Bringing home a foster to our boy

[tricquestns]

Hi all,
I'm new to this and would love to share a pic of my dog Argos, but have not been successful yet! So here's the story. We've been a one dog household (me + boyfriend) for a couple of years now. Argos is almost 2 years old, 90 lbs, and super friendly with people. Up until recently he's been cool with other dogs too, but we unfortunately were put in a situaiton where 4 loose dogs ran up to us making us both nervous, and he hasn't quite been as trusting since.

So this weekend, we unexpectedly ran into a little 40pound 2-3 year old female who we conneced with and is in need of a home (through a rescue group, nileydogrescue.org) and are setting up a trial run to see how they get along and determine if we will be able to adopt her permanently. She is not dog aggressive and although seh was found on the street, she does not seem to have had any fighting in her past. At least there are no tell-tale signs of anything like that, thankfully.

So here's the plan. We were going to have Argos on a leash waiting outside when she arrives and take them for a walk around the neighborhood to meet, so it's not on "his" turf. That way we each have a dog, we have the control and they can more gradually meet in a more neutral place. He is generally very obedient, especially if we have a toy or a treat in our possession. After that we were planning on having them come into the house with us. Should the leashes remain on? We were thinking maybe move into the backyard so they can meet in a safe area where we are still somewhat in control. We are trying to set this up for success as it would be awesome for them to have each other as playmates. Does this plan sound ok? Are there other precautions we should be taking that I may not have thought about? She's arriving on Thursday night, and I'll be taking the day off after she arrives and then of course teh weekend, so one or both of us will be present the vast majority of the time. If we were to have to leave we would put her in a crate (until we can trust that she won't tear things up and that they are used to each other) separated on a lower level and have him in his normal state of being able to wander the house on the upper level. We are also planning on feeding them separately. I'm hoping for some feedback, to make sure I haven't missed anything obvious, and also ensure that we are giving everyone involved the best chance of this working out. I'm aware that they just might not get along, but here's hoping! I would love to be able to welcome this little lady into our home! Thoughts?

[Ilovethepits]

This is a very good thread on your subject!

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=81654

It's pretty long, but the most relevant information is in the very first post by luvnstuff. I have heard very positive feedback from people using this Two week shutdown period for their fosters and new additions!

Best of luck to you and I'm sure if you have any questions you could either ask them in that thread or begin a new one in Training and Behavior or PM luvnstuff.

[tricquestns]

Thanks so much! I'll check it out.

Here's Argos!

[Ilovethepits]

Aww he is gorgeous!