[egodbois]

Hello,

Several years ago my wife and I adopted our Corgi mix Bentley from a rescue organization. He was our first dog together as a couple. We knew very little about his background, but we were told he had a problem with men and strangers. In his foster home he bonded to the mother and never left her side. So the extent of excluding all the children in the household as well as the father. He may have had a puppy past before them.

It took us about a month for him to get used to me because he instantly latched onto my wife and never left her side. He wasn't a fan of our cat, but he eventually learned to tolerate her. We were thankfully very patient with him and he has formed a great bond with both of us.

He's still really nervous around strangers and other dogs (he hides behind our legs and sometimes barks a little if they're far enough away). He's not really aggressive.

He does very well with our ferrets (who love him) and a kitten who grew up with him in the house.

We'd like to adopt another corgi when we get a bigger place (in about a year). But we're not sure if it's best for him. My wife wants a female.

My question is this: We'd like to avoid disaster. Should we get a puppy? Bentley still barely tolerates the cat who predates him, but likes the kitten who was raised from eight weeks old after he was established. We love rescues, but we're not sure if that'd be better than starting from a fresh slate.

Is there anything we can do to prepare him for our future family member? We don't have any friends with dogs and we're kind of worried about letting him get close to the dogs of strangers, should he get aggressive or find an aggressive "friend."

Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

 

[Calystazura]

Well, all dogs are different, so I'll let you know about mine.

She was also a rescue, about 4 years old when I go her. She is very skittish around other dogs and doesn't like cats. My former boyfriend decided that he wanted a cat and it was about 6 months after I got my dog and he and I lived together. One day I found a kitten in the dumpster at my apartment complex and brought him home. It took a bit for my dog to get used to her, but eventually they ended up cuddling each other on the couch when no one was home (I just happened to catch them coming home one day). All other adult cats she encountered she chased.

As for dogs, she is very skittish around adult dogs. If she is caged and they are on the other side, she will bark. If they are on leashes, she'll tense up and if they make a move to her, she'll roll over submissively and freak out. She is not that way with puppies. She is a bit nervous at first but after a couple hours ends up acting more like a puppy herself. So, with my dog, puppies are better, but again, all dogs are different.