How to Adopt a Female Rottweiler Into a Multi-Dog Home

Rottweilers can be good dogs to have in multi-dog homes because they usually get along well with other canines. However, when bringing them into a home where other animals are already established, it is important to take the time to plan ahead and introduce the dogs carefully. Dogs in your home will follow a pecking order depending on their age and personality, and a new dog -- especially a female one -- will have to find its place within that pecking order. This can take hours, days or even weeks to truly establish.

Things You'll Need

  • Leashes
  • Food dishes
  • Toys
  • Kennel or large dog crate
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Instructions

    • 1

      Learn as much as you can about the female Rottweiler you are adopting. Before you decide to bring it home, spend time getting to know its personality. Take it for walks, see how it interacts with people and other animals, and ask as many questions as you can think of about its background and current attitude from the rescue organization or foster family it is living with. If it has been fighting with other dogs or hides from strange animals, or even acts aggressively in new situations, you should know about them before you take it home and problems occur.

    • 2

      Keep all of the dogs on a leash when first introducing them. As dogs need to establish themselves in a pecking order, there may be some growling, barking or even nipping at one another during the initial introductory phase. But this should not end in all-out fighting. By keeping the dogs on leashes, you can keep some control over how physical the situation gets. Watch closely, and if either the new dog or the old dogs become too aggressive toward one another, pull them apart until they have calmed down enough to try introducing them again.

    • 3

      Provide every dog with its own food dish and toys. Rottweilers and other breeds can be territorial of their possessions, and forcing them to share when they have just met can lead to fighting. You can also separate them out by several feet or even into separate rooms when feeding them so they don't crowd one another and cause issues.

    • 4

      Keep the dogs separated when home alone. For at least the first few weeks or until you are sure that the new dog and the old dogs are getting along, do not leave them together when there is no one around to monitor them. Put the new dog in a crate or kennel so that it can see the other dogs and interact with them, but not get into physical fights with them.

    • 5

      Provide equal attention to all of the dogs each day. Dogs can become jealous if they see their owner giving more attention to another dog. Don't focus solely on the new dog just because it is new. If you play with one dog for 15 minutes, make sure to give equal play time to the other dogs as soon after as possible so none of them feel left out.