Introducing a puppy to a resident dog

[elisabeth_00117]

I have always wondered if people follow the "introduce them on neutral territory first" rule when bringing home puppies for the first time into a house with a resident dog.

Do you bring your resident dog out to the park, someone else bring your new puppy out as well and do a meet up or do you bring puppy right in the door?

I would like to hear how everyone goes about introducing a new puppy and how their method went. Anything you would do differently? Keep the same?

[elisabeth_00117]

Oh, and no. I am not buying a new puppy.

[Jax's Mom]

I just bring them in and sit them on my lap
I think it's more important for them to be introduced "properly" with guest dogs than resident dogs, I can't imagine how they're introduced can have that much of a long term impact on their relationship if they live together though.

[Whiteshepherds]

We just carried Annie in and let Harley sniff her a few times before we put her down. For the next pup we'll probably do the same thing.
If we were bringing in an older dog I'd let them meet in a more neutral place.

[Tbarrios333]

I just brought her in. They had met already at the rescue.
However, it took Denali a long time to accept the puppy. Suddenly, I had this idea to take them on an insanely long walk together in a place neither had been before (I had to carry the pup for a lot of it). I read to do that somewhere, but forgot. They got along very well after that.

[Ruthie]

1. Gator was a rescue, so we took Moose to the foster home and they met in her yard.
2. Bison came home in the dead of winter and it was cold and dark. They met in the house. Moose was very excited until he realized that the puppy was not going home.
3. We introduced Grizzly and Bison in the front yard. I left Grizz crated while I went in and got Bison. I wanted him to see ME getting him out of the truck so he wouldn't just happen upon a random dog. On initial meeting, Bison got super excited and Grizzly just looked at him like he was nuts.

[Rerun]

I'm probably not the best to reply, because I have fostered god knows how many dogs and puppies over the past (more than a...) decade, so my dogs just meet foster puppies in the house, if the pups are reasonably healthy in appearances.

Adolescent dogs (6 months to a year, give or take, depending on the dogs behavior) that are bigger but still very "puppish" I typically introduce in our backyard or frontyard, leashed but relaxed. Again, my dogs are really good at intro's because they've done it so much.

With adults it REALLY depends, but as a rule of thumb I do not introduce adult fosters in a leashed, nose to nose, manner. I start with crating, letting mutual sniffing go on, then leashed walks together, etc. and move on from there depending on how long the foster will be here. If they won't be here long, I often don't really introduce them to my pack, or all members of my pack, at all. I only mention the adult - adult intro for others who may be reading and wondering about adult to adult intros vs puppy to adult intros.

IF I had an adult who hadn't spent much if any time around puppies, I would personally introduce them like I do adult - adult. Puppy in crate, let adult sniff. IF all is well and calm, then puppy would probably be in an x-pen and the adult could sniff and see pup bouncing around, etc. Make sure prey drive doesn't kick in here for some adults. I'd progress from there to either the yard with both leashed and different handlers, or if the pup walked ok on a leash I'd take them for short walks together for a few days.

[monikawilson]

I always like to have a puppy dog coming into our family when the adult dog is getting older (but not to old). I have had great experience over the years. The puppy will learn from the adult dog and out of my experience the adult dog will "baby" the puppy. And it does not matter if male or female. To introduce the puppy to the older dog(s) i always bring the puppy into the house, have the puppy on my lap and call the adult dog to me (and the puppy). Then I put the puppy on the floor and watch what happens. Almost instantly (every time), the adult dog starts "cleaning" the puppy and takes over No night whining puppy since the adult dog is with him/her. And like I said, the adult dog is doing a good portion of the puppy training. -You can just hope the adult dog has all good manors Puppy will learn the good and the bad

[Elaine]

I always introduce my new dogs to my personal dogs in my backyard. I generally know right away if it's going to work or not.

[Packen]

It really depends on the dogs temperaments. I introduced a dominant pup to a dominant + alpha dog through a barrier for a few days (one was kenneled). Then 30seconds or so face to face, next day a minute or 2 but very highly supervised. Now a couple of weeks later they play for a few minutes but highly supervised and I do step in and separate them verbally of physically then put the pup up in his kennel. The older dog minds very well but the pup is out of control!

So it really depends on the dogs. In my case I need to protect the pup as much as I need to protect my 2 yr old from the obnoxious pup! It will be a few months before I can let them run together with less supervision. A year later they will have a fight as the pup's testosterone level kicks in and he challenges for top spot. They both have the alpha temperament.

If both are beta or 1 alpha and 1 beta then it is much much easier.