Bringing a brand new puppy house is thrilling for you, however might be hectic for an older canine. Be considerate about your canine’ interactions. In the previous, the final recommendation was to introduce new puppies to older canine within the residence immediately. Now we all know that isn’t at all times the very best strategy.
How to introduce a pet to an older canine: Follow these 5 steps
Step 1: Create area
Giving puppies and older canine their very own area earlier than introducing them encourages optimistic interactions sooner or later. There’s no motive to hurry greetings and interactions between canine; it’s oftentimes useful to maintain canine and puppies separated for just a few days and even weeks. Using child gates, closed doorways, crates and different dividers within the residence creates area and lets them get used to the sound, sight and scent of the opposite canine with out straight having to work together. Then, interactions are extra relaxed and stress-free, which fosters higher ongoing relationships between them.
Step 2: Introduce neutrally
Depending in your canine’s temperament, the introduction might occur in your pet’s first day residence, or when you have a senior canine or a canine who has different well being or behavioral points you might need to wait days, and even weeks earlier than straight introducing them. The objective is to permit them to have adjusted to the presence of the opposite canine earlier than they work together. We need these preliminary introductions to occur in impartial areas outdoors your home or yard. This helps cut back the probability of stress or battle. Start by taking your canine and pet on parallel walks the place one individual has one canine on a leash and another person has the opposite canine on a leash to assist everybody get used to being shut. Once your canine and pet have met in a impartial space, and if that assembly went nicely, begin to slowly enable them to spend time collectively in the home and yard.
Step 3: Watch for indicators of stress
Once you’ve launched your canine and pet, monitor the interactions. Watch the body language from your dog and pet intently for any indicators of stress or discomfort.
Tips to scale back stress between canine:
- Before letting canine work together, take away excessive worth objects like meals, chews and toys from the realm, particularly if you recognize your older canine might need resource guarding tendencies.
- If interactions appear tense, or the canine grow to be agitated, separate the canine immediately to present them a break.
- Keep your canine separated for some time to permit them to only acclimate to the scent of the opposite canine.
Step 4: Manage interactions
If you possibly can’t monitor your pet and canine whereas they’re collectively, hold them separated. Even if the interactions are going nicely, proceed to handle their playtime and engagement. Don’t enable your pet to trouble or harass your older canine. This is particularly vital when your older canine is sleeping and consuming. We by no means need older canine to be put able the place they really feel like they should right or “inform off” the pet. Intervene in your older canine’s behalf and redirect an excessively enthusiastic pet; educate the pet acceptable methods to work together.
Step 5: Go slowly
It’s tempting to hurry the introduction course of or encourage them to spend plenty of time collectively immediately, however a greater strategy is permitting your canine and pet to find out about one another slowly and deliberately. This will assist build trust. Make certain they’ve their very own non-public areas to retreat like a crate, mattress or a chosen space of the home, akin to a dog room, that the opposite canine can’t entry. The objective is impartial engagement and that may take time. Long-term administration methods like child gates create a less-stressful home when interactions are tense.
Puppy and older canine: Tips for fulfillment
If your older canine has well being situations, behavioral points like reactivity, or is a senior with age-related situations like arthritis, be particularly considerate about the way you introduce your pet and monitor interactions. You might need to hold your pet separate more often than not. Consult with a canine coach who makes use of optimistic reinforcement strategies when you have questions. A canine coach helps you to handle introductions and creates a coaching plan for future points.
