Bringing a new dog home is exciting, but it’s important to remember that this can be a big adjustment for both your new dog and any dogs already living in your home. To help set everyone up for a successful transition from shelter to home, we recommend following this slow introduction method. Taking things slowly can decrease stress, prevent conflicts, and help your dogs build a healthy, happy relationship.
If you completed a meet and greet here at the Animal Resource Center, that’s a great first step! However, it is important to continue slow introductions at home, as dogs may behave differently in a new environment.
Designate a separate, quiet room for the new dog. This room should have a crate with a blanket and serve as a safe space away from other dogs so the new dog can decompress for the first few days.
Pick up and put away any toys, bones, food bowls, or other objects that the dogs may find valuable. Leaving these items out before the dogs have settled in may lead to a fight.
Once you get home, do outdoor introductions before bringing the dogs inside the house together. This could be a short walk together or a brief, controlled meet and greet out in a yard. Below are some guidelines to help:
• Keep hold of the leashes until both dogs are relaxed.
• If you are in an enclosed area, you can let the leashes go while the dogs play but leave them on so you can control both dogs if needed.
• If one or both dogs do not show interest in interacting or are tense or uncomfortable, don’t force the interaction. Keep the dogs separated and try again the next day.
• Stiff posture
• Growling
• Baring teeth
• Hair on back standing up
• Long hard staring
• Side eye
• Holding their head low
• Turning their head away
• Licking their lips
• Rolling onto their back to expose their belly
• Lifting their front leg
If there is more than one resident dog, do introductions with one dog at a time until the new dog has met each dog, individually. If all introductions went well and you have a handler for each dog, you could consider letting the dogs interact together in a small group. Keep hold of each dog’s leash, making sure not to get the leashes tangled. If the dogs are relaxed, you can drop the leashes and monitor them.
After outside introductions, bring the new dog inside first. Allow the new dog to sniff around the home if they show interest. After a few minutes, bring the dog to their designated quiet room to allow them to decompress for the first day and night. Once the new dog is settled in their room, bring the resident dog(s) inside.
Feed your new dog separately from any other pets in the house. Feeding in a separate room, behind a closed door or some other physical barrier, is best. While everyone adjusts, keep all dogs away from the kitchen and other areas where food is being prepared or eaten.
When the dogs are together, make sure there are no toys, treats or other valuable items out for at least the first day or two.
When you start to introduce toys, make sure you are supervising closely and that there are at least two toys per dog. This will help ensure there are enough toys to play with. If your resident dog has a favorite toy or high value treats (raw hide, pig ear, etc.), don’t bring them out until you are confident the dogs won’t fight over them. Spend at least one week supervising before you attempt to introduce more valuable items.
Take each dog for a walk or to get some exercise without the other dog before introducing them again. This will help get some energy out, making them less likely to play rough and escalate to a fight when they do interact.
Allow the dogs to go outside together, leaving leashes on both dogs so you can easily separate them if needed. If all goes well, you can bring them inside. Bring the new dog in first, bringing them to a large, shared space room such as a living room, then bring in the resident dog. This ensures they don’t interact in a small space first, as close quarters can increase chances of a fight.
Always supervise and keep leashes on the dogs, even inside, so you can separate them if needed. Give them regular breaks from each other. Interactions together should be short (no more than 20 minutes without a break) for the first week.
Keep the dogs separated when you cannot supervise them. If you use a crate for the new dog but not the resident dog, keep the crated dog in a separate room, behind a closed door. This prevents the dogs from arguing through the crate or the crated dog feeling trapped, frustrated or defensive.
If either dog shows signs that they are uncomfortable, separate them from the situation and give them a break from each other. Do not punish the dogs for how they communicate with each other, even if they growl. Punishment can turn their uncertainty into fear or frustration, potentially resulting in increased conflict or aggression.
If a fight occurs, separate the dogs for a day or two and restart the introduction process. Dogs can remain stressed for hours, or even days, after a fight, so it’s important to give both dogs that day or two to decompress. If you try to rush it, the fights may worsen.
After a week, if the dogs are getting along well without any fights, you can start taking leashes off and allow them more time together with less breaks. Continue to supervise the dogs for a few weeks until you have seen them interact in a variety of situations. Once you feel confident that they are getting along, you can leave them unsupervised for short periods of time while you are still home or in another room.