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Questions
- How to Introduce Your Puppy to Your Older Dog
- Neutral Ground is Always Best
- Keep Them on a Lead
- Keep an Eye on Their Body Language
- Treats and Toys are Off-Limits
- Take it Slow
There’s so much to think about when you plan on adding a little four-legged addition to your family. Making sure you have everything they need is only the first step. From toys to distract them and stop them from putting your fingers in their mouth to basic care products.
Multi-dog households are not at all uncommon. Dogs are social animals and if socialised as a puppy, often enjoy the company of their own kind. We’re going to share some of the best methods we have found to make sure introductions lead to some happy, waggy tails and lasting relationships. When you’re thinking of bringing a new pooch into your home, puppies are easier to introduce to older dogs just because they are less threatening than an adult dog, but it still requires time and effort.
How to Introduce Your Puppy to Your Older Dog
How to introduce your older dog to a puppy will depend on their prior learning. If your pet has always enjoyed being around other dogs or shared their home with another pooch, it might make the process a little easier, but it’s no guarantee that they will be happy to have a puppy snooping around their house. Â
Puppies can be tiresome, especially when they start testing their boundaries. It can be exhausting for you, so imagine how your dog feels! A gradual method is always the best, lots of time apart from each other will allow them to relax, but also get some one-on-one attention from you.
Neutral Ground is Always Best
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Introducing a puppy to an older dog can be intimidating for both parties. If you choose to do it  in the house, you’re bringing a stranger into your dog’s safe space, so they might be a little protective of their things. Dogs can become fond of specific sleeping areas or spaces they find comforting. High-value things for a dog tend to be resources like resting areas, food areas, toys, and chews.Neutral ground is always the best option when you consider introducing your dog to any four-legged friend.  This could just be somewhere your pooch will not be protective of. Going on a walk is a great way to introduce them, but most puppies go home after having only one vaccination and aren’t usually allowed out for walks just yet.
The garden is often a really good choice to do the first introduction, it’s a nice open area and as long as you pick up and remove all your existing dog’s toys, there’s very little to cause friction. Inside the house, you can first keep introductions to rooms where there might be less conflict, so avoid your dog’s resting areas or spaces they are particularly fond of.
Keep Them on a Lead
We’ve all seen the videos of people bringing their new puppies home in a box for their existing dog to meet, but ideally, introductions should be more controlled. You should be setting your new puppy and your existing dog up for success by managing them a little more.
 Keeping both dogs on lead means they will both be under your control and you can limit the time they spend interacting. Dog greetings are usually only a few seconds long, anything more than three to five seconds has the potential to boil over and lead to discomfort. Keeping new pets on lead means you can move them away after a short greeting so nobody gets upset.
Puppies have not been properly socialised when they leave their mum and may want to climb all over your dog with minimal boundaries. The lead will help you avoid this and make sure your dog doesn’t get annoyed at the new addition!
Keep an Eye on Their Body Language
Understanding dog body language is key to introducing two canines together with the best chances of them getting along. We communicate verbally, but dogs do most of their communication with each other through their body language.
When introducing your dog to your new puppy, there are some very obvious signs to look for. Teeth baring, lunging, or aggression directed towards the puppy are clear indications that things are not running smoothly and may need to be paused or go back a step and give everyone some space.
More subtle signs might be a stiff body, ears pinned back, or just general avoidance of the new addition. Dogs can be as subtle as taking a lot of interest in sniffing a patch of grass. It doesn’t mean they don’t see the new puppy, but may be avoiding it. The best option if you see your dog showing any avoidant or anxious behaviour is to give them more space from the puppy and take things a little slower.
Treats and Toys are Off-Limits
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You might be thinking that giving both your older dog and new puppy lots to do and explore would help ease tension and build bonds faster, but if you’re using food items and toys, it can actually hinder it.Your dog may have a favourite toy, but playing with it with a puppy who is likely to steal it may cause issues in a new relationship.
Ideally, you should remove all toys and food from shared areas. With no food around like chews, there’s nothing to resource guard and so you can avoid any bickering. Once they have formed a strong bond, some dogs are happy to share their toys and food, but this takes time.
Once the initial introductions have been completed and if your dog doesn’t have food guarding issues, you can introduce treats as a way of rewarding positive interactions. These treats should be small and easily edible in a second or two.
Take it Slow
The biggest trick with how to introduce your puppy to your older dog is just time and patience. Rushing ahead won’t get you anywhere and can cause issues that are not so easy to fix. If you introduce slowly, it may take a little longer, but it means both your puppy and your older dog will be comfortable.
Before they build a bond, they shouldn’t be left in a room alone together and all interactions should be supervised. Things like baby gates are a great way of sectioning off rooms but still allowing contact until everyone is familiar with each other.
Introducing a puppy to your older dog can be a daunting process, but if you take things step by step with gradual introductions, they’ll be best friends in no time. It’s important to remove any chance of conflict while they’re getting used to each other, so they won’t bicker over food or toys. Watching both dogs carefully to make sure they remain happy with the introductions will mean you can distract away if you think you see any tension.
Remember, positive interactions are what you’re looking for, so any time they take an interest in each other, try to catch that and reward them with a tasty treat. Take a look at our wide range of puppy and adult dog treats to help build a strong, lifelong bond.