Adding a second dog
Champaign County Humane Society
Dog to Dog Introductions
CCHS adoption guidelines require that you bring your resident dog to the shelter to meet your prospective adoptee before the application is approved. Ask a shelter employee or adoption counselor to help you with the introduction. In general, when introducing a second dog, have the new pet handled by a non-family member and make the initial introduction away from either dog's home territory. This will help minimize conflict over territory. At the shelter this will take place in a get-acquainted room or in the outdoor exercise area. Both animals should be leashed and under control. Significant aggression from one or both dogs is NOT a good sign, and you should consider adopting a different animal. Remember that the steps listed below are progressive, so go on to the next step only when you feel you have "mastered" the previous one.
1. When you have completed the adoption and are bringing the new dog to your home for the first time, confine the resident dog to one part of the house while the new dog explores the rest. Then switch their territories. This allows each to become familiar with the other's scent.
2. For face-to-face introductions, start with limited, supervised exposure, preferably outdoors in a fenced-in yard, with the new dog on leash and your resident dog off leash. (Note: Leashing the resident dog could actually incite him or her to display aggression. Leashing only the new dog will allow you to maintain control of the situation.) Let the dogs explore one another. Praise appropriate behavior.
3. If the interaction seems to be going well, move the introduction indoors, keeping the new dog on leash. Reward good behavior, and redirect their attention if you sense tension building. Praise when the dog reorients to you.
4. Confine the new dog when you aren't present to supervise. Even when the two dogs seem to be tolerating each other well, continue for at least one month to confine the newcomer when you aren't home. Keep their first unsupervised time together short.
5. Train both dogs (ideally the resident dog is already well-trained!) to sit and stay on command, in order to maximize your control.
6. Remember that the dogs will decide their relative status on their own. The resident dog may not be the "top dog." Their status is not set in stone, and it is perfectly normal for dogs to challenge one another from time to time. Often you will not even be aware of the challenges. If you sense that a conflict is brewing, redirect their attention by giving them some commands and engaging them in other activities. If a fight seems imminent, separate the dogs and let them cool off.
7. If the newcomer is a puppy, do not allow the puppy to badger the resident dog. Redirect the puppy's attention toward yourself. Praise the puppy for reorienting to you. Begin teaching the puppy some rudimentary obedience commands from the day he or she comes into your home. You will need to confine the puppy when you cannot be present to supervise for several months.
8. Even if both dogs are adults, you may not be able to leave them together, unsupervised and unconfined, for some time. It may take them several months to reach a comfort level with one another. A few dogs can never be left alone together. If things are not progressing as you would like, consult a behaviorist or your veterinarian.