Is a new dog joining your family - or even in the early process of possibly joining your family - and you're ready to introduce everyone, especially your current family dogs?

Even for the most social dogs, everything about launching into a new family life is, of course, new and can be a bit nervous-making.

Smooth introductions between dogs with everyone feeling comfortable like new best friends immediately doesn't always, or even often, happen naturally. That's why we've brought together Dogly Training Advocates, all certified positive reinforcement trainers, to share their techniques, tips, and exercises on how to introduce dogs successfully.

In these 4 guides on introducing a new dog to a resident dog in the New Pet Channel, you'll learn:

• 3 Steps to Introducing Dogs to Each Other
• How to Avoid 7 Common Dog Introduction Mistakes
• How to Introduce a New Dog with Parallel Walks
• How to Enjoy Dog Play Dates Safely

You can jump directly into any of these new dog intro guides through the links above - or take a look at a brief overview of what you'll learn in each guide to help you introduce your new dog to other dogs successfully ...

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Introducing Dogs Guide 1: The 3 Steps to Introducing Dogs to Each Other

If you're lucky enough to have one or more dogs already in your family to greet your new dog, it helps to have a trainer's tried and true tips to ease everyone into getting to know each other and off to a good start.

When you're introducing a new dog to your current dog (or two dogs), you want to think "scent before sight, sight before touch." In this guide, certified positive reinforcement trainer and Dogly Advocate Tiffany Baker explains what that means in practice for your dogs.

What you'll learn in this step by step guide on how to introduce dogs:

Step 1: How to use scent to introduce your dogs

• Why familiarity through scent works with dogs
• Things to do like trading bedding between dogs so everyone gets used to relaxing with the other dogs' scents, and giving your new dog free reign to sniff around the house when your other dogs are outside or on a walk

Step 2: How to use sight to introduce your dogs before any contact

• You'll learn ways to set up your dogs in controlled situations to see each other (at a distance they feel is safe) without being able to touch yet.
• 2 "sight" exercises to try: one in your home separated by baby gates at a safe distance (with plenty of treating!) and another outside using tandem/parallel walks (See the overview below and the full guide dedicated in depth to the why and how of parallel walks here.)
• What to watch for to know when to increase or decrease space between your dogs

Step 3: How to move to touch in your intro process

• When to go from tandem/parallel walk to contact
• How to use your leash and distance to give both dogs choice in making contact
• Why it matters to watch both dogs, take it slowly, and let both of them choose to get close as your dogs meet and interact
• What to do next after positive interactions - and what to do if the first meeting is a bit stiff or tense

You can get started with this 3-step guide and video to introducing your new dog to other dogs here. Or to see what's next in learning about dog-to-dog interactions - it helps to know natural mistakes many of us make so you can avoid them...

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Introducing Dogs Guide 2: How to Avoid 7 Common Dog Introduction Mistakes

Now that you're working on smooth introductions to help your new dog feel comfortable with current family dogs or other dogs in your lives, it helps to know common mistakes we often make in dog-to-dog meetings so we can avoid them.

First, the important thing is to think and see like a dog. How does your dog feel about meeting another dog? In this guide, force-free trainer and Dogly Training Advocate Ruby Leslie shares how to think and feel like your dog to avoid 7 frequently made mistakes, why you want to avoid them, and what to do instead.

What you'll learn in this step by step guide on how to introduce dogs:

7 frequently made mistakes in introducing dogs

1. Meeting face to face on a leash
2. Not paying attention to their behavior & body language
3. Letting a dog sniff a dog who is in a crate
4. Dropping off a dog for a visit in another dog's back yard or home
5. Having loads of dog toys, bones, or food bowls all over the home or yard
6. Introducing dogs in a dog park
7. Having children involved

• Why to avoid these common mistakes and what to do instead
• Why not to go to the dog park
• Why not to introduce dogs through a crate and what to try instead of a crate-meet
• How to watch each dog's body language and respect their feelings
• What's often behind a dog fight or tense, upsetting dust-ups - so you can set up your dog to prevent them

Check out the full guide on how to avoid common dog introduction mistakes and what to do instead here. Or see what's next: an in-depth, step-by-step look at how to use one of the most valuable tools in successful dog introductions - the parallel walk...

