What to do to ease your new dog & current family dogs into a happy life together

You're bringing your new dog home to join your family - hooray! If you're fortunate enough to have current dog family members already at home, it's important to make sure everyone's feelings and reactions are taken into account - new and current dogs.

Not only will your new dog be decompressing and adjusting into an all-new environment, your current resident dog(s) will also be adjusting to sharing their space, their people, and their things with an unfamiliar dog. While this can be an easy integration for some pups and families, most dogs need some time and help from their humans to make sure this process goes smoothly.

First: decompression for your new dog

New environment, new smells, new people, oh my!

Give your dog space & choice

All of this newness can be overwhelming to your new dog and can put some dogs in something of a state of shock. This decompression period should be a time for minimal physical attention and increased self-entertaining mental enrichment (puzzle toys, filled chew toys, DIY enrichment boxes, etc).

Why decompression for new dogs matters

Many people think they need to shower their new dogs with love and attention, but the key to a bonded dog-human relationship is trust...and the more respectful we are of our dog’s space the more he or she will trust us. Give your new dog the opportunity to set the pace and to have choice in your interactions by giving her/him space.

Give your dog a quiet area to adjust in during this decompression period

I recommend a low traffic area that can be closed off like a spare bedroom or office type space that can be a safe haven. A suitable crate for your pup is ideal to create a zen den during unsupervised time.

Separate your other dog(s) during this time

Your resident dogs know something is up. There’s a new smell in the house, and they aren’t so sure what to think about it. Friend or foe? And what is this being doing in MY house? Even if your current dog is well socialized and friendly with other dogs, it is very different to share a home with another dog.

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How long does this decompression period last?

The question we all want to know, and the answer I give all too often: It depends.

Every dog is an individual. Let your new dog and his/her body language give you that answer. Confidence when interacting with you, loose/happy/wiggly body language, can be good indicators that your new dog is feeling nice and comfy. Most rescue organizations will recommend at least 2 weeks to decompress.

3 Steps to introducing dogs successfully: Think "scent before sight, sight before touch"

If you have multiple dogs to introduce to your new dog, its best to introduce them separately and have the dogs meet individually. This process and length of time to take in each step will vary from dog to dog.

If both dogs have a strong history of positive interactions with other dogs, and/or one or both of these dogs are puppies (<6 months) rather than both adult dogs, you should have an easier time moving through these steps. If one or both of these dogs has an unknown or minimal socialization history with other dogs, be patient with your pups as you move through these steps (and don’t be afraid to muzzle up your pup(s) for safety and peace of mind if you’re unsure of their history with other dogs).

When in doubt, take it slow. Our goal is to set up your dogs for success and to create lasting dog partnerships full of trust and respect. If you try to rush through this process, you risk mistakes happening that could set back and slow down this friendship-building.

How to introduce a new dog step 1: scent 

Trade bedding with your new dog and the other dog(s) in the household. When the resident dog is out for a potty break, let your new dog smell around the house (and vice versa). Our dogs take in a TON of information with their noses, so let them get all of those smells in to discover all the things about each other.

Why it matters

Gathering information through sniffing is not only normal dog behavior, it's our dogs' number one way to take in their world. Allowing plenty of time for that helps your dogs size up everything and everyone to get more comfortable, and it's also healthy mental exercise using your dogs' energy in a good way.

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How to introduce a new dog step 2: sight

For this step, we want your dogs set up in controlled situations to see their new dog friend (at a distance they feel is safe) without being able to touch each other.

Try this

Set up a baby gate separating rooms with one or both dogs crated or on a leash. Each dog can have a filled chew toy, favorite chew, or you can be praising and treating for looking over at their housemate nicely. Make sure this distance is enjoyable and safe for both dogs. This should be a positive experience for all.

More space between dogs is needed if you notice any of the following:

Stiff body, fixated staring(inability to redirect attention), unable to take treats/no interest in the chew or filled chew given, barking, lunging, growling.

Next try this

Take a tandem walk (keep in mind the same distance is needed between the two dogs so they both feel comfortable and safe). One handler per dog is needed for this exercise.

If walking around a neighborhood, I typically like to start with each dog on opposite sides of street. As you are walking make sure to praise and acknowledge the dogs when they glance over at each other. You can even add in a yummy treat to create positive associations with the other dog’s presence.

How to introduce a new dog step 3: touch!

Oh boy, they finally get to meet! If the previous steps have been followed, that overwhelming excitement and anxiety around meeting a new family member will typically have subsided to set your dogs up for a calmer first meeting.

Try this

While this may vary from dog to dog, I typically like to start introducing dogs on a walk (starting similarly to the tandem walk in the sight exercise). This allows the dogs to have other things to focus on rather than having so much pressure on the dogs to greet each other.

How to go from dog walk to successful dog greeting

• Starting at a distance we begin walking in tandem, as both dogs become more relaxed, we are able to slowly close in the distance.
• It’s important to note that you must take time to introduce dogs - as slowly as both dogs need. If any tense/reactive/fixated body language takes place, it is necessary to create more space between the dogs. Don’t feel you have to close that distance all in one walk. Some dogs may need multiple walks to feel comfortable greeting the other dog (and that’s okay- let the dogs decide!).
• As a general rule (if both dogs are on a 6 ft leash), as we get closer, I will keep the distance between handlers at about 6-10 ft.

