HOW TO INTRODUCE A NEW DOG TO YOUR EXISTING DOG

Socialization
Hopefully, from the time you got your first dog, you have worked to socialize this
dog with others. If not, perhaps it is best to start on that immediately, before there
is another dog in your near future. Start setting up situations for your dog to meet
other dogs. The easiest situation is to take him to a basic obedience class. In this
setting he will see lots of other dogs in a controlled situation and, if there are
problems, you will have an experienced trainer there to help you. Take your dog for
walks where he will see other dogs and possibly meet them. Many people are willing
to let their dog meet yours while they are out walking. Take your dog to visit friends
with dogs. Don't do this once a month. Do this once a day if possible or at least 2 or
3 times a week. Let the dogs play and get to know each other. Now, when you know
your dog does well with several other dogs, this is the time to consider getting
another dog.

Crate Training
Is your dog crate trained? This will be very helpful to you if your dog does not fight
going into a crate. If you haven't been using a crate, consider buying one and
training your dog to the crate before the new dog comes along.

Sharing "Smells"
If you have time before the new dog comes home, do some sharing of smells. Give
the new dog a towel with your dog's smell on it. And give your dog a towel with the
rescue dog's smell on it. Put the towel on the floor so they can get used to that
smell. (Do NOT put it in the crate or in areas they consider their personal territory.)
If you can do this 2 or 3 days before the adoption, it will really help them.

Meeting
It is always best if the two dogs meet for the first time on neutral territory. That
way, no one has a need to defend their territory. Meet in a park for the first time.
Have both dogs on leads. Let them sniff and play. KEEP THE LEASH LOOSE!! If you
put tension on the leash, you will pass that "tension" on to your dog. A loose leash
lets the dog know you are confident and that all is well. He will, in turn, not be
worried.

Remember that sometimes when dogs are playing, they growl. This doesn't mean
they are about to fight. If they are playing and growling begins, it is just part of the
play. BUT it may be a signal to you that they are getting wound up and it might be
a good time to separate the dogs and let them settle down before beginning
another play session a minute or two later.
Once it is clear that they are getting along, it is time to take them home.

Home  
When you arrive home, let the dogs meet again OUTSIDE. Let them sniff and
reacquaint themselves with each other. Then you can enter the house.

Expect the new dog to have an accident. This is totally normal. Have supplies ready,
clean it up quickly and DON'T make an issue of it. Your dog may also do this.
Again, don't make an issue of it. They are both very excited and unsure of
themselves right now. It doesn't mean this will continue forever. But if you make an
issue of it now, it might extend the problem. Of course, we are talking only about
the first days and not forever!!! If either dog continues to have accidents, it needs
to be addressed.

The new dog might well want to explore the house. Let him see the other rooms
and sniff around. Let the other dog go along. You also go along with them but don't
be too obvious about it. You want to keep an eye on them but not interfere unless
it is necessary. You don't want the two dogs to get into any small, enclosed spaces
together. It is too soon for that. Don't let them go under a bed. Let them explore
but keep them out of trouble.

You may read advice about letting the dog(s) drag their leash for a while so that
you have a "handle" on them. This is probably NOT a good idea. If one dog
accidentally steps on the other dog's leash, it may be viewed as aggression. Even if
one dog accidentally gets his leash caught, he may blame the other dog rather than
the leash.

Set up the new dog's crate right away. Make sure it contains things that are familiar
to him, like a toy. Make sure that each dog knows their own crate.

Over the next month, the dogs will be getting adjusted. It can take as long as a
month for them to settle in. During this period there can be a lot of things
happening that won't happen long term. There can be housebreaking accidents.
Some dogs won't have any at all. Others may need to almost be "restrained". Most
will be somewhere in the middle. Some dogs may try to mark. These are all issues
that need to be dealt with right away, but after the initial day of meeting.

During this period of adjustment, your goal is for both dogs to learn that "good
things happen when we are together and getting along". When we are alone or
don't get along, "the good things go away".

When your dogs are together and doing well together, give those lots of attention.
Praise them and pet them. Give them a treat. It is easy to forget to reward when
the dogs are getting along. When they are lying on the floor and not fighting,
occasionally give them a treat or attention just for being good dogs!!! Don't react
only when they are "bad".

When your dogs start to spat, withdraw all rewards. You may use their crates for
time outs. If they begin to growl, put BOTH dogs into the crates. Don't fuss and
scold. Just put them into the crates. Don't make any value judgments about which
dog are at fault. You are a human. You are missing many, many doggie signals.
The culprit may be the dog who didn't growl but started the spat by giving the other
dog a challenging stare. The point is, whatever you do, you do to both dogs. Good
things happen when they are together, not when they are separated. When you give
them a time out, make it 2 minutes or whenever they settle down.

Another thing you can do is to offer "Calming Signals." Calming signals are words
that you use such as "easy now" or "settle down". These words are spoken in a calm
voice. This can be done when you anticipate a situation that could create an issue.
For example, as you are handing out treats, you can say, "be nice". This is a
reminder to them in a situation where they are excited and could accidentally bump
each other or one dog could view another dog as "stealing his food". Calming
signals can also be used when an actual situation starts to build. When you see that
something is starting to happen, you can say "settle down" or similar words. If
things still escalate to a point where you need to give a time out, go ahead and do
it. But now they are hearing these words as things start up. Eventually, they will
make a connection and those words will start to be as effective as a time out, and
will eliminate the need for most time outs.

If they want to sit next to you, let one sit on each side. Most of you have two hands
and arms. One can be petting or even just laying on the back of each dog. Good
things happen when they are together!!!!

If you have to give them timeout after timeout, do it. Do it without fuss and don't
make it for long periods. If they growl upon leaving the crate, put them BOTH right
back into their crates without comment. They will learn!!!

Fights
No matter what you do, there is always the possibility of a fight. Dogs are pack
animals. It is important for a pack to establish their "pecking" order. It is hard for
us humans to keep our values out of this process. Most experts will tell you that if
the dogs are fighting but there is no blood, just let them fight it out. If you stop the
fight, it will most likely occur again because they weren't able to settle their issues.
So, if you can, watch closely but allow them to fight it through. The dogs are happy
if you don't interfere!!! It usually sounds much worse than it actually is. Sometimes,
if the fight is serious and there is blood, you need to interfere before someone is
seriously hurt.

If you have two strong dogs, both that see themselves as leaders, you may have a
fight no matter how hard you try to teach them to get along. If this happens, it is
because it is a necessary thing. Before it happens, please take the time to think
this through and determine how you will react. If you think it through ahead of time,
you are much more likely to handle it correctly.

Ways to handle a fight
Method 1- Reach in behind them and grab their tail to pull them out. This keeps
you away from the business end of things and gives you a good handle on the dog.
Now lift the dog in the air and dangle it. Once its feet leave the ground, most will let
their grip go and concentrate on getting their balance back. If one of the dogs does
not release its grip, you have another hand. Grab the tail of the other dog and
dangle them both!! You can do this for a few seconds. While you are doing this,
keep them as far apart as you can. Even if they don't want to let loose, they can
only hold on for so long. Usually this will end the fight immediately.

Method 2 - If you are outside, a water hose will work wonders

Method 3 - If you have a blanket handy, you can throw it over the dogs. It is hard
to continue a fight when you are tangled in a blanket.

No matter what method you use to break up the fight, when it is over, send the
dogs into their crates. This will give YOU time to recover!!! Unless one is seriously
hurt, do not baby either dog. When you let them out again, let them both out. Take
the dog that needs patching up and do what needs to be done without fuss!!
Please be aware that a serious seeming fight at the start does NOT mean that they
will never get along.