Adding a new 3 yr. old to two 5 yr old sisters.

[the_girls]

This may be the beginning a small boxer rescue effort in our house. We have had two fawn sisters since pups and really worked on their training and making them a true part of the family. My wife and I both take the girls running regularly and we have established a great routine for them (and us) that has made them two of most well behaved boxers most people have seen. We all know they are high energy, but when they are really trained, made part of the family, and loved like we all love them, they are the best!

My wife went to an animal shelter that "tries" to be a no-kill operation. However, they had a 3 year old fawn female that was looking fate in the eye. Poof! We now have a third girl. We've not attempted this before so the experience will be new. Also, I haven't read about the behavior issues associated with adding a third wheel to a pair of sisters.

The new boxer, Poptart, is super high energy! She was modestly trained, but clearly had no routine and is always in desparate need of attention. She's a tad larger than my other two and there is clearly a contest to determine who is the Alpha (other than me.) My original two have never been without each other and are struggling in this first few days. Poptart has clearly never been around other dogs and is more interested in my wife than the other two. Food and toys are a problem, as usual. Letting them establish the Alpha is tough and hopefully doesn't cause too many wounds... Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated as we attempt to acclimate a new member into the family.

Much thanks!
Tim

 

[sgbtab]

tim, you might want to be careful when poptart is around. is she the one trying to be alpha with the dog's?

females tend to be aggressive toward each other and since you have sisters that would be 2 aganist 1 it is a tricky situation but can be done. I had 2 females who grew up together but were not sisters and they loved each other till they both reached 2 that is when the S### hit the fan. the fights got worse every time they were near each other till one terriable evening. I lost my grace and mattie was at the vets with tubes and stiches. so if you feel tension with your dog's get a behaviorist before it errupts into something bad. good luck and I love boxers too. if I could I would own 100

 

[the_girls]

Diary of the new 3 year old.

Well, it's now day 3 and the we're doing well. The first 24 hours was a little tough, as there were so many new things for all of us (me, my wife, our original 2 girls and the new girl) My wife used a spray bottle with a little vinegar and sprayed anyone who growled, including me. LOL It worked and everyone learned that growling wasn't a bright idea. Only one argue match, but we quickly interceded with no injuries. We talked with the original owners and learned that our new "child" was never provided with a daily routine and spent most of the time alone. That explained the hyper energy and the hyper clinginess. After 3 days, she has learned the routines of our home and she is adjusting nicely.

I've given her several training sessions and have discovered she did get some basic obedience training. After some gentle reminders, and about 10 sessions, she's great. I can now get all 3 of my girls to do things together like sit, down and stay. It's a beautiful thing. One incident with treats, but I'm sure I was the problem. Toys are still an issue, although we continue to slowly acclimate toys into the routine. All in all, we're doing very well!!

 

[sgbtab]

appicon appicon. so happy everyone is getting along.

 

[cflint]

Thanks for the happy ending story! I'm struggling to get 2 females to get along and I think there is hope. I love both the girls a lot and my first girl has never had problems before. I think we are making progress, but occasionally I get feeling like you can't get there from here.