If you've made the thrilling decision to grow your family and bring a new pup into your household you are in for some rewarding and challenging times. Teaching a new puppy and getting it acclimated into your home could be a challenge enough by itself, but when there is already a dog in the household it brings in a completely new set of hurdles. The positive news is that if you're prepared and follow some basic tips this is a relatively smooth process.
Things to consider: Dogs are typically friendly, social creatures and revel in the company of other dogs. However , if your dog is not used to sharing its space, there might be conflicts, discomfort and confusion for your pet. This is why it's important to properly introduce the new puppydog and start them off on the right foot.
This might not work for all dogs. If your dog has a record of violence, aggression or behavior issues you'll want to correct this before bringing another pet into the home. Bringing your pet to a licensed animal behaviourist or a licensed pro dog trainer is the best choice for changing aggressive behaviour.
Don't forget to take some time to give your older pet tons of love and attention so they don't feel as though they are competing with the new dog.
Set the Stage
Here's where you need to take some preliminary measures to lessen the likelihood of conflict between the dogs. Remove any items your present pet might feel territorial over,eg food bowls, your dog's bed or crate, bones, and toys. Even if your dog has never shown signs of being territorial it's a great idea to remove the potential. Make sure your home is neat, orderly, safe, and otherwise prepared for bringing in a pup or new pet for the first time. Place safety gates over areas which will pose danger to your pet or damage to your house. You can use pet gates to separate the dogs should they take a while to learn to get along.
The Introductions
The simplest way to start your pets ' relationship off right is to introduce the dogs in neutral territory. A great example of this would be a park. Guarantee there is an adult accompanying each animal when you bring them together. Do so slowly. If you can allow it, slacken the leashes or remove them completely to allow the dogs to come together independently. The dogs will possibly approach cautiously and sniff and explore one another. If one of the dogs is a young dog it will likely get into a submissive position such as lying down, permitting the adult dog to examine it. If the dogs are both adults there may be more of a stand-off between them. Both dogs will probably mark the area with urine. If the dogs are well socialized they'll likely circle one another and will typically begin playing. It is also ordinary for the dogs to ignore each other. The main thing is to give the dogs a sense of comfort and control so that they are able to escape from each other if they feel threatened.
It's also possible that the dogs will show aggression towards one another. You may see signals of this, for example raised hackles, growling, pushing one another and getting up on each other's shoulders. Try to not interfere unless you believe the dogs are starting to fight. You want to interpose as little as possible in this first meeting, but if you feel violence is about to occur try to call the dogs apart. As a last resort, use their leashes or collars to drag the dogs apart. You could need to try a few times to get the dogs comfortable with one another, but it is better to do this before they are sharing the same home.
Entering the Home
The best way to bring the new dog into the house is to take both dogs to a neutral spot, like the park, and walk them from there, into the home, on leash, as if nothing special were happening. Keep the new dog on the leash as they explore different rooms and surroundings. Once the older dog has shown friendliness towards the new dog, and doesn't seem territorial you can let the new dog off the leash.
Always oversee the dogs ' interactions for the first couple of weeks to ensure there is no fighting.
Make a point of spending one-on-one time with each pet so that both dogs feel loved on their own and are not envious of one another.
Don't
Do not let the older dog intimidate or bully the younger dog.
Don't force the dogs to share cramped spaces together. The dogs may feel trapped and uncomfortable which can end up in aggression.
Don't have the dogs share things like food bowls, beds, crates or toys. This could create feelings or territory or aggression.
Don't let one dog each the other's food or make them feel bullied not to eat their own food. Keep food bowls far apart, ideally at opposite sides of the room.
Do not let the dogs fight. Permitting the dogs to fight is not healthy as it perpetuates violent behaviour and is negative to their relationship.
If They Fight
You want to separate the dogs right away. There are a few techniques to use, dependent on the situation at the time. If you can call them apart, do so. Try yelling and shrieking - distracting them with noise will work in the majority of situations. If the dogs are on leash and continue fighting, pull them apart, being cautious that neither dog has clamped its jaw down on the other. If this happens you will have to force the jaws apart to free the other dog. Always use extraordinary care - many owners get bitten trying to break up fights between dogs. Well-liked techniques of breaking up fights include using air horns and water hoses.
