Two dogs one house...

[Loopythepug]

This summer I'm taking Loopy on vacation to meet my family. We'll be there for a month and the problem is that they have a dog too. He's a medium size dog, about 25kg, he's 7 years old and even though he's a sweetie he's extremely dominant towards other dogs. He never starts a fight (not that I know of, I used to be the one walking him when I lived at home) but he can certainly finish one if teased. He usually kind of ignores small dogs and doesn't care much about them but I have no idea how he will react having one living in the same house as him for a month. Loopy is pretty submissive, being a puppy all he wants is to play and that can be a bit annoying for a big dog so I'm a bit scared that they won't get along. My plan is to take them for a walk right away when they meet since I've heard that's the best thing to do but other than that I have no idea how to deal with the situation in case they don't get along. Does anyone have any tips? Our vacation will turn into a nightmare if the dogs will have to be on a leash inside the house or in separate rooms all the time so they won't get into a fight!

[Hellas]

Since Loopy is so young, the risk of them getting into fights is probably not great. However, I personally would not let a pug play with any dog that much bigger than himself. I know some will disagree, but I see it as a recipe for disaster. The risk of injury is great. Pug eyes, as you know are very exposed. Also, a 7 year old dog is not likely to want to play the way a young pug will. Your parents dog may get annoyed and that may be enough for a serious injury to happen.

Taking them for a walk right away sounds like a good idea. Don't let them sniff each other on a leash. They should sniff each other off leash in a neutral environment IMO. A large grassy area would be ideal. Small enclosed areas are not perfect. Both dogs must feel free to put some distance between themself and the other dog. When they greet each other, watch closely how they interact and intervene immediately if something feels unsafe.

In the house, I would never leave them alone together. Why not take a quick trip to IKEA and invest in a couple of baby gates? It will set you back a few hundred kronor, but that way you can separate the dogs and know that they are safe.

[Loopythepug]

That I won't let them do I will supervise them when off leash if they get along but they won't play by themselves just for safety.
That sounds good, my parents have a big backyard so it's perfect for their first meeting off leash.
The baby gates are a great idea, if they get along we'll come to visit more often so it would be a good investment. Thank you so much for the advice!

[TNPUGMOMOF2]

I have a mastiff who was raised and trained to be gentle with pugs, but I don't leave him with the pugs alone very often. I know the pugs totally dominate him, but if he even thought of retaliating, it would be bad. Your big dog may actually be more tolerant of a puppy than of an adult male or female. I know Bella, my black female alpha pug, is not very tolerant of adult male or female pugs, but she will allow a puppy to get away with murder. Baby gates are good and will give the big dog a break when needed. Also a tire puppy is less annoying. Walk it tired!!!

[Loopythepug]

Hope the big boy will give Loopy a break! He's like a puppy in mind which I hope will be a good thing since Loopy is actually a puppy, maybe they will love to play with each other. Thanks for the advice! I'm counting on Loopy being tired from the flight so I'm thinking about walking the dogs right away before Loopy meeting everyone since he gets so excited around new people.