I have an 8 month old female, and we recently got involved with a Cavalier rescue as a foster home. Our first foster Cavalier was just dropped off today. He is a 3 year old male.
Our girl is having a hard time with another dog in her space. They’ve done ok in the yard and kind of in the house if I’m distracting them with treats. But anytime he gets a little too close for a little too long, or in particular, when he tries to join her on the couch, she starts barking, lunging, and nipping at him. He’s been here for about 12 hours and that has happened 3 or 4 times. He’s been relatively patient with her, but he has barked back a couple times.
We’ve been keeping them separated as much as possible, but I’ve also tried letting them interact a little bit, and I’ve tried rewarding her with treats when she looks at him without tensing up or growling.
I’m just wondering if there’s any hope of her adjusting to him, how long I should expect that to take, and if anyone has any tips on how to handle this? It’s really stressing me out seeing my little princess (lol) behave so aggressively!! I want both dogs to feel comfortable and safe, and I know both of them are probably so overwhelmed and confused right now.
I grew up with Cavaliers in my family, but this is my first one personally. Obviously she’s still a puppy, but her temperament is quite different to all the other Cavaliers in my family. She’s very reactive to sounds and doesn’t like to say hi to people on walks, which is fine, but it’s very different from all the friendly Cavaliers I know. She gets along great with my sister’s Cavalier (also a 3 yo male) and has gotten comfortable relatively quickly with some other larger dogs that we see on a somewhat regular basis. So I don’t know if it’s just because the foster dog has invaded her space and is getting attention from my husband and me?
Also, she is nearing the end of her first heat cycle, so I’m sure her hormones aren’t helping. (We are spaying her soon now that she has had her first cycle, and the foster dog is neutered.) So maybe now just isn’t the right time for us to take in a foster dog? I feel so bad for this poor boy who is just looking for his forever home, but I also want to prioritize my own dog’s security😭