Tips on Introducing a New Dog into the Family...

[Roxyluvsme13]

Okay, I need advice since we're considering another dog in the future and we brought Duke in the wrong way and the reason he had to be rehomed was mainly due to all the animals taking a strong dislike to him.

So, how do you introduce another dog to your pets? Lily doesn't like change, so I know it may be a little hard for her, but how can I ease into this?

Also, how can I help the cats adjust without having them freak out either?

Thanks for any tips :).

[Taz_Zoee]

I am not an expert on this, but I'll tell you what we tell people at the shelter.
For the dogs first meeting you want them to be on neutral ground. You don't want to bring a new dog into Lily's territory (thats how she sees it). When my brother or I got new dogs we would have all the dogs meet outside. I wouldn't bring the dog into their house and when they got the puppies they were behind a fence in the kitchen so they met my dogs that way....not face-to-face right away. If you get a new dog from a shelter or a foster home you should be able to bring Lily along with you to meet the dog. Then you could see if there would no chance for them to get along. We encourage people (almost demand) to bring in the resident dog for a meet and greet.

Now for the cats. I might suggest to handle that almost as you would introducing a new cat. SLOWLY. If possible keep the cats and the newbie separate so they can learn the smells and maybe see under a door. I happen to have a baby gate I use on the "cat room" door and that has helped with introductions. The dog can see and smell kitty but cannot harm them.

As you know, this could take weeks to have peace in the house. I know it took several weeks before my RB Taz would not smack Zoee on the nose when she got too close. Eventually they all learn how to live with each other in harmony. At least my dogs and cats live in harmony. The two cats on the other hand......not so much.:rolleyes:

Also, like I said in Dukes last thread, see if you can get a history on the dog to know how they are with other dogs and cats. I know that's not always easy, but sometimes foster homes can give this info.

GOOD LUCK!! I'm sure you will eventually find the perfect match for your home. :D

[snakemama]

BAD RAP is a pit bull rescue with some of the finest, most knowledgeable dog people ever working for them. Here's a blog entry from them about introducing a new dog into the household. The dog in this article was a spicy little pit with a history of being snippy with other dogs, and she was able to transition in seamlessly.

http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2009/08/fostering-drive-in-slow-lane-for-dogdog.html

Also, under this link:

http://badrapbarncrew.blogspot.com/p/favorite-how-to-links.html

Is a PDF file about bringing home a new dog. It's well-written, detailed, and just wonderful!

Good luck with your next pupper!

[Roxyluvsme13]

I am not an expert on this, but I'll tell you what we tell people at the shelter.
For the dogs first meeting you want them to be on neutral ground. You don't want to bring a new dog into Lily's territory (thats how she sees it). When my brother or I got new dogs we would have all the dogs meet outside. I wouldn't bring the dog into their house and when they got the puppies they were behind a fence in the kitchen so they met my dogs that way....not face-to-face right away. If you get a new dog from a shelter or a foster home you should be able to bring Lily along with you to meet the dog. Then you could see if there would no chance for them to get along. We encourage people (almost demand) to bring in the resident dog for a meet and greet.

Now for the cats. I might suggest to handle that almost as you would introducing a new cat. SLOWLY. If possible keep the cats and the newbie separate so they can learn the smells and maybe see under a door. I happen to have a baby gate I use on the "cat room" door and that has helped with introductions. The dog can see and smell kitty but cannot harm them.

As you know, this could take weeks to have peace in the house. I know it took several weeks before my RB Taz would not smack Zoee on the nose when she got too close. Eventually they all learn how to live with each other in harmony. At least my dogs and cats live in harmony. The two cats on the other hand......not so much.:rolleyes:

Also, like I said in Dukes last thread, see if you can get a history on the dog to know how they are with other dogs and cats. I know that's not always easy, but sometimes foster homes can give this info.

GOOD LUCK!! I'm sure you will eventually find the perfect match for your home. :D
Good tips, I'll have to try the meeting outside thing, but the only problem is, Lily doesn't like to meet other dogs no matter where she is. She finds them all (or at least most) too exciting and she likes things to remain calm or she sort of "freaks out" in a way. So, it's hard to judge how well she will do with another dog, even if they meet on neutral territory.

She hasn't always been the only dog in the house though, i.e. when we had Roxy, so I don't understand why she can't just get along with other dogs and not freak out when meeting them :(.

