Andy Sands, is a Sarasota area dog trainer with Suncoast Good Citizen Dog. He’s bringing us answers here on Ask The Trainer to frequently asked questions.
What is the best way to introduce a new dog to my household with my current dog?
Andy: There are many things I am asked about as professional dog trainer, but one of the most important, is how to safely introduce a new dog into the family. It is important to follow certain, carefully planned out steps, to make a smooth transition. The steps vary slightly, depending on if you are dealing with bringing a new puppy into the home, a well socialized adult dog, or a rescue dog with an unknown history.
Let’s first discuss the process of introducing your new dog to the human adults in the household. Instruct people who are new to your dog to show her the proper respect by averting their eyes when first meeting. This is always a good standard practice for meeting any new dog. Second, it is always best to have the dog on a leash so you can control her movement. It will be best to have your guest actually ignore the dog for the first few minutes. No eye contact, no verbal interaction; just let the dog assimilate to the newcomer. When the dog appears disinterested, you may allow the person to sit close by, without giving the dog eye contact. If the dog looks at the person without vocalizing or showing fear, deliver a very high-value treat (meat, cheese, chicken, etc.). Do this several times, each time the dog looks at the newcomer. Then you may proceed to allow the dog to be free to roam. Even after this, instruct the new person to continue to basically ignore the dog. The dog will initiate introductions, play, etc. as it feels comfortable. Always start this routine with adults, not children. Once the dog has assimilated to the adults in the household, you may begin to bring in children of every age, and follow the same process.
Once the dog is comfortable and has assimilated to the human members of the family, you may begin the process of introducing other dogs in the household. Although it may be difficult, it will serve you well to keep your new dog separated from the other pets until you have thoroughly completed the human introductions.
It is important to know that when introducing the new dog to other canines in the family, the introductions should be done outside. This will bring down the threat level of the dogs and eliminate territorial issues that may crop up in the beginning. You will always want two handlers; one for the new dog, and one for the other dog. As with the introductions to people, it is best to have the dogs on leash so that you can control their movement.
The first step in the process will be to have each dog and handler outside, about 20 feet away from each other with their respective dog. Walk the dogs around for a while allowing them to notice each other from a distance while walking. After about 5-10 minutes of doing this, at varying distances, and seeing no reaction, you may begin parallel walks.
Parallel walks begin by having handler number one keep their dog on the left side, and handler number two keeps their dog on the right side; humans on the inside, dogs on the outside. Then begin to walk in a straight line shoulder to shoulder. As each dog glances over at the other, and there is no reaction, pop a high value treat in his mouth and deliver praise. Do this for each dog. If there is a reaction, separate them and go back to the previous step of walking around at a safe distance. Notice we haven’t even introduced them yet.
Once the parallel walks are successful with no reactions, then have the dogs sit or stand and look at each other for a few seconds in close proximity. If no reaction, reward the same way with a high value treat. If you have successfully made it to this step, you can now begin the process of introductions. It is imperative to remember that when introducing two dogs on a leash, you must always have slack in the leash. This helps alleviate any tension or anxiety the dog might have. Also, you must not show anxiety or fear yourself. Everything must be “happy talk” (Hello Fluffy, meet Brutus, isn’t this fun). The normal course of introductions will be a brief muzzle touch followed by mutual investigation (butt sniffing), which then leads to play or parting of ways depending on the dogs. If the introduction is successful, the dogs will exhibit play signals (such as a play bow or bouncy movements), or basically ignore each other after the investigation. If there is a reaction, separate the dogs quickly, and start the process over, as described above.
One you have made successful introductions in this manner, allow the dogs to be free in the yard, for play and further investigation. Only after some time has passed should they be together inside the house. You will do this individually with each dog that is part of the household. Only after the new dog has been properly introduced to each furry family member, should you try to have multiple dogs interacting.
As lengthy as this answer is, it is very brief synopsis of the steps involved to properly introduce a new dog into the home. For a much more detailed explanation of the process and steps, please check out our blog series “Bringing Home Fur Baby,” located on our website athttp://suncoast.goodcitizendog.com/dog-training-sarasota-blog/2015/10/5/bringing-home-fur-baby-part-1
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