How to introduce a new pet to your home and existing pets

It’s not all cuddles and ease…

Before getting a new pet, our minds work overtime imagining the picture perfect scene of our dogs meeting for the first time. It’ll be all cuddling up to one another on the sofa, whilst we all settle in to the latest EastEnders episode, right?

Well, not quite.

It’s always hard to know when adding a new family member to your pack what’s big YES and what is a solid NO!

Pack leader will feel like their territory may be threatened

Top tip - introduce the pets gradually; there is nothing worse than just bringing a new dog in to the house; the original pack leader will feel like the newbie is threatening their territory, thus leading to competition between the two, which often leads to a bigger problem later in life.

Remembering that it can be stress inducing for your current dog, try and place two cages in separate areas of your home. This way your dogs can smell each other, rather than experiencing intimidating visual eye contact from the other pet.

Some say that “scent articles” help to introduce dogs; they pop a toy, or blanket from the other dog in the new pet’s cage so they can get used to the scent which creates a bond between the dogs.

Give your new family member freedom (even though they may be naughty)…

The new dog should also be given freedom to roam freely around the home (whilst your second dog is out of sight) so they can explore and leave their scent on a territory that is still not claimed.
This may confuse the original dog when he comes and wanders the house, however allow him to sit by your side and give him some comfort so that he becomes accustomed to the new scent and knows that it doesn’t need to be feared.

Next, arrange a face-to-face meeting for your pets. ♥

This should not occur in the house, as this can cause to territorial problems; a park is a much better place for a first meeting. The dogs will detect a familiar scent and are likely to greet one another and have a good sniff, rather than a fight! By first introducing scent, before a visual greeting, you’ve allowed the dog’s natural instincts to be the teacher which is simple and effective; after all a dog’s sense of smell is considered to be their primary sense!

If you are worried, or have concerns about introducing a new dog to your household, contact your pet insurance provider who will be able to put you in touch with a vet for more information.

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