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Why it matters

The reason for the distance is so that each dog has a choice in this interaction. If Dog #1 is super excited to say hello but Dog #2 is a little less of an extrovert, Dog #2 is able to walk away from their eager beaver friend (Dog #1) until they are also ready to say hi. This also allows the dog to have control over their interaction rather than have humans prompting their greeting.

• Sometimes the dogs will choose to ignore each other. While this is better than a more reactive response, this doesn’t necessarily mean the dogs are ready to be friends. It simply means they are content with each other’s presence, but are not quite interested in getting to know each other further yet.
• If this happens, continue with the controlled sight exercises and tandem walks until both dogs signal they're ready to take their relationship to the next step. When that golden moment finally happens and both dogs mutually say hello to each other, keep those leashes relaxed!

What to do next

Stay at the end of your leashes, but please don’t create any added tension in their greeting by pulling or jerking the dogs back. We want them to be able to communicate with their bodies freely and smell each other’s bottoms without human interference.

• If you get nice sniffs, wiggly butts and bouncy bodies, continue the walk and it’s now safe to move to off leash play in a backyard or other fenced in space. (If off-leash play is taken into your backyard, I like to continue the walk on leash into the backyard to ensure there is no shift in body language due to territory before unleashing the pups).
• If you get a stiff greeting (that doesn’t soften) or any growling/barking/lunging, create some space between the dogs. If possible, try to continue the walk at a further distance to end this session on a more positive note. It may be necessary to spend more time on the scent & sight steps before attempting a closer greeting again.

You can watch me go through these parallel walk/touch intro steps in the video below with two dogs who have a solid social history with other dogs if you'd like to get a visual sense of how it works.

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Friendship Unleashed!

Did we just become best friends (or not)?!

As your pups start to enjoy off-leash time getting to know each other on a more personal level, it’s important to ensure safe mutual play from both dogs. Even the best of buds have their moments and things can escalate quickly if you're not watching and anticipating.

Try this

• Try to stay in motion to avoid your dogs' lingering for your attention.
• Provide verbal praise to your dogs as they play/interact appropriately. Disagreements, snaps, and corrections are very normal in dog relationships, but we do want to make sure there are nice respectful responses to avoid dog-dog corrections escalating into scuffles.

What does a positive, well-received dog-dog correction look like?

It can play out something like this: Fred & Scruffy are playing, and it gets a little too much for Fred so he tries to walk away from play. Scruffy continues to try to play with new BFF Fred, but Fred needs some space. Fred air snaps at Scruffy’s overzealous attempts to continue playing. Scruffy gets the hint and walks away to enjoy a nice sniff elsewhere, allowing Fred his space. 

They have communicated to each other nicely and there is no need for human intervention.

What does it look like when a dog-dog correction is not well received?

First, it's good to remember the possible "why" behind a not so great dog-dog correction. It can be a common happening when at least one of the dogs has less-developed dog social skills - a puppy rather than an experienced adult dog, for example - and/or insecurities with other dogs generally and not quite enough trust in this newly formed relationship yet.

It might play out something like this: As Scruffy & Fred are playing, Fred bites at Scruffy’s neck just a little bit too hard. Scruffy yelps, signaling that it hurt, but Fred continues to jump all over Scruffy playfully. Scruffy growls and snaps at Fred in an effort to stop the play. Fred ignores (or doesn’t understand these corrections given) and continues to pounce on Scruffy playfully. Now Scruffy is really getting stressed and overwhelmed and he communicates this with a more intense correction with several charging air snaps with bared teeth. Fred is startled and not sure where all of this intensity is coming from and now is baring teeth back at Scruffy. Teeth clash back and forth until humans step in to separate. 

In this scenario, we would need to intervene after the first correction that occurred (when Scruffy yelped and Fred didn’t take the hint) by guiding Fred away and occupying his attention elsewhere so Scruffy can have a pause in play.

How to manage off-leash dog interactions inside your home

You'll want to continue to supervise all exchanges inside your home until your dogs interact consistently with each other appropriately.

When unsupervised (anytime your focus is not directly on them), they should be separated. I would also recommend separating periodically throughout the day to avoid either dog becoming annoyed or overwhelmed with the other.

Sharing may be caring (eventually)...but what’s mine is mine

One watch-out in new, developing dog relationships (sometimes even in older relationships), is to be aware that it's common for dogs to be stingy about sharing their things.

For this reason, you'll want to make sure all valuable resources are picked up and put away when the dogs are together. These items can include but are not limited to: food bowls, bones, treats, food, and dog toys. If your dog has a favorite bed, it’s not a bad idea to have that put away during dog interactions as well.

Separate the pups during feeding time and any time you give them a high-value treat such as a raw bone (this includes human feeding times as well). We don’t want any potential resource guarding to ruin all the progress that’s been made up until this point. Over time, as these dogs grow to love each other you can slowly introduce resources, but it may be necessary to keep certain resources separate if the dog(s) have a hard time sharing specific things.

While the process might seem tedious and time-consuming, all of your patience and work will be rewarded as your dogs’ relationship blossoms into a trusting, respectful friendship!

Next up in the New Pet Channel on Dogly

Now that you know the basics of how to introduce dogs to each other, continue on to the next guide to have a professional dog trainer take you through common mistakes often made and how to avoid them when introducing dogs.

If you have any questions about acclimating your new dog as a happy member of your family, just ask in the community discussion in the New Pet Channel.

Or if you ever need more personalized dog training guidance, please reach out!