INTRODUCING YOUR NEW PUPPY TO YOUR FAMILY AND PETS

          

Keep things simple and quiet for the first 24 hours with your new puppy.  By keeping chaos and commotion down you will make things less stressful for your new arrival.  Remind children to stay calm and use a quiet voice.  If you have other pets introduce them after the first day.

For very young puppies start with one room and then introduce other rooms over the next few weeks.  For older puppies you can gradually introduce new areas of the house while your puppy is on a leash.  This will insure that the puppy is allowed to explore with out chewing or soiling.  Until your puppy becomes acclimated, or house-trained, you'll need to supervise the first few interactions with young children, other pets, and non-puppy areas.

When introducing your new puppy to other dogs or cats keep your puppy in a confined area and let it sniff out the other pet.  Then take a blanket from the puppy and put it in the area of the other pet and let them sniff the puppy.  After a day or so you can have a supervised meet in a neutral area.  Remember to give equal attention to both and try to let them work it out on their own.

Another tip for success is to feed and greet your established pet first.  If you are playing with your new puppy and your established pet approaches, turn your attention to the established pet.  This will make your established pet feel less threatened and teach your new puppy to show respect to the established pet.

Remember that growling, snarls, and hissing are normal reactions and that once the pets work things out on their own, things will calm down.

If you have caged pets, it's best to wait until the next week for introductions.