# Fostering qn



## moei (Sep 28, 2007)

When a person has two resident dogs, who are best buds, both of course well-trained, how would the dynamic change by bringing in a foster? Would they gang up on the foster and bully? Or would they start taking "sides" and then when the foster leaves, would they end up not being friends?

What are the things to do to prevent "ganging-up"?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Alot depends on the dogs themselves and the foster.

My gang (back when I had 4 GSDs) had their places settled and didn't really care when fosters came and went.

My Chinese Crested (1.5 yrs old) DOES care when a new dog comes to stay with us. She feels it's her job to show them their place right away.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I have the situation you describe-- my two guys are well-trained and best buds. There's absolutely no bullying going on. Rocky, six-year-old male, is very good about helping to teach fosters doggie manners and how to get along in a pack. Cash, who's nearly two, just loves to play with them. They understand fosters come and go and their friendship with each other doesn't change at all.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

To help prevent any problems with new fosters, I always feed the new foster in his crate, don't allow any rough play in the house, make sure there's more bones or chewies than dogs and spread them out and keep them in the yard only, watch for any issues over toys and don't play with them if my dogs and the foster really want them. 

The new foster is always at the bottom of my pack so my dogs always get their choice of couch or bed and I will enforce their choice so my dogs don't have to. I never let the new fosters hump, play too hard, or generally annoy my dogs and, again, I will enforce this. I do not ever want my dogs to have to be in a position of having to defend their rights and privileges against a new dog so they never feel they have to fight for what's theirs.

I get a new foster about every 2-4 weeks. My dogs don't get too attached to them and it doesn't affect their relationships. They can play with the new dog if they want to, but will look to me when they want to be left alone or the dog is in their spot on the couch. For about the first 6 months after getting my little land shark puppy, I could just see them hoping he would just go away like the fosters do. I think they were really disappointed when they finally realized he was a keeper.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

As a foster, I have seen both things happen. I also have two GSD's at home a male and a female. 

But the experiences with the foster's I have brought home have been so different. Sometimes my dogs adopt to the foster immediately. In another case, the foster was growling and hair up toward my male, but three days later they became great playmates.

My worst experience, an unneutered male from a high kill shelter and my male. They just do not get along, so we do seperate wlaks, feeding, etc.

My female, who is an adopted rescue gets along great with the foster's.


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