Tips for Introducing a Puppy to an Adult Dog
Bringing a new puppy home and trying to get it acquainted with your house and your family can be tough. Introducing your adult dog to a new puppy can be even harder. Adult dogs are used to the way things are in your house and they may not like an interruption to their current lifestyles. Or maybe, your adult dog has been a little lonely and a new, younger friend is exactly what they need!
Start with Introductions
The introduction of the two dogs is very important in setting the tone of the relationship between them. Whether the dogs have a big or small age gap, and are different sizes or not, introducing two dogs can be challenging.
Here are some things you can do to make this interaction go as smooth as possible:
Clean up
Make sure before you bring in your puppy to pick up any of your older dogs’ toys, food, bones, or anything else they may be territorial about.
Sniff Test
Let your new puppy smell something with your older dog’s scent on it before they meet. Likewise, let your older dog smell something with your puppy’s scent on it. This could be a blanket, a dog bed, or anything that the dog uses frequently.
Get out of the House
If possible, have the dogs meet in a neutral environment. Sometimes, your older dog can be territorial of their space if they think the puppy is intruding. Allowing them to meet someone like a park could help them to start on the right foot.
Create Barriers
A good idea, if you’re in a space that allows it, would be to have the dogs smell each other from separate rooms under the door first. This way they can give each other a sniff while still being separated. If that goes well, put the puppy in its crate and let them sniff each other and get used to each other in this way.
Once you have done this, you can try to take the puppy out of the crate and see how they interact.
Do not move on to the next stage of introductions until each dog is comfortable with the other in the current situation. This means no aggression or restlessness in either dog.
It is important to always show love and attention to your senior dog before giving any to the puppy. Your senior dog can get jealous and they need to know that you still love and value them. They should not feel like they are competing for your attention.
Introducing your older dog to a new puppy can go many different ways and it’s important to be prepared for multiple scenarios.
What to expect
Dogs can be unpredictable and you never know how they might react in this situation. Here are a few different ways the interaction could go:
1. Fast Friends
When you introduce the two dogs, they may get along perfectly and become the best of friends. Your older dog may welcome the new pup instantly and now they’ve got a new buddy!
However, things can change quickly so do not leave the two together when you are not there to supervise their interactions. You never know what could cause a dog to attack and you don’t want to be preoccupied when this happens.
2. Indifference
If your older dog is pretty mellow, it’s possible you introduce the two dogs and your older dog just simply ignores the little furball. While they may not be the best of friends, having them get along and be nice to each other is a good thing!
If your older dog is trying to ignore your puppy, don’t let the pup trample all over your older dog. Your older dog could get annoyed by this which could lead to aggression. Just let your dog ignore the puppy and remember to give them attention separately.
3. Warnings
If your older dog doesn’t appreciate the new addition to your household, they will let you know. This could look like growls or even snaps at the little puppy.
If this happens, the first thing you should do is remove the puppy from the situation and put it in a crate.
Something you could try would be to put both dogs on a leash and take them on a walk at the same time. Have a friend or another family member walk one while you walk the other. This way you can walk them far enough apart from each other that they can observe each other without being able to reach each other.
4. Aggression
When you introduce the two dogs, it is possible that your older dog could get aggressive. If they try to bite or attack your pup, this could be a potentially dangerous situation and it is something to be prepared for.
In this situation, the first thing you want to do is get the dogs on neutral turf. Then you will want to let the dogs see each other with a lot of distance between them. Then you can take baby steps towards moving them closer together. Do this in small increments and remember to go slow.
Some reasons for aggressive behavior could be that your older dog is jealous or trying to protect you. Remember to be patient and take it very slowly in getting them closer together.
Even if it’s a slow start, following the right steps to introduce your two furry friends will pay off in the long run when they become the best of friends in the future.