Things to consider: Dogs are typically friendly, social creatures and revel in the company of other dogs. However , if your dog is not used to sharing its space, there might be conflicts, discomfort and confusion for your pet. This is why it's important to properly introduce the new puppydog and start them off on the right foot.
This might not work for all dogs. If your dog has a record of violence, aggression or behavior issues you'll want to correct this before bringing another pet into the home. Bringing your pet to a licensed animal behaviourist or a licensed pro dog trainer is the best choice for changing aggressive behaviour.
Don't forget to take some time to give your older pet tons of love and attention so they don't feel as though they are competing with the new dog.
Set the Stage
Here's where you need to take some preliminary measures to lessen the likelihood of conflict between the dogs. Remove any items your present pet might feel territorial over,eg food bowls, your dog's bed or crate, bones, and toys. Even if your dog has never shown signs of being territorial it's a great idea to remove the potential. Make sure your home is neat, orderly, safe, and otherwise prepared for bringing in a pup or new pet for the first time. Place safety gates over areas which will pose danger to your pet or damage to your house. You can use pet gates to separate the dogs should they take a while to learn to get along.
The Introductions
The simplest way to start your pets ' relationship off right is to introduce the dogs in neutral territory. A great example of this would be a park. Guarantee there is an adult accompanying each animal when you bring them together. Do so slowly. If you can allow it, slacken the leashes or remove them completely to allow the dogs to come together independently. The dogs will possibly approach cautiously and sniff and explore one another. If one of the dogs is a young dog it will likely get into a submissive position such as lying down, permitting the adult dog to examine it. If the dogs are both adults there may be more of a stand-off between them. Both dogs will probably mark the area with urine. If the dogs are well socialized they'll likely circle one another and will typically begin playing. It is also ordinary for the dogs to ignore each other. The main thing is to give the dogs a sense of comfort and control so that they are able to escape from each other if they feel threatened.
It's also possible that the dogs will show aggression towards one another. You may see signals of this, for example raised hackles, growling, pushing one another and getting up on each other's shoulders. Try to not interfere unless you believe the dogs are starting to fight. You want to interpose as little as possible in this first meeting, but if you feel violence is about to occur try to call the dogs apart. As a last resort, use their leashes or collars to drag the dogs apart. You could need to try a few times to get the dogs comfortable with one another, but it is better to do this before they are sharing the same home.
Entering the Home
The best way to bring the new dog into the house is to take both dogs to a neutral spot, like the park, and walk them from there, into the home, on leash, as if nothing special were happening. Keep the new dog on the leash as they explore different rooms and surroundings. Once the older dog has shown friendliness towards the new dog, and doesn't seem territorial you can let the new dog off the leash.
Always oversee the dogs ' interactions for the first couple of weeks to ensure there is no fighting.
Make a point of spending one-on-one time with each pet so that both dogs feel loved on their own and are not envious of one another.
Don't
Do not let the older dog intimidate or bully the younger dog.
Don't force the dogs to share cramped spaces together. The dogs may feel trapped and uncomfortable which can end up in aggression.
Don't have the dogs share things like food bowls, beds, crates or toys. This could create feelings or territory or aggression.
Don't let one dog each the other's food or make them feel bullied not to eat their own food. Keep food bowls far apart, ideally at opposite sides of the room.
Do not let the dogs fight. Permitting the dogs to fight is not healthy as it perpetuates violent behaviour and is negative to their relationship.
If They Fight
You want to separate the dogs right away. There are a few techniques to use, dependent on the situation at the time. If you can call them apart, do so. Try yelling and shrieking - distracting them with noise will work in the majority of situations. If the dogs are on leash and continue fighting, pull them apart, being cautious that neither dog has clamped its jaw down on the other. If this happens you will have to force the jaws apart to free the other dog. Always use extraordinary care - many owners get bitten trying to break up fights between dogs. Well-liked techniques of breaking up fights include using air horns and water hoses.
About the Author:
Pamela Noble writes articles on pet care and training for BabyAndPetGates.com. You can find more information on pet gates and other safety products on the Baby and Pet Gates website.
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