3 rescued street dogs, 2 senior chihuahuas, 3 cats. I don’t know if I’m doing this right
A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I rescued three street dogs: two sisters, about 5 months old, and one about a year old (Dobby). I already had 2 senior chihuahuas (12-13 years old) and 3 cats at home, and honestly, I didn't fully realize how hard this transition would be until I was in the middle of it.
Right now everyone lives on a rotation — the rescued dogs come out every 2-3 hours to play in the house and yard, then go back to my room with me. But the moments in between are stressful:
The puppies just want to play with the chihuahuas, and the chihuahuas want none of it — they growl, snap, and when the puppies get frustrated they chase them until the poor old guys are cornered and terrified. Dobby gets so worked up around the cats that she cries when she can't reach them. And between the three rescued dogs themselves, play fights sometimes turn into two-against-one, and when I pick one up to break it up, the other two jump at her while I'm holding her.
I feel like I'm constantly on alert, trying to read the room before something escalates. I love these dogs and I want to give them (and my older pets) a calm home, but I don't know if I'm doing this right, or what's normal puppy roughness versus something I need to actually correct now before it becomes a real problem.
In a few months I'm moving in with my girlfriend and taking the three rescued dogs with me, but for now I still live with my parents and just want some peace in the house for everyone — the old dogs, the cats, and the new ones.
Has anyone dealt with something like this? How do you handle introducing rescued dogs into a home with senior dogs and cats? When is rough play "normal" and when does it need to stop? Any advice, even small things, would mean a lot right now.