Two dogs play fighting in the grass while a third dog looks on.

Getting a new pet is an exciting, lifelong commitment for a pet owner. 

However, this change will also be a lifelong commitment for any pets you currently have in the household. When they experience a consistent routine, animals get comfortable with their living situation pretty quickly. 

When you add a new pet to this mix, you are changing most of the constants in their day: mealtime routine, sleep time routine, playtime routine, and the level of attention from the owner. This all isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as dogs are naturally social creatures and thrive on close animal friendships. At the same time, a smooth transition is better for their emotional well-being and their relationship with everyone else in the house.

The most important factor when introducing new pets to your dog is your careful management. Both the new animal and the old will look to the human to set the tone. Below are some of the most important details to consider when socializing pets courtesy of our Hershey dog boarding, training, and daycare facility.   

Preparing Your Current Dog For a New Addition to the Family

Bringing another pet into the home is a milestone for the entire household. 

While you may feel ready for the big change, it is important to also ensure that your current four-legged friend is ready, too. 

Dogs are adaptable creatures, but they can also be territorial or stubborn, especially when the right precautions aren’t taken.

Follow this checklist when preparing your current dog for a new pet in the house: 

  • Assess your dog’s personality: Before you set your heart on another addition to the family, think about how your current dog might react. If you have a hyperactive, untrained pup, it may be a good idea to build their social skills before committing to another animal. If your dog is a relaxed couch potato, they may not enjoy an overtly energetic and loud companion.  
  • Consider their breed, age, and energy levels: Many of a dog’s characteristics come from their genetics. Breed and lineage can determine factors like playfulness, skills, and energy levels. For example, herding breeds may be more protective, while retrievers tend to naturally be social butterflies. Moreover, a skewed age difference can be difficult in some situations because the animals will be on separate schedules and have drastically different needs.  
  • Identify any behavior issues: Behavior issues in your existing dog can affect your ability to bring another pet into the home. Habits like resource guarding and aggression toward other animals can create a hostile environment, making it hard to coexist. Conditions like anxiety or hyperactivity can also influence the new animal, but training classes can help you nip those undesirable habits in the bud before they spread to another pet. 
  • Enroll your dog in a refresher training course: Training courses can be beneficial for pets at all life stages. A dog with proper training has an easier time in social situations, building relationships, and adapting to changes. Not only can this help your dog through their transition, but it can make it easier on you too. 
  • Change their routine in advance: A stark change in your dog’s routine may possibly result in irritability or anxiety. Instead of pushing lifestyle changes alongside living adjustments, gradually introduce the expected changes in your dog’s routine before the new pet moves in. For example, if their eating or sleeping situation must change, give them a few weeks to a month of practice before the new pet’s arrival.    

Preparing Your Home For a New Pet

There are some measures to take in order to optimize your environment for a new pet. 

A new addition to the family can be exciting, but the first step should always be safety. Consider preparing your home for a new pet by following these tips:

  • Have both pets eat in the same room, but separated to prevent resource guarding
  • Ensure each pet has their own space in the home
  • Give both pets their own toys in designated areas at first
  • Remove hazards like open trash cans and electrical cords before animals meet
  • Use baby gates to create barriers between animals if necessary 

The Initial Introduction

It can be nerve-wracking when introducing new pets for the first time. If you’ve never done it before, it’s difficult to anticipate what to expect. 

Some dogs become instant friends, while others take longer to warm up to each other. In order to encourage a safe and fun dog and new pet introduction, try these tips for socialization: 

  • Choose a neutral space and time: Pets, including dogs, can become territorial over their personal space. If your dog has never shared their home before, this step is especially critical. Ease your dog into the idea of a forever friend by letting the two meet on neutral ground. 
  • Scent familiarization: Another way to ease the processes of socializing two animals is to promote scent familiarization by giving each pet something that smells like the other prior to their meeting.
  • Use a leash for the first meeting: You can’t predict how either animal will react to this new social encounter, so it is better to play it safe than to end up sorry. The leash can prevent fights, hyperactivity, or running away. 
  • Separate living spaces: Give each dog their own “home base” in different rooms of the house, especially at first. You may even want to close off the area where the new pet is living with a door or gate. That way, they can gain confidence in one area of the home while the other pet feels like less of their space is being invaded.
  • Don’t give up: Sometimes, the first introduction won’t go as expected. In many cases, the initial meeting ends up being an anticlimactic sniff and pass. However, don’t push the animals to bond before they’re ready. Multiple neutral meetings may be necessary before your current dog feels comfortable allowing another pet in their space. Over 90% of dogs like having other canine friends, so dogs are naturally inclined toward other animals. 

Understanding Dog Body Language

Your dog will tell you how things are going by the details in their body language. Animals communicate through posture, movements, and expressions. These are some of the most important signals when watching your dog’s body language: 

  • Signs of curiosity: Erect ears, sniffing, tilted head, and tail wagging at medium height 
  • Signs of aggression: Ears pinned back, bared teeth, growling, raised fur, and stiff posture
  • Signs of stress: Tucked back ears and tail, panting, avoiding eye contact, pacing,  and restlessness
  • Positive signs of bonding: Play bows, soft eyes, happy tail-wagging, initiating playful actions, and calm breathing

How to Facilitate Long-Term Bonding Between Unlikely Friends

Great things take time. Rome wasn’t built in a single day, and the Mona Lisa wasn’t painted in one night. 

It’s the most rewarding feeling to know you fostered a positive relationship between your dog and a potential four-legged friend, but remember that it may take a few weeks. 

Try these tips when socializing a new pet with dog: 

  • Continue monitoring with ongoing supervision: Keep a close eye on every meeting between your dog and the new pet until they have bonded enough to consistently engage together in everyday activities: eating, playing, and resting. Spats between dogs can start fast and have a lasting impact on their relationship if you aren’t there to intervene. 
  • Encouraging playtime and bonding activities: Bonding activities like physical activity and playtime can help a dog turn a stranger into a friend. After the dogs have met in neutral territory, have them use the space (park, garden, etc) as a place where the dogs can play and bond before moving in together. 
  • Stick to a routine: For dogs, predictability builds trust. Therefore, offering a strict routine to follow every day can help them feel more secure in their environment. Straying too far from their typical schedule can create issues like aggression and anxiety in dogs of all ages. 
  • Stay patient and avoid harsh punishments: There is a learning curve with socialization, especially if you plan for the two animals to live together. They may not bond right away, but your patience and guidance can help them adapt. Harsh punishments are never recommended when adding a new member to the family, as a dog might create a negative association with the new animal because of the punishments. 

Socialization Training at Greenlin Pet Resorts in Hershey 

Need a little help getting your dog to be more open-minded about building friendships with other animals, like a new pet? 

Socialization at a Hershey dog daycare or dog training can help neutralize traits like aggression and anxiety by exposing them to controlled interactions. You can learn more about the training process from one of the experienced trainers at Greenlin Pet Resorts in Hershey. 

Learn more when you call our Hershey location (717) 366-7544, check us out online, or stop by for a tour of the facility during walk-in hours. 

Posted in Animal Behavior Category