You have a new puppy coming into the family and you are in need of some new puppy advice. There is an older faithful dog that has been a long standing family member and they must be introduced. This is one of the dreaded steps of bringing your new puppy home. Your present dog will already have his territorial boundaries set in the home and in the yard. Not to mention the bonds and the protective tendencies your dog will have over the family members.
When introducing your new puppy into your home you are going to have a lot of time spent house training him and teaching him the behavior that is acceptable in your home. In addition to the time effort and love that will go in to the new puppy training you have to balance your time and affection with your dog. There will be an extra need for love and attention for your dog to keep the peace in the family. Peace between your new puppy and your older dog is the ultimate goal. Let's go over some helpful bits of wisdom to make this process less stressful for not only you but also for your new puppy and your other dog.
1. It is very important that you allow your new puppy and your older dog to establish the pecking order. It is best for you to remain as uninvolved in this process as possible. Both your new puppy and the dog you had previously will read your body language and your tension levels. If you are scared or worried about this process they will know it and it will be more stressful. Your stress will stress your new puppy and especially your existing dog that is already in tune to your body language. (Assuming that the grown dog is not aggressive, these steps will be very helpful. If your grown dog is known to be aggressive it will be necessary to contact a professional who works with aggressive dogs that can walk you through the appropriate steps.) Put your older dog on a leash. This gives you a measure of control if your more mature dog gets over protective at their first meeting. If this happens, take your older dog away from your new puppy and start the process over. Remembering to stay calm and in control as they will look to you as the pack leader. Allow your new puppy and your older dog to sniff and investigate each other with as little intervention as possible. They will quickly establish the pecking order. Surprisingly, it will not always be the older dog. One of them will have a more prominent personality and that will be the one that will lead in the pecking order. I will be sharing more information on helping your dogs establishing the pecking order that you desire them to have in a later article.
2. Learning the needs and the mode of communication of both your new puppy and your older dog is also important. Our dogs are a lot like people. You already know the current needs of your older dog but they may change slightly after you bring your new puppy into the family. As you learn the temperament and the personality of each dog, you can use this knowledge to understand how to meet their emotional needs. In meeting both your new puppy's needs and your older dog's emotional needs, will create less of a competitive atmosphere between your dogs. This will go a long way to make the adjustment period more peaceful. Before your new puppy and your older dog are introduced, take some time with your older dog to make him will feel his place in the family is more secure.
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