Ways to Introduce Your Canine Family Member to a New Puppy

If you’ve decided to bring a new puppy into your family that includes an older dog, one of your first steps will be to introduce them. This can be a tricky situation because you want both dogs to get comfortable with each other, but young puppies don’t always understand the family dynamic or the rules of interacting with a dog in its established territory. Here are some things to remember when you bring a new puppy into the home.

Let Them Get to Know Each Other with Little Interference

When you let the puppy in to meet your older dog, there’s likely to be some growling and barking. Your first instinct will likely be to separate them, but you shouldn’t do that unless one of them becomes very agitated or they actually start fighting. Growling is one of the ways that dogs communicate. When your dog growls at the puppy, it tells the younger dog that they are doing something wrong or need to stop. This helps teach the puppy boundaries. However, if the puppy continues with their behavior and your older dog becomes clearly agitated, you do need to step in before a fight begins.

Don’t Leave Them Unsupervised During Early Interactions

Until your dogs become comfortable with each other, you shouldn’t leave them out together when you cannot be there. This means you will need to crate your puppy or put them in a separate area with a gate. This gives your older dog a break and will actually help them two of them learn to live together.

Plan Group Activities

While your younger puppy is going to have more energy and will need to be more active, you should still plan activities to do with both dogs. Taking them for a walk together is a great way for them to spend some time with each other and with you while also getting exercise. Watch how they interact, and reward both dogs when they show correct behavior.

Of course, your younger dog will also need to go through dog training so they listen to you and move away from your older dog when told. Dog Training Now Charleston can help with instilling these basic commands in your young dog. Contact us today to learn more about our classes.