My Pet World: Look for a super social dog if you live in an RV

Dear Cathy,

My girlfriend and I have been longing to get a dog for some time now. We agreed on getting a Chihuahua puppy, if possible. My concern is that we live in an RV. It's a 26-foot vehicle, and we move it twice every 24 hours to stay ahead of our town's ordinance. Although we move basically to the same to spots, will our Chihuahua be OK with this lifestyle or should we not get this addition to our lives? My grandparents had a temperamental Chihuahua named Abby that lived to be 16 years old. Her nickname was Crabby Abby. Out of seven grandkids, I was the only one able to pet her. -- Chris, Bellevue, WA

Dear Chris,

You should absolutely adopt a pet! Your RV is your home and dogs (and cats) adapt easily to all sorts of domiciles.

As you can tell from your grandparent's dog, however, some dogs are not very social. With your lifestyle, you're likely to come into contact with lots of new people and their pets. So, be sure to expose your new puppy to lots of people, places, and experiences from a very young age. If you adopt an older dog, look for a friendly, easy-going dog who is already comfortable around people and other pets.

Because you move around a lot, make sure your dog has a microchip and ID tag with your cellphone and email address in case he or she ever gets lost.

Congratulations on starting a family.

Dear Cathy,

I have a 6-year-old American Eskimo named Lacey. We got her when she was 4-1/2 years old. She was raised to be a show dog but became aggressive toward other dogs. We did not know this when we adopted her. She doesn't like kids, people, or anything that goes by fast. If she sees another dog, she flips out, pulls up chunks of grass, and jumps around and barks. If I get in the way, she bites me; so far three times.

My vet put her on Trazodone, which helps a little. We have three grandkids, and she is finally warming up to them. We can't take her anywhere to play or go for a good walk. We are going to be moving in with my son and grandkids in the next few months. He has two Golden Retrievers. She has to get along with them. We don't want to return her to the rescue, but if she doesn't get along with the other dogs, I don't know what else to do. We aren't well off, so we can't afford to take her anywhere for training. Please help. We love her. -- Barbara, Easton, PA

Dear Barbara,

I have had dogs that didn't get along with other dogs, so I feel your pain. I can make no promises; aggression is tough to manage. But I will offer some suggestions to try.

First, buy her an Anxiety Wrap to wear whenever she has to manage stressful situations, like seeing other dogs or going for walks or visiting the vet's office. Next, a few weeks before the dogs meet, ask your son to provide a towel or blanket with his dogs' scent on it, and put it near where Lacey sleeps. If you live in the same city, walk Lacey down one side of the street and have your son walk his dogs down the other. Be sure she is medicated and wearing her anxiety wrap. She will still misbehave, but we want her to get her used to seeing and smelling your son's dogs.

When you arrive at your son's house, keep Lacey in your room for a few days with a blanket with the other dogs' scent. When you take her out to relieve herself, ask your son to confine his dogs so that she can sniff freely around the house and yard.

As for the actual meeting between the dogs, it might be safest for everyone to put her in a kennel when in the same room as the other dogs. She will get upset, but you can always cover the kennel and give her a Kong toy with frozen peanut butter when she begins to settle down. Introduce the Kong toy earlier if she is not settling down. It may help distract her.

It could take several weeks before she is comfortable around these dogs. Sometimes, dogs that are reactive with other dogs learn to live peacefully with other dogs in the home, but even then, never feed them together. Keep me posted.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)