Thinking of Adopting a Companion for Your Frenchie??

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Implementing the Plan

WEEK ONE: This was obviously the most difficult. There was never a moment of rest in the house – the entire house was on edge, anything could start a fight; a toy, a sock, or a guest greeting the other dog. At this point, we were still breaking up fights as soon as they happened. We kept Bruce in ‘Bruceland’ except for walks and community play time. We did notice that Charlotte was right; Maximus was the one picking the fights. Our initial assumption was that the fights started once Bruce growled at Maximus, therefore Bruce was the aggressor. However, we were missing the glare and vibe Maximus was shooting at Bruce which elicited the growling, then the pounce and brawl would ensue. It was quite obvious who the jealous/anxious dog was.

WEEK TWO: Bruce was able to stay outside “Bruceland” for longer periods of time without a fight. However, the fights were not subsiding. At first we would dive in and grab both boys by their collars and separate them within 5 seconds of the start of the fight. We tried every method we could find; spray bottles, putting them on their sides, crating them – nothing was working. Then we decided to try the ‘duke it out’ method (Oh my heart breaks remembering the first fight that went to fruition). We were very lucky in the sense that our pups were just really noisy and always got up on hind legs and went after each other’s faces, which, as I stated above, is the ‘safest’ fight they could have. There was definitely no aggression or perception they were really trying to hurt each other. However, Charlotte was right again, there was blood! The boys would get scratched by each others’ teeth, their little noses got nicks in them. It was heartbreaking! It took three fights before Maximus learned mom and dad were not going to save him. It was like magic, instead of Maximus shooting Bruce a look when he was mad, he would turn his back to us and Bruce. The major issues that would entice a fight would be: toys, jealousy when Bruce was sitting with someone on the couch, socks or shoes or a guest greeting Bruce. Each time one of these instances occurred within week two or three – they would fight it out. Bruce would get the best of Maximus and it would be over in less than a minute. Then the next time a guest would come over or a sock was left on the floor, Maximus thought twice about antagonizing Bruce.

WEEKS THREE & FOUR: Huge progress! The only time Bruce was in ‘Bruceland’ was when we were at work. Bruce was sleeping in his bed next to our bed and Maximus in his bed alongside Bruce. We started trusting them in the house when we were in the yard doing chores or in the basement doing laundry. It appeared that when we were not around, they did not fight.  I caught them sleeping in the same bed at 3 AM during week four and almost started crying – I could not believe they were starting to like each other enough to cuddle up on a cold night.

WEEK FIVE & BEYOND: It feels as if the goal line is within reach. We have reached a level of serenity in the house! We started leaving them out together when we went on quick trips (e.g., to the grocery store). We came home to two pups that were napping on the sofa – no blood, no chaos. The boys began going to daycare one morning a week for socialization, and they are like two peas in a pod. The owner stated they hardly ever leave each other side and often gang up while playing with the other dogs. I am told Maximus is the brains of the operation, while Bruce is the brawn. We were able to start frequenting the dog parks to let them stretch their legs and really run and interact with other dogs. It has been a slow steady progress.

Bruce’s first trip to the dog park was tough. He was comfortable with us and Maximus by this point, but we did not trust him enough to unleash him at the park. Despite reading articles and the advice we were given about letting both dogs off leash at the park because they would be less defensive and anxious, we did not unleash him on our first visit in fear he would run into the woods and not listen to our commands. Bruce was extremely anxious on his first outing. When other dogs approached him, he would growl a bit and get defensive, but we worked with him. We tried to make each encounter a positive one and end the greeting on a positive note. We would end the greeting after about 15 seconds once the dogs sniffed a bit and then we would move on and reinforce his good behavior with a pat and encouraging words. By the time we left the park, he was able to greet a dog, briefly without getting defensive. On the second visit to the park, we unleashed him. He did marvelously!! Not one growl! On one visit during week six, a male dog tried to mount him and Bruce let him know he was not happy, with a quick jolt and a growl the other dog backed off, but other than that there were no negative interactions at the park.

During week seven, we got confident and tried toys while the boys were leashed – Oh my goodness did we have a setback! Bruce picked up a frog stuffy toy and Maximus saw red, he was so mad he lunged at Bruce and we let them fight it out; it was by far the worst fight to date. After a battle, Bruce came out victorious (as always) and since then neither one of them will even look at a toy even if we lay them out in the middle of the floor.

We are currently at week nine, but it feels like a lifetime! My husband and I have turned to each other on numerous occasions and said “Oh my gosh, it has only been ‘X’ weeks?” Last week, Bruceland was dismantled and made its way to the basement and neither dog was bothered by it. Every day has been better than the day before and we can happily report that we have not had a fight in two weeks! The boys will now chew on a bone while unleashed and in the same room, but to this day neither will acknowledge a toy. We are working with them by associating toys with positive things like praise and treats. The will sleep in the same bed at night from time to time and are always licking each other’s faces and sniffing each others head’s and backs. They practice commands alongside each other; their favorite commands are ‘high five’ and ‘push ups’. They stick up for each other at day care and the dog park. But most importantly, our boys show us that we did not make the wrong decision by adopting a second dog, we were just ill prepared. The past nine weeks have been a slow uphill battle, but it was definitely worth it.

When considering a second dog, please do this with both eyes open. Take into account all scenarios – fighting, the cost of food, vet bills, the very real possibility that a calm environment can take 6 months or more to achieve, and of course the need for patience. If I had to do it over, I would adopt Bruce in a heartbeat! I would not give him up for anything in the world. However, if I had known then, what I know now, I would have definitely been more prepared.  We learned the hard way that being experienced owners of one dog, definitely did not prepare us for two adult dogs under the same roof. We were extremely lucky that it took us less than two months to have peace in our home, but we are nowhere near the place we thought we would be after 2+ months – wow were we naïve!  We were very grateful we had Charlotte and others in our lives that helped us along.

After this experience, my advice is: be prepared for the ups and downs, the good days and bad and of course all the joyous days these little guys will give you, but realize how much work it is; the fun and playtime may take weeks and months to accomplish. In addition to the assumed obstacles, housebreaking, nervousness of new surroundings and nuances of the particular dog (for instance, Bruce likes to jump when excited and is in the habit of “mouthing” people which makes our nieces and nephews a little nervous – so this is a work in progress); there are a whole host of other concerns when adding a second dog. Having all “the right stuff” when the new dog gets to your house does not make you prepared. Please remember, you are choosing to have these dogs, they did not choose you!  It is only fair to be completely confident you are capable of giving them the calm, safe life they deserve.

Please remember that, while Nicole Enman's experience is in fact extraordinarily typical of the interactions that can occur between a resident dog and a new adoptee when the dogs are two young males approximately the same age, every dog is different.  A mature dog and a bitch may accept one another almost from the first greeting, two elderly dogs may ignore each other until they fall asleep together in a companionable heap under the same sunbeam, and two bitches may set out with deliberation to kill one another.  Two dogs may ignore each other for a week before exploding in each other's faces, and another two may harbor a simmering hostility for years until a desperate unsupervised battle leaves one or the other dead or seriously injured.  Do what Nicole did: 1) recognize a problem, 2) seek help, 3) implement a solution, and 4) above all, be patient.  Always be patient.

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