I thought about the baby gate idea, too. Letting the new addition be behind the gate and letting everyone come up and sniff it calmly... now I just have to invest in a gate :p.

Oh, and I always make sure that the previous owner/shelter/rescue has an idea if the animal is good with cats/dogs. I take that into big consideration when we're looking for another dog.

Thanks for all the tips, Cindy! :)

BAD RAP is a pit bull rescue with some of the finest, most knowledgeable dog people ever working for them. Here's a blog entry from them about introducing a new dog into the household. The dog in this article was a spicy little pit with a history of being snippy with other dogs, and she was able to transition in seamlessly.

http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2009/08/fostering-drive-in-slow-lane-for-dogdog.html

Also, under this link:

http://badrapbarncrew.blogspot.com/p/favorite-how-to-links.html

Is a PDF file about bringing home a new dog. It's well-written, detailed, and just wonderful!

Good luck with your next pupper!
Those were both very helpful too! Guess I just have to remember to take things very, very slowly.

[luvofallhorses]

Yeah you definately do not want to rush things, if you are going to adopt from a shelter or a private adoption such as craigslist, bring Lily with to see how the dog does before bringing the dog home which would be my advice to you.

About the cats, take it VERY, VERY slow with them. Cats are very different and not all of them care for dogs. My boys love the dogs but Angel can do without them.

Maybe try going with a dog Lily's size or not much bigger than her? She could just have been intimidated by Duke's size. Do you have any idea what breed or in the mix range you are looking for? Maybe get a mellow adult lab from a shelter or something? :)

[Freedom]

I do much as has been discussed.

When I got Lacey from the shelter, they insisted I bring Sugar down to meet her, first. They brought Lacey out into the walk area and had me bring Sugar over.

Since then, I put the pups on leash, Dad will hold them one at a time, while I have the newbie on leash and they meet in the driveway. Once I'd shuttled everyone through Dad's hands, they would all go in the back yard and I'd take the newbie back there too. Off leash, letting everyone roam, sniff butt, smell the ground etc.

After about 10 minutes, I'd take the newbie in the house on leash, to walk around, see the layout, find the water bowl. The others remained outside.

Back outside, all off leash, and eventually we'd go indoors. Mine would sort of do a double take as the newbie followed, lol. Now that we have regular play dates, my dogs are used to other dogs being in here, so that helps.

As for the cats, any dog I accept must already be known to be OK with cats. I already have 3 baby gates in place, so the cats have safe places and know where those are, so they can get away from a dog anytime they want. I never really did anything otherwise as to the cats. I know I'd see them up high (counter, tables, fridge) studying this newbie, or peering through a baby gate. And mostly, we wouldn't have any cats coming around sitting in our laps for a few weeks, until they adjusted to the newbie.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Yeah you definately do not want to rush things, if you are going to adopt from a shelter or a private adoption such as craigslist, bring Lily with to see how the dog does before bringing the dog home which would be my advice to you.

About the cats, take it VERY, VERY slow with them. Cats are very different and not all of them care for dogs. My boys love the dogs but Angel can do without them.

Maybe try going with a dog Lily's size or not much bigger than her? She could just have been intimidated by Duke's size. Do you have any idea what breed or in the mix range you are looking for? Maybe get a mellow adult lab from a shelter or something? :)
Well, we always take Lily to meet potential dogs, but she usually is overwhelmed by other's enthusiasm since she is pretty chill. She eventually adapts though; and she was fine with Roxy when they lived together and Roxy was definitely exuberant.

The cats love Lily, especially Domino, I guess it will just take time to adjust for them.

Lily thinks she's a Rottie (LOL), so she tends to lean more towards bigger dogs. Even though she has some issues meeting any dogs (which I still don't completely understand sometimes) she dislikes the little ones moreso than the big ones. She tolerated Duke, but if he was in her space, she didn't like that at all.

We've been looking at several different dogs, everything from Pomeranians to Pit Bulls, though I'm leaning more towards things on the larger side like Pits. We'll just have to see how everything goes :/.

I do much as has been discussed.

When I got Lacey from the shelter, they insisted I bring Sugar down to meet her, first. They brought Lacey out into the walk area and had me bring Sugar over.

Since then, I put the pups on leash, Dad will hold them one at a time, while I have the newbie on leash and they meet in the driveway. Once I'd shuttled everyone through Dad's hands, they would all go in the back yard and I'd take the newbie back there too. Off leash, letting everyone roam, sniff butt, smell the ground etc.

After about 10 minutes, I'd take the newbie in the house on leash, to walk around, see the layout, find the water bowl. The others remained outside.

Back outside, all off leash, and eventually we'd go indoors. Mine would sort of do a double take as the newbie followed, lol. Now that we have regular play dates, my dogs are used to other dogs being in here, so that helps.

As for the cats, any dog I accept must already be known to be OK with cats. I already have 3 baby gates in place, so the cats have safe places and know where those are, so they can get away from a dog anytime they want. I never really did anything otherwise as to the cats. I know I'd see them up high (counter, tables, fridge) studying this newbie, or peering through a baby gate. And mostly, we wouldn't have any cats coming around sitting in our laps for a few weeks, until they adjusted to the newbie.
This sounds like a potentially good idea. Let the dogs meet in the driveway, walk outside or something (we don't have a backyard, so we can't just let them run loose or anything), and then take the new dog in, let my mom hold Lily outside and then take both inside and see how things go from there.

I agree with the already cat-friendly thing. I've only been looking at dogs that are already cat friendly or live with cats presently. The cats have plenty of safe places without baby gates, so I guess that's good. I'll just have to see how they take things.

[MonicanHonda]

I like my friend's approach, which may be like others here. I didn't have time to read. :) Her blog is currently talking about a foster she brought in. Her one dog used to be severely dog aggressive, but through dedication and lots of training and counter conditioning. You would never know. You'll see quite a few pictures of them and the spots on her blog. :)

http://successjustclicks.wordpress.com/

[Shelteez2]

This is a series a youtube trainer I like did on introducing a puppy to existing family dogs.

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/46/VivUyQ7luRM

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/45/0C1YLE0UZWY

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/44/2_nM-MzjySM

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/43/WGMgzQ1i5IY

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/42/lUdW9frq-fI

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/41/47l203rLq9o

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/40/6cJuaH7IQFU

[Roxyluvsme13]

I like my friend's approach, which may be like others here. I didn't have time to read. :) Her blog is currently talking about a foster she brought in. Her one dog used to be severely dog aggressive, but through dedication and lots of training and counter conditioning. You would never know. You'll see quite a few pictures of them and the spots on her blog. :)

http://successjustclicks.wordpress.com/


This is a series a youtube trainer I like did on introducing a puppy to existing family dogs.

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/46/VivUyQ7luRM

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/45/0C1YLE0UZWY

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/44/2_nM-MzjySM

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/43/WGMgzQ1i5IY

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/42/lUdW9frq-fI

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/41/47l203rLq9o

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelamarxsen#p/u/40/6cJuaH7IQFU
These are both great, thank you both :).

By the way, I've been asking these questions because we're doing an adoption trial run for a dog next weekend... I don't want to disclose any details yet because I don't want to get my hopes up, but Lily met the dog on Saturday at a pet store and she was a little nervous because he is pretty exuberant, but if he calms down in a home environment (which according to his owner, he does). Anyway, he's staying with us for a weekend to see how the cats react and how Lily reacts in our home environment. I really hope he suits our lifestyle, but we'll see. If things go well, I'll post more about it after next weekend.

Oh, and he's a rescue that was abandoned, a really nice family found him wandering their street, he was nothing but skin and bones and he was living off of garden mulch :(. Now, he is neutered, up to date on his shots, and a beautiful one year old boy. I found him on Petfinder.

Anyway, more details (including his name, what he is, and how the weekend went) to come in a week! :)

[dab_20]

I'm right there with ya. I have pretty much accepted I won't get another dog until molli is gone. She just really dislikes other dogs. I just don't see putting her through the stress of adding another dog worth it. I want my dogs to be friends. Molli just tolerates Sam.

Good luck on finding a solution. So sad to hear Duke didn't work out for you.

[Roxyluvsme13]

I'm right there with ya. I have pretty much accepted I won't get another dog until molli is gone. She just really dislikes other dogs. I just don't see putting her through the stress of adding another dog worth it. I want my dogs to be friends. Molli just tolerates Sam.

Good luck on finding a solution. So sad to hear Duke didn't work out for you.
I think that Lily can tolerate other dogs, she loves the cats, especially Domino and she and Roxy were very close, I just think it's going to take some time with her. That really sucks that Molli dislikes dogs that much :(.

Yeah... me too, but he is much happier with his new family and they are taking great care of him.

[dab_20]

I think that Lily can tolerate other dogs, she loves the cats, especially Domino and she and Roxy were very close, I just think it's going to take some time with her. That really sucks that Molli dislikes dogs that much :(.

Yeah... me too, but he is much happier with his new family and they are taking great care of him.
Oh, that's good then. Molli will tolerate small dogs but she hates large dogs. Springen is afraid of her and he's 70 pounds and shes 7 pounds. Hahaha
It does suck because I would really love to adopt another cocker spaniel when I'm out of school. Oh, well.

I'm really glad he found a great family!

[Roxyluvsme13]

So, our houseguest is here.

He came into the house, the cats were locked up in a bedroom, let him sniff around and get used to things. Lily was out, she kind of freaked out because of his exuberance, but that's normal for her. He was excited, but things calmed down.

Okay, put the dog in his crate, let the cats out to investigate.

He got really excited and kind of growled/barked at them and they hissed and are being very avoiding of the living room where his crate is now.

I thought that might have been a good way to handle things and introductions for now, but I'm not so sure now.

Any ideas on how to get the cats to relax some and help control the dog's excitement?

[luvofallhorses]

Keep him away from the cats for now would be my suggestion and keep him crated AWAY in another room from your cats and Lily when you cannot supervise. Remember to go slow, do not rush things or nobody will be happy. He is new to your enviroment and strange animals. Let him cool off for the night and get used to your place before you do any introductions. I would suggest introducing him to Lily first, the cats later. Have your mom hold Lily on leash and him on leash.

Also clip his crate door with a caribeaner when he is in it so no freak accidents happen. :) Good luck!

[Roxyluvsme13]

Keep him away from the cats for now would be my suggestion and keep him crated AWAY in another room from your cats and Lily when you cannot supervise. Remember to go slow, do not rush things or nobody will be happy. He is new to your enviroment and strange animals. Let him cool off for the night and get used to your place before you do any introductions. I would suggest introducing him to Lily first, the cats later. Have your mom hold Lily on leash and him on leash.

Also clip his crate door with a caribeaner when he is in it so no freak accidents happen. :) Good luck!
Okie dokie! He's kind of already met everyone, sort of. But I can keep them separated before any more introducing. He's going to stay in my room tonight, Lily with my mom, and the cats roaming outside in the rest of the house.

[chocolatepuppy]

Supervision at all times, unless pets are separated, is the key.;) Good luck!:)

[luvofallhorses]

How are things going?

[Roxyluvsme13]

How are things going?
Well, they are all a little afraid of them. He hasn't really met the cats face-to-face yet as even from a distance they hiss at him and growl. Lily seems to be doing a tad bit better with him. She's growling less unless he gets up in her face.

We took them both on a walk today, he did REALLY well.

[luvofallhorses]

That's great to hear! If you keep him, you will probably want to take him on seperate walks for training.

[dab_20]

Well, they are all a little afraid of them. He hasn't really met the cats face-to-face yet as even from a distance they hiss at him and growl. Lily seems to be doing a tad bit better with him. She's growling less unless he gets up in her face.

We took them both on a walk today, he did REALLY well.

Really hope it works!

If your even seeing a little progress, I'd say it'll be okay. It took Molli months to accept Sammy. They usually get along and I think Sam and Molli secretely love each other, they just don't want anyone to know :p

[Roxyluvsme13]

That's great to hear! If you keep him, you will probably want to take him on seperate walks for training.
Yeah, I will probably do that. He went on his own separate walk this evening, as Lily was tired, and he's a big ball of energy and needed another walk, lol.


Really hope it works!

If your even seeing a little progress, I'd say it'll be okay. It took Molli months to accept Sammy. They usually get along and I think Sam and Molli secretely love each other, they just don't want anyone to know :p
I think it's going to take a looong time, but I think I kind of forced him on the other pets a little faster than I should, so I'm trying to keep them separated now and keep the peace.

Haha, Molli and Sam in love :love: I'm glad you had a success story. That gives me hope!