This is how my rescue recommends you introduce a new dog to your home (and I do this with all fosters coming to live with my pack of 4 terriers, one of which is a Cairn/Chihuahua mix):

Before the new dog arrives pick a place in the home for him to live most of the time for 3 days.  I use my guest bathroom some times, and other times I use my craft room – both have tile floors so it is easy to clean up any accidents that may occur with the new dog.  Inside that room I place a dog crate appropriate in size for the new dog/puppy.  

For the first 3 days after the new dog arrives, we play musical crates and/or rooms.  I do not allow the dogs to see each other, they only smell each other on me, and under the door, etc.  When my dogs are loose, the new dog is in the prepared room.  When my dogs are crated or in their kennel the new dog is allowed to be out of the room, in the yard, or house with supervision.  There is ALWAYS a closed door between my dogs and the new dog.

I spend time playing and training the new dog each day, and will crate my boys for an hour or so in the evening so I can just plop on the sofa with the new dog for cuddles.  With a puppy you will need to be spending a lot of time with it as you will not be able to resist!  Spend an equal amount of time with the older dog.  One of the activities you want to focus on with the puppy is learning to walk on a leash – this is critical for the 4th day.

On the morning of the 4th day, put leashes on both dogs and immediately go out the door for a walk.  Don’t give the dogs time to sniff or eyeball each other – the job is to walk together with you for at least 10 mins.  If the puppy is older keep walking (5 mins. per month of age is a good rule of thumb – too long a walk puts too much stress on the bones and joints of a puppy).

Once we have finished the walk I take all the dogs into my fenced yard, drop the leashes and allow them to sniff, play, ignore each other as they see fit.  Dragging the leashes allows you to step on a leash or pull one dog away from the other if things get hairy.  

I have had 99% success with introducing dogs this way.  The only exception was a foster that decided my smallest dog was prey – good thing I had that leash to grab!  It saved my dog’s life.

We believe the reason it works is that it allows the dogs to smell each other without any misunderstandings of body language.  In the wild a lone wolf will spend weeks haunting a new pack’s territory.  They stay mostly out of sight, but scent mark in the territory.  Then they start showing themselves to the pack from a distance.  Finally they approach members of the pack.  If the pack wants them they are welcomed (usually by the female members of the pack).  So while our dogs are no longer wolves – smell is the first thing they pick up on.  First scent, then sight, then hearing.  So this 3 day of separation, but crossing each other’s scents helps the dogs get to know each other without confrontation.

With my dogs it works so well, they don’t even sniff each other’s butts once we are done the walk.

Since your dog is used to fighting through a fence I caution you to make sure that he and the new pup never see each other through a fence or crate during those 3 days.  Keep that solid, shut, door between them.

Your 13 year old dog may never want to play with the puppy – but the puppy will want to play with him!  Be sure your older dog has a place he can escape the puppy – such as a dog bed or crate, maybe in a different room.  When your Chi is getting too much attention from the pup, tell the puppy to “leave it” and ask him/her to play with you.  This will help the puppy learn to leave the older dog alone when he is in his quite place.

An Italian greyhound is a better size for your current dog, and they generally are ‘softer’ dogs.  The other 3 breeds you mention will be a real challenge for you, and will overwhelm the Chi.  It is a giant leap going from living with a Chi to living with these 3 other breeds.  They all are high energy, need WAY more exercise, and a lot of training to become good canine citizens.  The Border especially, will need a job.  Borders are scary intelligent.   

All that being said – give your dog a month with the new pup before you decide if it is going to work or not.  Good luck!

In a dog’s world, it is more important to be with the person they love and trust to care for them than it is to have a back yard to roam.  You need to get your dogs into your apartment with you and establish a daily routine for them.  Up super early and take a long (1 hour) walk so they are ready to nap the day away.

If you can afford to leave your dogs with a vet for extended periods, you can afford doggie daycare, or a dog walker.  Look for a day care close to where you work, or for a walker that will come to your apartment and take the dogs out in the afternoon.  Your dogs should have 2 things each day they can chew, especially if they are crated all day.  Things like a stuffed and frozen Kong, a treat puzzel/maze toy, or Nylabones.  This helps keep them calm and happy.

Get back to basics with crate training and on-leash walking.  Try a Martingale collar so that your dog can’t slip out of it.  

These dogs are not your roommates’ responsibility.  They are your responsibility – and if you no longer want to make the efforts it takes to have them live happily with you, then you should be finding them responsible new homes.

Thank you, I had crate trained them in the beginning. But they seemed to be more comfortable after our early morning walks, to just curl up together in my bed and stay in my room. I started putting up a baby gate in the door and they seem to be just fine with that. They will still go into the crates, but only when it’s time for bed. I will try that Martingales collar. I’ve just been taking them on walks one at a time because the lab, Sylvia, at first required me to pay careful attention to her. While the other, Shy, loved to take her time on walks. Sylvia got better, but she still every now and then would pull or slip out of her harness or collar when I wouldn’t go the way she wanted to go.

I think the routine I had back our old home with the walks 3 times a day and potty pads in areas in case of accidents will be our best bet. I think I’m mostly worried about Sylvia barking at every noise she doesn’t recognize and the stress this move will have on them with all the changes.

I know you didn’t say that. However, this delay of 2 months in finding a way to get your dogs into a routine of living with you smacks of expecting someone else to be responsible for their well being. You know a 2 hour drive back and forth is getting old, wasting time you could be spending with your dogs in their new home. As for boarding dogs at a vet – you are exposing them to all sorts of diseases. Yes, I am sure the people at your vet do the best they can, but in all likelihood a vet’s office is not the idea place for dogs to be unless they have medical conditions that need the attention of a vet tech. It is just a different focus and skill set. A good doggie day care is a better environment for your dogs – they would be out of cages and interacting with dogs and humans most of the day at a day care. And if you spent time, energy and effort on an animal behaviorist, and working with your dogs that you now spend on traveling back and forth you would have the 2 most perfectly behaved apartment dwellers in the nation.

The gifts are a idea! Yeah I’ve spoken to the neighbors above and across from me apologizing. Though they all looked at me weird at first, they were pretty nice about it. They have been back with me for 2 days now and they seem to be adjusting better than I thought. especially since most of the furniture and things around them are from our house. So they are surrounded by scents they recognize and I think thats helping them. The only issue we are having is that one of my dogs is on high alert with every noise that happens outside. but when I say “Sylvy no barking” She stops immediately. Today while I was at work I set up a webcam in the room they were in, and they mostly slept all day and chewed bones. I was so proud, I bought them new squeaky toys and let them chase me at the dog park.

Thank you! You have been so nice and helpful.

i’m glad ti seems to be working out. i’m sure they’re much happier with you!

So until I can get him to a vet woukd it be wise to let him just lay in his cushioned bed to rest and ease some pain and not bother him ? I’m also giveinf him a hip and joint treat supplement I’m wondering if that helps any for now.