How to Introduce a Dog to a New Pet

You want to introduce a new pet member into the family. You’re very excited—but you’re not so sure how excited your current dog will be—however, there are ways to get him excited—well, at least tolerant of the new addition.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Rub your new pet with a towel before bringing him or her home. Then place the towel beneath your current dog’s food bowl. If she is familiar with the scent, she will less likely be reactive when she meets the new pet.

2. If you’re introducing a cat to your dog, provide the cat with a safe area to escape to. You might need to gate off that area.

3. 

   Introduce the dogs on a leash in a neutral location. This way your current dog won’t view the new dog as an intruder. Also, it normally works better to walk the dogs alongside each other rather than having them meet head on. Dogs often interpret direct eye contact as a threat. If you are introducing a cat, do not hold him in your arms. A frightened cat might scratch.

4. Pay close attention to the dog’s body language. If the dogs lower their front elbows to the ground and put their backsides in the air, that’s a sign they want to play. If they stiffen up, stare for a prolonged period, have raised hair or growl, it’s probably time to end the encounter for the time being. Take them for a walk within sight of each other and use cheerful, positive tones.

5. 

   Feed the dogs from separate bowls and watch to make sure they don’t get into each other’s bowls. This would be a likely way for a fight to start. If you are introducing a dog to a cat, place the dog’s food bowl by the door to the cat’s room so the dog will make a positive association between food and the cat.

6. Make sure all of your old dog's toys are out of reach of the new dog to prevent fights.

7. Spend more time with your pets during the transition period (for at least a few weeks) and keep your old dog’s routine as close to normal as possible to reduce his stress level.

Tips & Warnings

• Dogs of the opposite sex are not automatically more likely to get along, contrary to popular belief. There are various factors that determine this (not their astrological signs either).
• Never leave a new puppy alone with your adult dog, a new pet with an aggressive dog or a cat with a dog until you are confident there is no danger.

[Crabcakes]

on 1/13/2009 Great tips! Someone told me to always feed the first dog first, and the new dog second. We let both dogs eat from the same bowl,a dn that works well, so we started giving the first dog treats first, and it really did help!