Adding a new puppy to your growing pack at home can turn out to be one of the best moves you ever make. Puppies bring so much joy and energy everywhere they go that you can’t help but smile and laugh whenever they’re around.
Unfortunately, you can’t just pick up your new pup, immediately take him/her home and then expect everything to go smoothly though. This is especially true if you already have an older dog at home.
If you’re seriously contemplating welcoming a new puppy into your home, it would be best if you first took the proper precautions to ensure that the initial meeting between your two dogs goes well.
To further increase the chances of the meeting going well, you can follow the dog training tips listed below.
Clear Out Your Schedule
The first thing you want to do is to clear out a few days when you can just stay at home. Reason – you can’t leave your older pet unsupervised with your new puppy.
No matter how well behaved your older dog is, you can’t be completely sure how he/she will behave around a new addition to the family.
You need to be around them at all times to make sure that nothing bad or unexpected happens.
Set Up the Introduction at a Neutral Site
Our dogs bark at people they don’t know not just because they’re protecting us, but also because they’re protecting their territory. They typically don’t take too kindly to strangers invading their personal space, even if it is an adorable little puppy.
In order to keep your dog from becoming aggressive at the sight of a new dog intruding upon his/her territory, you need to first have them meet at a neutral location not your home, yard, and even your surrounding neighborhood according to the American Kennel Club. Going to a park you’ve never been to with your older dog before will be an ideal spot for their first meeting.
Avoid Favoring Your New Puppy
Dogs have feelings too and if you focus only on your new pup while neglecting your older dog, things are not going to end up well. It’s important that you continue to show the same amount of love for your older pet even if there’s a new puppy in town.
Make sure they both get treats when you’re handing them out and divide playtime evenly among them as well.
No one likes feeling left out, and the same applies to dogs.
Introducing a new puppy to an older dog is not as easy as many of us assume. It’s a process that has to be done carefully to ensure both dogs are happy and content with the new setup. By following the tips above, you can ensure that your old dog and new pup will be able to co-exist and even enjoy each other’s company as time goes by.
TAILored Pet Services’ professional dog walkers will also be able to help with the introduction of your new puppy to your old dog. Just tell us what you have in mind for the first meeting, and we’ll do everything we can to help things go smoothly. We also offer other services and you can learn about those by calling us at 425-923-7791 or visiting the services page of our website.
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