Moving house

Hi,

I am considering moving house and move from the unit I live in now to a apartment I would share with my friend.
Space wise the places are similar, the only difference is that at the moment we have a small courtyard and we wont at the new place. However Maxi is rarely out there anyway and we will b living right next to a massive park so I don't see that as an issue.

My friend however just adopted a 6 year old female pug and my dog is dog aggressive. She can be ok with dogs I have realised as I have taken her on walks with friends dogs and over time she gets used to it. She is not big on play and does not love dogs but she tolerates these dogs after a while.
The pug, Gertie is friendly and pretty chilled.

I haven't made a decision weather to move in or not, and to be honest it will be down to if I think it will work with Maxi or not. I love the place and I will likely have to move some time during the year anyway and I am worried that it will be a struggle getting a place where i am allowed to have Maxi and this is therefore a great opportunity. The apartment is really nice (especially compared to the old run down unit I live in now), great location (massive parks right next to it) and we would rent it for a really good price since her parents own it which mean no landlord issues either.

The dogs will meet for a walk tomorrow, no face to face meeting, just a walk together and we are planning on doing that a fair few times if I decide to move in. We would have around a month or so before I move in.

My main concern is that the dogs will be ok on walks etc but I am worried something would happen when we are not home. Considering the size difference I am worried Maxi could hurt Gertie. Maxi has never bit a dog from what I know (she's adopted) but she does growl and lunge at dogs that are in her face and nip at their neck. Would we be best keeping them in different rooms when we are not home?

This is a big decision for me and any advice would be greatly appreciated, both in regards to moving in there or not and if I decide to do so, how do we minimise the risk of fights?

Walking them together is a great idea espically since you have some time before the potential move. I would advise keeping them seperated if neither of you are there to supervise them just to be on the safe side. Plus, it will keep you from worrying while you are out

jstaff wrote:Walking them together is a great idea espically since you have some time before the potential move. I would advise keeping them seperated if neither of you are there to supervise them just to be on the safe side. Plus, it will keep you from worrying while you are out

We just had their first walk together which went alright, no growling or anything, but Maxi was a bit stressed about the situation. We are taking them out again on Friday next! I really hope this will work out!

Yes i think keeping them separated when we are not there is best.

I think lots of owners that have two dogs will separate them when they're out even when they're friendly, because dogs tend to escalate things pretty quickly, and if you're not there to break up a fight, it could be bad. I think if they get along reasonably enough and you keep introducing them over time, maybe it'll work. Depends on the dogs as indivuals of course, but even if they get on OK, I'd say definitely keep them separated when they're alone, just better to be safe than sorry.

A good walk on neutral ground first would be a great idea. Would you be able to separate the apartment in two when you are both not there. This will give both dogs a good area to walk around in if needed during the day time.

How much time will they both be left for on their own during the day ??

Kathy wrote:A good walk on neutral ground first would be a great idea. Would you be able to separate the apartment in two when you are both not there. This will give both dogs a good area to walk around in if needed during the day time.

How much time will they both be left for on their own during the day ??

We will go for another walk on Friday and see how we go again!

Yes we can definitenly close the doors so that they have different rooms. One could stay in the living room, which is the biggest room and one could stay in the hallway/bedroom and kitchen.

It will depend from day to day, we are both at uni so during the week it probably won't be for too long, but we work on weekends at the same place so then it us around 8-9 hours.

Sounds like you are doing everything right. Perhaps you could get someone to pop in and let them out when you are working on the weekends?

I don't know anyone that could pop in, it's very few people I would trust with that and I dont have family here but my dog is used to being alone when I work and I don't think she even leaves the couch to be honest lol
So I am not too worried about that.
I have made the decision to move in there so hopefully the second meeting tomorrow will go well!
Anyone else that has moved and has any advice in general on how to minimise the stress on the dog?

Sounds like you need to have a look for a professional police checked dog walker in your area and you can share the costs with your housemate no advice on moving but I do have 2 dogs and as others say we always keep them apart when we are out but the most we leave them for is 2-3hrs and not frequently . Tommy has the kitchen and Tilly has the rest of the house , easy to separate them here with a safety gate and Tilly is the trustworthy on so she gets the lions share

Just a little update on the move, it's been a couple of days and so far above all expectations. Both dogs are relaxed in each others company and no signs of aggression from my dog at all! She can be a bit needy so I think the one think I need to look out for is her getting jealous when I give the other dog attention.
We left them at home for the first time yesterday for a couple of hours, in separate rooms and no signs of destruction when we got home

Great news Glad the move went well

congrats on the move and the dogs getting on well they both look cute and relaxed !

Thanks so much

Aww thats fab news

Well done on the move, sounds like you all had a good start, long may it continue.

Thanks for the update, they look so relaxed together! So happy for you