Congratulations! You decided to get another puppy. I’m sure you are in love with her. But you’ve got another dog at home. Are they going to love each other? Or at least like each other? What’s the right way to introduce your new puppy to your dog? There isn’t a formula that I found but I can tell you what is working for me.
Don’t Make the Puppy a Huge Deal
When you bring the puppy into the house for the first time do not make a big deal out of the puppy. If you have kids and they haven’t met the puppy or if you have family members that will be overly excited try to do this step when they are out of the home. If that’s not possible have someone take your dog out of the home until everyone is calm.
Fortunately for me it’s just me and the dogs, making this step easy. When I brought Mr Magoo in the house, I actually left him outside in his crate and greeted Miss Millie. We did our normal welcome home routine……she tries to disrobe me and climb into my skin and I try to stay sane. Yes, it sounds dysfunctional unless you have a Portuguese Water Dog and then it seems reasonable.
After she returned to the sweet dog that I live with I put her in a stay. I opened the door and let Magoo out of his crate. I let him explore coming into the house with Miss Millie watching. Once he was in the house I released Millie. If your dog doesn’t have a rock-solid stay, you could have them on a leash. You just don’t want them charging the puppy or the door and freak your new family member out. Introduce your new puppy slowly to your dog, going slow will help create a better relationship.
You Made It Through the Greeting……Now What?
They both survived the initial meet and greet. Where do you go now? This is where it becomes a bit more of a symphony rather than a set of hard and fast rules.
Some people will tell you to keep them totally separated for a while. Others will suggest you let them spend as much time together as they want. I’m going to fall somewhere in the middle of that.
When Miss Millie and Mr Magoo are together, I’m 100% vigilant and aware of everything that is going on. I do this because I don’t want Mr Magoo to experience anything that could become a “fear” that I have to try to correct later. I also don’t want him to learn any naughty behaviors that Miss Millie has……like barking at the mailman or trying to climb in my skin.
I want every experience Magoo has to be amazing! So that he becomes a well socialized adult. You can pick up a FREE PRINTABLE for socializing ideas here. And managing his interactions with his sister will help immensely. Regardless of how you manage their interaction introduce your new puppy slowly to your dog.
How Much is Too Much?
Mr Magoo gets super chatty when he is tired. It took me a couple of weeks to figure out his different noises. As a Portuguese Water Dog, they come with a variety of noises and octaves, his yippy yippy bark is he is over stimulated and tired. Once he starts this barking Miss Millie rolls out her frustrated trill or her irritated guttural noise. Before you know it, the house becomes a cacophony of noises.
Ideally you want to catch it before it gets to this stage but that isn’t always possible. If you can’t stop them or miss your window, separate the older dog first. I send Miss Millie to her crate. And carry Mr Magoo to his crate. I give them some treats or a bully stick and then leave the room. I’ll let them chill for about 10-20 minutes before I go let them out. I always let Miss Millie out first but put her in a sit/stay. Then I let Mr Magoo out. I generally do a few minutes of sit, down, wait before I let him out of the crate. I do this so he knows that he doesn’t just get to bolt out.
If you plan on doing Agility, Conformation, or traveling with a crate in a car you want your dog to wait in their crate until you release them. Plus, it helps calm them down so there isn’t as much excitement about being “let out.” You can learn more about crate training here.
What if They Don’t Like Each Other?
Some dogs may need to learn to like each other. You may need to keep the pup on a leash or in an x-pen to give your dog an opportunity to be alone. If they are having issues with each other, try doing some beginning level training with both of them. Start working on sit and rewarding your older dog each time they sit even if they have a solid sit.
Your puppy with learn faster and your older dog will get some practice in. Plus, it gives you a controlled environment in which to inadvertently work on any resource guarding issues. Keep the sessions short. Make sure to always end on a good note.
Go slow. It is a process to introduce your new puppy to your dog. For some you might be able to move quickly through the stages. For others it might take longer. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your breeder, a trainer, or me for advice.
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Introduce Your New Puppy to Your Dog