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Introducing Dogs Guide 3: How to Introduce Your New Dog to Resident Dogs with Parallel Walks

As you learned in the previous guide, parallel walks are a super effective and versatile tool for introducing dogs - whether you have an adult dog or a puppy, whether you're acclimating your new dog to your current resident dog or to another dog.

In this guide, certified force-free trainer and Dogly Training Advocate Ruby Leslie takes you step by step through everything you need to know to use parallel walks successfully with your dog and other family dogs - then how to integrate that positive interaction into a successful, comfortable indoor home life together.

What you'll learn in this step by step guide on how to introduce dogs:

• Where to do a parallel walk - and where NOT to do your parallel walk
• How to move through 14 incremental steps - from choosing your location/spacing to a successful introduction, followed by a calm, happy side-by-side walk together (Note: if you have two dogs or more currently in your family, you'll work with one dog at a time with your new pup. Also included are recommendations for useful equipment like regular length, dual handle leashes and long line leashes.)
• What's next - once everyone is comfortable with your walks, you're ready for an off-leash meeting in a safe enclosed space.
• How to gauge timing - every dog is different, and it's perfectly fine if this process takes 1 time, 1 week, or even 1 month to become comfortable. Go at your dog's pace!
• Watch-outs on your parallel walk that are body language stress signs - and what to do
• Dog behavior you want to see on your walk (signs your dog is content and you can decrease distance between your dogs)
• How to go from successful walk and intro to successful integration into indoor home life

You can dive into using parallel walks for introductions with your dog in this guide here. Or see what's next with enjoying safe and enriching playdates with your new pup...

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Introducing Dogs Guide 4: How to Enjoy Dog Playdates Safely

Once your dog is happily settled in at home around current family dogs as well as comfortable meeting other dogs when you're out and about on walks, you probably want to be able to have playdates for your pup. Many dogs, if not most, love free off-leash play. It can be wonderfully enriching -physically and mentally.

But how do you make sure to keep it safe and fun for both dogs? That's why certified positive reinforcement trainer and Dogly Training Advocate Tiffany Baker created this guide and video to take you through how to do it step by step:

What you'll learn in this step by step guide on how to introduce dogs:

How to set up your dog for a successful (aka safe, happy) playdate

1. Choosing your location - what you want, what you don't want
2. Choosing your playdate partner for your dog - what you're looking for in the other dog (#1: predictability)

4 things to look for to keep the play good for both dogs

1. Mutual play
2. Role reversal
3. Self-handicapping
4. Both dogs responding appropriately when given a correction by the other dog

Tiffany explains what each of these looks like and why you want to see this kind of reciprocity as the dogs interact and play together. You can also watch a quick clip of Lola with more seasoned dog Lucy playing and showing behaviors described above and Lucy's dog-to-dog corrections in the accompanying video.

Bonus pro tip: the safest way to go during playtimes is to have your dog either no-collar naked or wearing a side-release/quick-release or breakaway collar.

In raucous play, it's too easy for dogs to get collars entangled with jaws, paws, etc, and classic buckle & holes - type collars are almost impossible to remove during the panic and struggling that often results. (Includes examples of recommended side-release/quick release collars here and here)

You'll also learn troubleshooting when you need to get the dog play back on track:

• When and how to call a time-out to give everyone a break and take the time to readjust energy levels
• What to do when your dog is being too forward with unwanted behavior - how to use a marker word, time-outs, and treats to teach the behavior you want to see
• When to call it a day if either dog is showing concerning signs of aggression or discomfort - it's always okay to call it and start fresh another day!

If you're ready to jump into how to have safe and happy playdates for your dog, you can find this guide and video here.

Check out the New Pet Channel on Dogly

Once you and your dog have managing positive introductions and interaction in your repertoire, check out the many other step-by-step guides in the New Pet Channel if you haven't already: from How to Help Your New Dog Settle into Your Home to 3 Most Important Starter Training Tips for Your New Dog.

If you want to keep learning about how to help your new dog settle into your happy new life together you can continue in the New Pet Channel or jump to the Manners Channel or any of the other channels in Training, Wellness, or Nutrition to learn the many ways to help your dog thrive.

And if you need help, you can ask the Dogly Advocates in any channel or work with them one-on-one through Dogly.