Introducing a new pet to the home with other pets usually goes well, and young puppies are especially well-tolerated because they are not seen as a threat. However, problems DO occur sometimes and it’s important to take precautions. Here are some tips to help:
- Introduce them slowly and under careful supervision.
- Give your existing pets plenty of attention so that they don’t feel jealous (jealousy over the owners can be one of the most common reasons for fighting amongst dogs).
- Give them their own food bowls, feed them separately initially, and try not to have them fighting over favourite toys or bones.
- If the puppy is terrorising your other pets with constant biting and chewing, make sure to give your other pets a break before their patience runs out!
If you’re having trouble introducing a new pet to your home, book a consult with one of our vets to discuss.
Chisel’s owners were aware of this advice, but things still didn’t go as well as they had hoped for the first week or two! Here’s what Chisel’s owners had to say…
“Our other dog, Toby, is a 2 year old Cavoodle. He’s a sweet and gentle little dog who LOVED being with our previous adult Golden Retriever, and we were sure he would have the same love for the new dog, Chisel. We certainly weren’t expecting any aggression. But Toby really DID NOT LIKE Chisel for the first week or so. He was a bit curious, but nervous and apprehensive at the same time. The fact that Chisel was already nearly as big as him and was a bouncy puppy who jumped on him and bit him, certainly didn’t help!
Toby became very nervous, running from Chisel every time he came near him, and if Chisel approached him in his bed (teepee) or on his favourite stool, he would turn and snap at Chisel. Chisel meanwhile continued to be a bouncy happy puppy, wanting to play and bite, without a care in the world. We spent more time and energy with Toby, and with keeping the two dogs apart. Toby became so nervous that his whole personality changed, and he even developed diarrhoea and a bit of vomiting from the stress! We had to take Toby in for his own vet check, just to make sure there was nothing else wrong. There wasn’t thank goodness!
In the second week things improved dramatically. Toby started to play with Chisel on the lawn, first of all ‘non-contact sports’ (chasing), but then increasing contact as well. Toby would knock Chisel over or pounce on him, and then quickly run away before Chisel had a chance to turn around and bite him! Toby was still very defensive of his bedding areas inside though. Now, halfway through our second week with Chisel, they are playing together, biting each other (playfully), rolling each other over, and even sleeping together on occasions. We’re still keeping an eye on them, but we think we’re hopefully over the worst of it”.
