So, you’ve decided to adopt another furry little love. First, congratulations! You can look forward to years of joy, playtime, and bonding with your new friend. Whether you’re adopting a dog, a cat, or something else entirely, the way you introduce your new pet can significantly impact how well he or she fits into your household after the initial introduction period.
Although some pets simply seem to get along from the start, this tends to be the exception rather than the rule. Most dogs and cats have at least some territorial instinct and will be cautious or even fearful of another new animal entering your home. In some cases, this may inspire aggression or escalate simple play into a full-blown fight.
Either way, it’s never as easy as just plopping two animals together and hoping for the best; starting slowly and giving your two furry friends time to grow accustomed to one another will prevent stress and reduce the incidence of territorial spats.
Start Separated
When you come home on that fateful first day, don’t immediately introduce your new pets. Instead, put your new pooch or kitty in a separate room and give them some time to relax and get used to their new environment. Moving to a new home is immensely stressful, and if that bleeds over into your introduction, it can cause issues that take much longer to fix than to prevent.
In the case of very friendly dogs, this could be as little as a few hours; in the case of cats, it might be as much as several days or even a few weeks. Your pet should have access to food, water, litter, or outside multiple times a day even if you are keeping them separated.
Alternatively, if you haven’t picked up your new pup, consider hosting several play dates between the two before you make it official. This allows for a testing period to weed out potential issues like aggression. For best results, host play dates at a neutral location, like a local dog park or doggy daycare.
Introduce from Behind Barriers
If you have issues or spats when introducing your dogs, or if you’re introducing a cat, consider beginning the next step of the process behind a barrier. This lets both animals feel secure while still keeping them both safe from fighting injuries. It also prevents you from having to break up a fight – something that can be very dangerous if you don’t know how to do so safely.
There are a few ways to incorporate barriers into your introduction process:
- Letting pets sniff one another from under a door.
- Installing a screen door between two rooms.
- Using side-by-side dog or cat kennels.
- Keeping pets leashed and separated by distance.
This gives both sides the opportunity to see each other without being forced to interact. It also ensures that both pets can move away or seek comfort from their human if they experience anxiety. Don’t rush this process; it can take several days before two fearful or high-anxiety animals begin to feel comfortable in each other’s presence.
Enjoy Long Walks Together
For canine introductions, the next step in the process is to get both (or all) dogs involved in activities alongside one another. Walks are the perfect opportunity to encourage camaraderie. As most walks take place on neutral territory and don’t mix in beloved toys, beds, or food dishes, there is less of a risk of territorial spats, too.
Leash both dogs up apart from one another, and then head out on the sidewalk to pound some pavement. Keep things moving quickly. If the dogs become distracted by one another, give them a chance to say hi, then gently redirect their focus back to the walk and keep them moving forward.
Although it may seem backward, you don’t want to allow them to play just yet. That high-energy excitement may turn sour or even result in aggression simply because your dogs are still getting used to each other’s personalities. It’s a bit like the awkwardness of realizing you’ve made the wrong joke among work colleagues you just met for the first time.
As time goes on and your walks become more and more laid-back, you can permit the dogs extra time to say hello, play, or even explore together as long as they seem to be getting along. Never leave them alone unless you are absolutely sure that they can be trusted not to fight.
If you are introducing a cat, walks may not be the most appropriate activity. Simply allow kitty out of his or her room occasionally and monitor the situation closely instead. If kitty becomes stressed or lashes out, return him to the room and try again later.
Training Together
Once you have your walks down to a good rhythm, start experimenting with having the dogs train together at the same time. Incorporate treats, if either of your dogs is food motivated, but watch closely to rule out issues like food aggression. If you have an older dog who is well-trained and well-behaved already, running him through those training protocols while the other dog watches may even help him to pick up those skills more quickly!
Keep dual training sessions light-hearted and fun; this isn’t the time to focus on the worst behaviors, but rather a time to challenge their minds and encourage them to work together. Obstacle courses in the backyard work particularly well for this, as does fetch and other dog-friendly games.
Make Play Sessions Longer
Once walks, training sessions, and daily introductions are going off without a hitch, it’s time to take off the training wheels and let your two dogs interact a bit more. Supervised time in the backyard, either while playing or even just relaxing beside a human companion, is advisable.
Most dogs love to swim. Of course, there are always exceptions, like this cool and collected pooch that achieved viral stardom and gave the world a few fits of giggles along the way. If you have a pool, you can take advantage of this love of water with playtime in the water. IT’s a fun way to wear out some of that endless energy that comes with a being a young pup while keeping the focus on the fun, and not necessarily each other.
Of course, encouraging kitty to hop in the pool is probably going to have disastrous results; this isn’t recommended. Instead, just allow both the dog and the cat to hang out in each other’s presence for increasingly lengthy periods of time. Be sure kitty has an elevated perch on which she can escape the dog if she becomes stress.
Continue to monitor pets closely, separating them if issues occur. If you have a few snafus along the way, don’t panic. Just repeat the last known smooth step over again until you all have it down pat.
Bringing home a new pet doesn’t have to be stressful. If you’re struggling, it’s okay to dial things back and start the introduction process from scratch. If all else fails, consider hiring a trainer or behavioral specialist to come in and analyze your two dogs. Once you identify what’s causing the anxiety or aggression, it becomes much easier to fix the problem once and for all.