Introducing Your New Dog to Your Resident Dog

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Introducing Your New Dog to Your Resident Dog

Kelley Bollen, MS, CABC - Kelley Bollen Consulting, LLC • March 24, 2021

How to make sure your new dog gets along with the dog you already have

Introduce the dogs in a neutral location (at the shelter, at a park, etc). If you have more than one resident dog, introduce them one at a time.
Take the dogs for a side-by-side walk first. Starting with them 10 feet apart or so and let them get closer slowly during your walk.
When the dogs greet and sniff each other, talk to them in a happy friendly tone of voice.
Introduce the dogs only for brief amounts of time, but do it repeatedly.
Try to keep the leashes loose at all times. A tight leash transmits your anxiety about the situation to the dogs and increases their tension.
Watch for any body postures that tell you that the dogs are getting tense (raised hackles, baring teeth, growls, stiff-legged gait, prolonged stare). If you see these behaviors, interrupt them by calling the dogs away from each other and have them do something else like sit.
Next move the dogs to your yard for a while and then finally into the house. It may be useful to keep the dogs on leashes at first when inside the house until you know that your resident dog will be okay with this new housemate inside his/her home.
Until the dogs are comfortable with each other do not let them together in a small space like a car or hallway.
Until the dogs are comfortable with each other do not leave them alone unsupervised.
Allow a natural dominance hierarchy to develop.
Whenever the dogs are together, speak in a happy encouraging voice. If they are behaving well together, give treats so they associate good things with each other’s presence.
Go slowly, if they don’t do well at first, separate them except during managed interactions. Make sure all interactions are positive using happy voice and treats.
DO NOT USE PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT if fighting breaks out. Try a loud noise like a whistle, a scream or an air horn or a squirt of water to interrupt the interaction. Then call the dogs to you and have them sit.