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Im planing on getting a new dog of the mastiff size but I already own a 16yr old mini foxy and im worried about how she will cope with this and was just wondering if anyone had any experience with a situation like this, or tips or advice they could lend me?

thank you
 
If the mastiff is a puppy they should grow up together without any problems.

It also depends on your smaller dogs personality, is it likely to be jelous of the new dog ?

We have a kelpie and a very small pug/jack russell (runt of a litter) and they get along just fine.

You will need to spend a lot of time with them though, i would be a little concerned at when the mastiff grows it will accidently hurt the little dog by just being so large.

We cannot allow my parents bull terrier around our little dog, although he would never hurt a flea intentionally, he is so solid that if he ran into her he would probably hurt her.
 
Are you concerned about the big dog attacking the smaller one? Or your first dog feeling ...left out?
I have very limited knowledge of such things, but here is what I would do (have done) to minimise any potential problems.

Take your new Mastiff for a big walk first to work off some energy, then allow your dogs to meet on neutral territory - not in your Foxy's yard. We did this out the front on the footpath.
Let them have a good sniff of each other's behind's - don't let them sniff each other's faces at first. When all that goes well, take them into your yard.

Still treat your Foxy like it is higher up the chain than the new dog ie: she gets her food first, she goes though the gate/door first (AFTER you of course) etc, so that the new Mastiff knows that the Foxy is in second in charge, after you and your partner and children.

I know there are a couple of people on APS who are knowledgeable about dogs and training, hopefully one of them will see your post, and be able to help you more.

Supervise a bit too, a Mastiff, even playing, could inadvertently hurt an elderly smaller dog.....
Then again, you could find, like we did, that your older dog reverts to being a playful puppy again when it has a friend :D Good luck
 
are you planning on 2 boys? 2 girls? boy/girl?
i think if you love your foxie a lot it would help to let it pass before getting a big dog.
being dominated 24-7 and fighting for love could be stressfull
but then on the other hand they could end up the best of friends.
personally i think a small lone foxy of 16 years would be quite shocked of the sudden appearance of a mastiff.

if you still want one, and you can afford it, think about getting a saint bernard instead. they are big teddy bears that wouldnt hurt a fly, it may be less stressfull for the foxy.

all in my oppinion.
good luck :)
 
Are you concerned about the big dog attacking the smaller one? Or your first dog feeling ...left out?
I have very limited knowledge of such things, but here is what I would do (have done) to minimise any potential problems.

Take your new Mastiff for a big walk first to work off some energy, then allow your dogs to meet on neutral territory - not in your Foxy's yard. We did this out the front on the footpath.
Let them have a good sniff of each other's behind's - don't let them sniff each other's faces at first. When all that goes well, take them into your yard.

Still treat your Foxy like it is higher up the chain than the new dog ie: she gets her food first, she goes though the gate/door first (AFTER you of course) etc, so that the new Mastiff knows that the Foxy is in second in charge, after you and your partner and children.

I know there are a couple of people on APS who are knowledgeable about dogs and training, hopefully one of them will see your post, and be able to help you more.

Supervise a bit too, a Mastiff, even playing, could inadvertently hurt an elderly smaller dog.....
Then again, you could find, like we did, that your older dog reverts to being a playful puppy again when it has a friend :D Good luck

Very good advice, has worked for me plenty of times
 
Hey Farma,

I have two small dogs ( a foxy & a Lhasa Apso) and 2 large dogs (a bull arab/dane and a Catahoula X) They are all different ages and get along great. I think the advice given so far is great and generally if the new dog is a puppy it will prob not be to worried about its place in the order of things. However most big dogs are clumsy and very boistrous for 12 to 18 months which given the age of your foxy she may not be able to handle a puppy in her world. At 16 I would prob wait until she passes also, if she has been your only dog for all that time she might not like to share.

Cheers
 
Hi,
My partner just got a mastiff pupppy, she already has a 5 year old Staffy, they get along ok, as long as the staffy can get to higher ground when the mastiff is driving her nuts. lol
 
Is your foxy already well socialised with other dogs and likely to accept the new dog? At 16 is he/she frail? A puppy of a larger breed may be a bit full on for an older dog if it has any health problems.

You could try introducing your foxy to the new dog before bringing it home or to a friends dog of equal size to judge how your dog may react.
 
Thanks guys

my foxy is fairly frail but in good shape and health for her age I regularly look after my mates pitbull and they get along ok, my foxy does bully her around alot though a large male dog seems to get a bit more tolerance from her but it is more the stress of her being jelous of another dog in the family that worries me..
the dog I was looking at is 3 months old already and fairly big as well so I think the right thing to do is just wait
I think she would possibly get along fine with a male dog but I dont want to cause her any stress in her old age
thank you for the replies everyone
 
I think she would possibly get along fine with a male dog but I dont want to cause her any stress in her old age

I think you are quite correct, and that she would get on fine with another dog.
As someone suggested, make sure she has somewhere to go when the younger dog is driving her nuts, as youngun's tend to do. Our old dog was pretty smart, she would go sit on the steps, because she knew the younger dog couldn't play with her on them :lol:

I have personally found, that far from having her nose put out of joint, our old dog got a new lease on life with the introduction of another (younger) dog.
It is good for your older dog to have something to boss around, and the new younger one gets to learn how things are, from a pro :D

Just my opinion, for what it's worth :)
 
id have to agree with the people that say wait till the foxy passes on, either that or make foxy a very spoilt indoor dog and keep the puppy outdoors unless theyre supervised.
 
I think they would get on fine as mastiffs are big softies. I have 2 Bull Arab/Mastiffs. But I think with the age of your foxy, she would have a ball with a new friend but would also be under extra stress and that may cut short the time you do have left with her. Remember too a 3 month Mastiff is going to already be 15-20kg and 35kg or more by about 6months. It would only take an accidental roll over while playing that could brake the foxy's leg or something creating even more stress for her.

Thanks guys

my foxy is fairly frail but in good shape and health for her age I regularly look after my mates pitbull and they get along ok, my foxy does bully her around alot though a large male dog seems to get a bit more tolerance from her but it is more the stress of her being jelous of another dog in the family that worries me..
the dog I was looking at is 3 months old already and fairly big as well so I think the right thing to do is just wait
I think she would possibly get along fine with a male dog but I dont want to cause her any stress in her old age
thank you for the replies everyone

I think you've got the answer with the advice in this thread. IMO the potential risk/stress to the foxy and her old age outweighs the fun/friendship that a new pup would bring for whatever months/years the foxy has left.

Cheers,

Allan
 
I introduced a pitbull puppy to an adult chihuahua they were roughly the same size, this is probably not the best advise but I just let them sort it out, It was funny because the chihuahua maintained his roll as the alpha male even when the pitbull was full grown, even managed to knock the pitty up
 
I would wait till the foxy passes on. If you cant wait make sure you get a male. Established female/new female you will definitely run into trouble down the line... Spaying doesnt make a difference either.
 
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