My lady loves me. She loves me a lot! She also loves our other dogs, but not as much as me, of course! At least I think so, but shoosh don’t tell em! WOOF! My Lady already had Sallie and Maggie when I came along needin’ a home when I had nowhere to go. All the others came later. Seems my Lady can’t turn away a pup in need. But, we all had to have to have a meet and greet. If you’re thinkin’ on gettin’ another pet, there’s a few things ya need to know about when introducing a new pet into the home.
Selection
When people decide to introduce a new pet to the family, it’s important to consider some things. How will the other pets adapt? What age and size are best to add to the pack? What personality will best fit the existin’ pack? Will anyone get eaten or bitten? Sometimes pets choose you 🙂 But, you still have to follow some basic things.
Once you have a good answer to these questions, you can pick a new dog. Then you must plan a nice proper introduction of the new dog to the rest of the pack.
Keep in mind the pack order. Adding a new dog means the pack changes. Most dogs do well with puppies, as they have a protective instinct. But you have to know your fur-family and pick a pet that fits in with the pack.
Plan on a slow introduction. Introducing them to each other on neutral ground is a smart thing. In the home, you may want to keep one of the dogs, or the new dog, behind a baby gate for a week or so.
Neutral ground
Remember, canines are territorial. First introductions will go a lot smoother if they meet at a place that neither of them claims as their own such as a friend’s house or the park. This will allow them to focus on meeting and sniffing.
Safety
Introducing a new family member can be fun if all the humans in the family are careful. The most important thing to consider is safety for both pets and their humans. Part of this is keeping little humans away from first meetings and making sure small pets are protected.
Again, no one wants biting to happen, but it can happen as the dogs sniff each other out. Any situation that leaves the dogs unsure or scared can lead to barking and bad manners. Just be patient!
Once the meet and greet is over, and the new dog comes home, it’s still necessary to watch for safety. As humans, we tend to drift off to do things, go to work, etc., so be sure you plan to keep everyone safe as the pack adjusts. Crate the new dog or put the dogs in separate rooms until they adjust and get used to each other.
Most of all, give them time. Be patient. And show your existing pack how special they are because they will likely get their muzzle out of joint with some jealousy if you don’t.
Everyone needs to read this before committing to a new animal baby!
We find meeting and walking outside is key. Good tips
Lily & Edward
I’ve been very fortunate that my furbabies have taken easily to any other pets I’ve brought into my home. I adopted my deaf girl, Ran in February 2010 (she passed at just five years of age from an autoimmune disorder) – I had to drive about 10 hours round-trip to southern Indiana to pick her up from the rescue and had two dogs and one cat and even though Ran was still a puppy (almost four months old) and rather energetic, they all got along beautifully . I brought a cat into the family that fall (Moko) and they didn’t meet until I brought her home (of course, it was a trial situation). Over the course of the next 14 months I adopted three dogs – long distance from kill shelters in NC and SC, and only had photos and information from the volunteers about their personalities and temperaments. With each one, they fit in beautifully and it was like they had always been together. It helps that the dogs were all Coonhounds (well, except for Bailey, who was a Beagle and passed between the time I brought home Kenji and Kyoko. Luckily, hounds are pack animals so they seem to be more likely to get along with others of the same or similar breeds. They seem less likely to be alpha personalities. I’m involved in animal rescue, though, so I’m used to working with dogs coming directly from shelters.
I wish I could introduce a dog into my home but my cat will not have it. I have tried everything.
Thanks for the tips. My dog thinks she is a 1 dog family member, but she will have a brother soon.
This is some really good advice. Patience is so important
It. Am NE tricky getting a. Really dog to acclimate to his new h these tips are great
My sister recently got a cute little Yorkie puppy. She is in the process of training him and knows how important safety is for these little puppies.
Interesting post and great tips. Thanks for sharing!
This is a very good article for anyone who is looking to adopt. A lot of people do not realize how much attention needs to go into these details.
Will keep this in mind, so far I have only one new pet so it’s easy as he has no companion. My cat didn’t get along with my old ones