Expert: Nicole - 11/22/2008

Question
Hi There
I am a happy owner of a 3 year old male beagle & a 1 1/2  year old male bassett,whom I adore.I have recently been fostering a Catahoula Hound from a pet rescue,since I have had him my bassett seems very upset and craves my attention 24/7,I did have him at the vet and she seems to think he is stressed and is experiencing some anxiety,she seems to think this has been brought on by the dog I am fostering have you ever experienced this ? My bassett & my beagle get along very well no problems between them


Answer
Hi Bernadette,

Anything is possible.  :)  What's probably is that he is used to getting a certain amount of attention and you've not disciplined yourself enough to give equal amounts to all the dogs.  

Having multiple dogs takes a lot of juggling, attention wise.  It's very common to lavish attention on a new dog (foster or otherwise) and let the others fall by the wayside for a bit.  Even if you don't realize you're doing it.  ;)

A good way to get yourself into better habits is to practice the NILF method of 'training'.  (Behaving is a better word).  If you google the term 'NILF' you'll come across several sites that explain it very well.  Chances are you already practice some of it without even knowing you are.

Another good tip is to do things with each dog one on one.  If you can take 30 minutes a day with each dog, great.  If not, try 15.  Do a favorite activity with only that dog in the room (or outside).  If one likes to be groomed, do that.  If the other likes to take walks, do that.  You know your dogs better than anyone and should know the things that they favor.

The next thing I would tell you is to not give in to his demands for attention.  You'll only make his anxiety/stress worse.  Practicing NILF will help you with this as well.

If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask!