Integrating a brand new canine right into a family with an present canine may be tough, however most canines efficiently ease into the transition if given the correct of steering from the beginning. Peaceful coexistence may be achieved in a variety of methods, together with monitoring each canines’ interactions with one another and decreasing situational and environmental stress.
Remove Triggers
Before you deliver your new canine residence, take away any triggers that might create pressure between them corresponding to meals, treats or toys. This will scale back the necessity for both canine to compete over assets and keep away from the situation guarding that generally happens in multi-dog households.
Start Outside the Home
If you possibly can, introduce your present canine to the brand new canine outdoors and on impartial territory. The more room each canines must both work together or put distance between themselves and discover, the higher. There are extra attention-grabbing issues to find outdoors than within the residence, and distractions give each canines an opportunity to concentrate on one thing else fairly than being pressured to work together.
Keep the canines on leash till they’re snug after which give them a while for off-leash discovery or play earlier than bringing them inside. Give your new canine the possibility to find her new setting with or with out the opposite canine current.
Teach a Good Scenario
If your present canine is uncomfortable with the brand new arrival, create a instructing state of affairs the place the brand new canine’s presence means good issues occur to your present canine. Stand within the room along with your present canine and have a good friend or member of the family stroll into the room with the brand new canine. As the canine is introduced into the room, give reward, high-value treats or play a sport along with your present canine. Tell your new canine how good she is, too, in order that each obtain optimistic consideration within the different’s presence.
Relaxed, fluid physique language and a willingness to have interaction in social contact with one another will point out that the method has been profitable.
Keep Resources Separate
Until you will have a clearer image about how protecting they is perhaps over assets, toys, chews and meals ought to solely be given when the canines are separated. (This can also embody favourite spots, like canine beds.) If your new canine is of course inquisitive, she may wish to examine your present canine’s meals bowl or share the toy he’s chewing. This will doubtless trigger a disagreement that might escalate into one thing extra critical.
It is important that each canines really feel secure round one another with their assets. Identifying triggers and minimizing stress for them will forestall challenges transferring ahead.
Ease Into Together Time
Walking the canines collectively permits them to have optimistic experiences in one another’s presence. The new canine may require much less train than your present canine to start with, however a small stroll day-after-day will assist construct up stamina and enhance the bond between them.
Start instructing your new canine life expertise and cues that she will observe, whereas giving your present canine a refresher course. Teach every canine individually at first earlier than bringing them to do the workouts collectively, and watch out that the rewards you employ whereas instructing don’t trigger pressure between them.
Manage Interactions
Management is equally necessary to take care of calm, and child gates are very efficient for giving every canine area and time aside — necessary in any multidog family. If your canines aren’t snug round one another, gates might even have the reverse impact and exacerbate tensions. In this case, put your canines in separate rooms the place they’ll’t see one another, and solely permit them to work together if they’re secure and have area round them, corresponding to in your yard.
Be Prepared and Stay Sensitive
Be ready for infrequent quarrels that occur even between the perfect of pals. Hopefully these will probably be few and much between for those who take care to not topic both canine to any state of affairs that causes discomfort.
If your present canine doesn’t adapt to the brand new canine in time, re-homing choices may need to be explored for the brand new canine. However, this may be averted if you’re diligent in making use of all instructing and administration procedures in order that each canines can stay peacefully collectively in a stress-free setting. Remember, your present canine won’t have had a lot say in selecting his new good friend, so be delicate to the changes he has to make so as to adapt to the adjustments you’ll all must make if you deliver a brand new canine into the house.
