Socializing Your Adult Dogs

If you recently added a new dog to the family and have an older dog already, introducing the two can be difficult. Even if it’s not in the dog’s nature, aggression may become a challenge, primarily because of territorial reasons.

However, there are ways around these issues, and having a peaceful home is definitely possible. Have you recently added a new adult dog to the pack? If you’re having difficulty integrating them into your home, you may want to read this article.

Old Dog, New Dog

The ideal situation would be bringing a puppy home if you already have an adult dog. Normally, adult dogs mentor the puppies, teaching them the skills they need to be social.

It’s rare for adult dogs to become aggressive with puppies, so fighting and other problems rarely become an issue. Use the following methods to make peace between two adult dogs.

Submission

The submission strategy can be effective, but you’ll need to be 100% sure one of the dogs won’t become violent at all. This technique works best if you have one dog that’s the primary aggressor.

Separate the two dogs and have someone walk the dog that’s the most peaceful. You stay with the other dog, and as the other dog approaches, command your dog to lie down.

The aggressive pooch has no reason to respond when the other dog walks by them and doesn’t bother the submissive dog. This eventually leads to a peaceful relationship.

Flooding

The flooding method works best if you have two dogs that don’t have anxiety issues or tendencies to become overly aggressive. Flooding is basically just an exposure therapy.

Put the dogs together in a larger room or a fenced-in yard and allow them to work it out among themselves. This works best in the yard with plenty of room, and territory isn’t as big of an issue.

Short Leash and Muzzle

Use a short leash and muzzle on the aggressive dog if all else fails. This isn’t a permanent solution, but it will work until you find something more effective.

Again, this won’t do anything for the behavior or aggression issues. It will prevent the animals from injuring one another, though.

If you have new dogs that you need to introduce, don’t stress. They feel your energy. Calmly implement the strategies above, and you should eventually begin to see progress. Remember, these things can take time, and it’s important that you don’t get discouraged.