Any Ideas? (gradyupmybutt)

 well you know I am a dog newbie so take it all with a grain of salt - she may just feel uncomfortable with his size.  We have a teeny little thing we see every morning and initially she would growl and snap at Bugsy - and run scoot away.  The owner who has previously had goldens didn't want her to be freaked by large dogs and had already taken her to puppy classes.  So he brought her close to Bugs and they sniffed each other - I held Bugsy in place and he brought her to his butt so she could get his scent.  It took some time but now they say hello every morning and play a bit.  A long way off her fear aggressive behavior that we started with.  Not sure if anything there is of help.

If Grady is in a down stay, can you get her to  approach him? Or bring her to him? I think the "evil" Cesar Milan did one where he got the dogs side by side initially and worked from there.

She is moving along with so much I'm sure she will get it and learn to be comfortable with Grady! - How could she not love them eyebrows!

 If you can do it without dropping a tidbit and causing a tiff, the way I would handle it is to feed them some treats together when he comes into the room.   Let him become the predictor of all good things happening for her;-)   It sounds as if she is starting to relax, but it can take some dogs months.  My hound never barked or bayed the first three or four months he was here. 

Not sure if you can do this but can you walk Maghee and Aspen together.  Start by leash walking along the parameter of the back yard and if all goes ok, then venture out the yard.  Once Maghee is comfortable with this, then try it with Grady.  This is the final polishing technique described in Constructional Aggression Treat (CAT) which also works well for fearful dogs. 

Having a scheduled snack time where ALL dogs take turns getting their snack is also a good idea. 

I agree with Karen - sounds like a basic fear-based 'aggression' (I really hate that word.....)

I would have Grady lay down, and give both dogs treats. use something that she only gets when Grady is around - livewurst is a good one, Casey goes nuts for it. Do things in his pressence to build her confidence - basic training, fun little games, treats, etc. You need to build her confidence when he is around, so Magee doesn't get to retreat to the 'bark and you go away' tactic that I'm guessing has worked well for her so far.

Walks together is another good option - you might want another person to go with you, depending on how the dogs do at first. Treats during this too - along with verbal praise.

Thank you everyone for your responses.  I feel like I am on the right path.  I've been thinking the exact things that you all have been saying.  DPU, I do walk Aspen & Maghee daily.  They do very well together.  I have walked all 3 together 2 times.  It's interesting to say the least. ~L~  I get looks like "here's the crazy dog lady again".  I don't mind though.  I know my dogs are healthy & I'm working on making them happy.  I know it's going to be slow going but she's shown me that she can trust & love other people.  She aDORes my neighbor boy.  She no longer barks @ him as much & if we just sit outside & talk, she will eventually come outside for lovins.

From what I know of her former life she was never socialized & treated as a child & not a dog.  Almost everything we do together is new to her.  She IS getting better.  She was hardly let outside, she was paper trained but had very little exposure to other people, dogs & situations.  When we do go walking & we meet people who want to love on her, I give them a treat first so she can see that good things from from strangers.  It's a good thing she's VERY food motivated.

sounds like she'll be just fine =]

It's gonna take time, and you know that - and that's GREAT. I just wish every doggy got such a great owner, willing to put in the time and effort like this.

food motivated dogs seem to 'get better' faster....IME. =]

I'm going to guess that Maghee was never socialized around large dogs or that one has bitten her throughout the course of her life. She'll come around with time. Just make sure that Grady never does anything to scare her like bark at her or growl.

I would try to make sure they spend lots of time together like watch tv with Maghee and Grady sitting on opposite sides of you. So they are close but not too close for comfort. And whenever Maghee growls just tell her to stop it. No harsh corrections needed just a firm "stop maghee!!!!"

Good luck!!!

you never want to scold a dog for growling. that's when you get dogs that just bite - with no warning. Casey is allowed to growl, esp. if it's with another dog. I would much prefer that than him lunging and biting. Growling just means 'I'm not comfortable". Generally, dogs understand that and back away. If that doesn't happen, I will remove one dog or the other from the situation by redirecting their attention. There is nothing wrong with a warning growl.

I never really thought of it that way. Sorry. But thats the way I train my dogs and they don't bite. Its just the only aggression they ever are allowed ot show is a curled lip. Then we know theyre unhappy and we fix it. But I guess all training styles don't work for everyone.

We DO have snuggle on the bed time every morning.  Everyone is on the bed & there seems to be no discomfort from anyone.  I know I'm in 7th heaven being all snuggled in by my babies.  Everyone gets lovins there too.

gradyupmybutt

Everyone is on the bed & there seems to be no discomfort from anyone.  I know I'm in 7th heaven being all snuggled in by my babies.

Now that is CUTE!

I think the best way to get her to feel comfertable with him is to enfore their position as a pack. Try walking just the two of them, the effects of that is more then you can imagine!

Your doing right by not forcing anything and I also think Grady being top dog and having you enforce his position os great and a natural step towards a happy, stable pack. I understand your worry of her wearyness but she also sounds that once she gains some confidence she might try and sass him, LOL. A littel respect for the leader isnt always bad but I agree with everyone else.....your doing great!

One other thing you may want to try is have them work together while you are not in the picture but you are observing from afar.  When introducing a new foster dog to the existing pack, I have one part of the introduction process where the dogs work together as a pack.  I have someone walk by my yard and that sets my pack to sound the alarm.  The new dog joins in and this goes a long way to getting the new one integrated with the pack.  When things get a little tense during the meet/greet, this little exercise has helped me a lot.. 

Right MA, some things don't work for everyone.... however. Maghee is already a nervous, scared dog. Scolding a dog like that will lead to problems, I've seen it more than I'd like to. Your dogs don't come from the same background as Maghee - which may be why you don't have problems.

In general, as a rule, I don't discourage growling from anyone.