Hi everyone!

We brought home two bonded hairless CCDs two nights ago, Olive (F 1yr 5mths) is very sweet and timid, and Cucumber (or Cuke) (M 1yr 7mths) is more bold and active. We got them from a small scale breeder who was showing them, but decided that she was moving away from it. They lived with six other pup friends and family in a granny flat out the back, and the previous owner really loved and cared for them, but it's new thing for them to be in a house with people, and I'm not sure how much they've been socialised in busier places.

Our strategy at the moment to just bond with them, get them settled and comfortable at home, slowly build up longer periods of time of leaving them home alone, limit visitors, lots of time in the backyard, and then at about a week we'll start taking them for walks in quiet places to just build their confidence and safety.

They are very sweet and animated, but they are so nervous... Like if they haven't seen one of us for an hour or so they get a fright and start barking at us. Cuke is more boisterous and can be quite bossy and greedy with food, often pushing in front of his sister. Olive is more timid but last night and today she's been growling and snarling at him a little bit if she is sitting on my partner's lap and he comes near her.

Looking for advice on the following:

1. Bonding with us - we're trying to get a balance between having physical contact with them and not increasing their risk of separation anxiety. We're trying to avoid them being on the couch and bed with us for now, and sitting on the floor with them instead. This is to make sure they don't forget how to self-regulate. Is there anything else we should be doing?

2. Aggression from Olive to Cuke - we're currently just saying a gentle but firm "no", stopping any physical affection so we don't reinforce the behaviour, moving her so she's not in a guarding position (e.g. putting her next to us rather than on our lap), and trying to get space in between them.

3. Nervousness/reactivity with new stimulus - obviously this will take time and happy for them to build up to it slowly, but just not sure how to react if they start barking at us or something that they've heard that has given them a fright? We've just been ignoring them and only reacting or engaging when they're calm?

The breed is new to us (our previous dog was an Australian Cattle Dog so it's a big change!) and we've also never had two dogs before, so I'm keen to hear how other people have helped their CCDs to feel relaxed and safe, and also how to manage conflict between the two of them.

TL/DR:

Do you have advice for settling two sweet but very nervous CCDs into a new home, how to prevent separation anxiety, and how to manage reactivity between the two of them?

Thank you!!

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