When Your Two Best Friends Don't Get Along

Rusty & Winston

Rusty (my yellow lab on the left) looks a little frightened when Winston gives him the evil eye :)

My family dog Rusty lives in the house I grew up in outside Boston. I grew up with three yellow labs (Rudder, Rugby, and now Rusty) and missed Rusty terribly, so I was beyond excited when I planned my first trip home with my new, smaller, "city" dog.

The cab ride to the airport and the plane to Boston will be their own posts (well deserved to say the least).  So, Winston and I pulled up to my house. I read a few articles on how to introduce dogs but I didn't know exactly what to do. Rusty is so happy-go-lucky and Winston is my perfect baby! What could go wrong? As a side note, Winston had been attacked a few months prior in a dog park in the city (hes ok but it was bad and will be another entry of course). Since the attack, Winston's been a bit defensive right off the bat towards bigger dogs. I was hoping he'd see how great Rusty was and act like he does with smaller dogs.

They met in my front yard, both leashed, and Rusty wagged his tail uncontrollably. Winston, reserved, acted half submissive, half defensive. It didn't go as well as I had hoped (I wanted them to be best friends since the moment they laid eyes on each other) but they both kind of kept to themselves, occasionally sniffing each others behinds :). As the weekend went on they got more used to each other. I didn't push them to play, they organically started to co-exist, even becoming friendly, sharing a water bowl and stealing toys from each other. Since then they have spent a bunch of weekends together and although they aren't best friends, I'll sometimes catch them playing and cuddling :)

I think more than anything, knowing the dog's history combined with their breed, is the best guide for introducing dogs. Rusty's laid back, go with the flow attitude mimics what's so great about labs, and couldn't define him any more. I know that Rusty would never get so annoyed that he'd hurt Winston (although sometimes when Rusty is playing he can get a little rough - 75 pound lab vs. a 12 pound poodle - it's bound to happen). But, I do know that Winston's toy poodle 'tude can make him a bit more snippy and so I watch him more carefully. Do what you think is right and always go with your gut... only you know your dog best!

Here's how far they've come (I think Winston sees Rusty as his big bro)...