the best course to take is, and am hoping this weekend we can make a little more progress. But I'm also aware that I have patience limits, and this could get old really fast!!

All opinions would be greatly appreciated...

 

[milos_mommy]

Ok, first off all you should DEFINITELY be able to feel your dog's bones under his coat. If you can't, he is SEVERELY overweight. You should be able to see the ribs on a short-haired dog if they're standing...he's only underweight if you can SEE his spine or hip bones.

Second, yes, it's very common for terriers to not tolerate cats. I recommend you never leave them together unsupervised. However, it *should* be possible for him to spend time around your cat while someone is around. Outside it's probably more tempting for Shilo to chase Luke, because there is more open space for Luke to run and he resembles prey more.

Inside, make sure your kitty has somewhere to go to 'escape' (such as a shelf, windowsill, or cat tree) to get away from Shilo. You can search in the training thread to find information on getting a dog to coexist with a cat without harassing it.

If the only time he's having issues with your other dog is during times when food is present....separate them when they're eating. You don't need to be feeding Shilo all day long. As long as you're feeding him a high-quality food during regular meals, he'll be fine. It really doesn't sound like he's underweight to me...has he seen a vet yet? If not, he probably needs to. If the vet thinks he's underweight he can give you some advice on having Shilo healthily gain the weight he needs.

Terriers don't always get along super-well with other animals. But most of the time, unless they're outright going-for-blood constantly with the other animals, this can be managed and they can be taught to at least handle themselves around others, if not be best-friends.

Also, it's very important to make sure he's getting enough exercise and mental stimulation each day. Terriers need A LOT of that.

 

[Kilter]

First of all welcome to the boards...

Second, it's been THREE DAYS. You are expecting a lot from a young dog in a new situation.

To start get some baby gates and limit Shilo's space to one room. Or put a leash on him, hook the other end to you, and have him like that for a while whenever possible. A crate or xpen would be a good tool too, to contain him safely in your home and recover from surgery. Give Luke lots of 'escape' routes with gates where he can hop over but Shilo can't, high shelves and such too.

Food, not good food anyway, I'd either chuck it and start with a better one or switch when he starts to run out. The shedding and dry coat are likely because of the poor food. You can also add coconut oil to his diet, a spoonful a day of that or fish oil will do wonders but give it a few months. Do not feed on demand, feed one or two meals at set times, ten minutes to eat and the food is gone. Dogs are always hungry, mine would eat all day if I let them!

Also feed the dogs separately for now, in different rooms or outside, so there's no hard feelings on mealtimes. You can work on that later if you want.

Look into training classes, and go and work with him. Teach him things to do that get positive rewards, and then when the cat is around, start asking him to do those instead.

 

[LauraLeigh]

I don't have much to add that the others haven't addressed, but I have had people think Mindy's harsh coat was "dry" some terriers have a harsher coat, is it possible that's what your feeling?

Also you mention terriers don't typically shed much, I just wanted to add that mine both shed, a lot, sometimes I wonder why they aren't bald!!

 

[Maureen2222]

Thanks so much...

I really appreciate the time you've shared and your ideas. He is such a wonderful little dog and I know it's only three days in, so will just do what I can to try to keep him with us. I've never been this this situation, although I've had animals all my adult life, they always seemed to just integrate naturally. Do you think neutering will change his behavior much at age 4?