HOW SHOULD I INTRODUCE THE NEW DOG TO MY HOME?

Slowly and carefully. It is important to introduce the new dog to your other animals and children with great caution. The dog may well see you as their “savior” for bringing them home and be very clingy and insecure. Your current pets may take offense to an intruder coming into their home and taking up much of your time.

Let your dogs meet the new springer on neutral ground, with both animals on lead, and one at a time. Do not leave the new dog unsupervised with children or other animals at any time.

	Make an effort to have someone else with you, to bring the new dog (on leash) to meet your dog (on leash).
	Let the dogs meet on "neutral" ground like the front sidewalk or local park. Take the new dog (alone) into the yard. If your yard is fenced, let him loose to sniff around, otherwise walk him around the yard so he can familiarize himself with his new surroundings. Then put the new dog in the house to sniff around, while your dog(s) run around the yard and sniff where the new dog had been. Then let them both run around in the yard together with you indoors watching from the windows. (This prevents your dog from feeling protective or possessive, and he can focus on meeting the new dog.)
	It is important to let the dogs do DOG THINGS like sniff each other's private parts, mount each other, and do things we people sometimes find uncivilized! It is normal for hackles to be raised - that's a sign of excitement (not aggression). It is also normal for the dogs to ignore each other. They are communicating even if we can't observe all their signals.
	Another important tip - remove all items of high value to dogs -- favorite toys, rawhides, bones, food bowls -- before bringing any new dog into the territory, as well as for several weeks while they “settle in.”
	Now everyone has met in the yard -- time to go inside. It is recommended that you DO NOT let all dogs loose in the house at once. Allow the new dog to sniff around and check out the house while resident dogs are outside, then let one resident dog in and see how they do. That's usually enough for one day. Proceed to crate all dogs, giving them treats in their crates.
	The next step is to slowly introduce the new dog to your house. Initially confine your new dog to a smaller area of the house, using baby gates or some other obstruction, with your other dogs outside of the confinement area. This way they can "check out" the new dog in their house (and vice-versa) and get used to having a new dog in the house. Also the new dog isn't overwhelmed by his new-found freedom. Based on what you observe, you can slowly increase the areas in the house that your dog has access to. But don't be surprised if an "accident" occurs even if they have been housetrained in their foster home! Generally, through mild correction and reinforcement of a designated "potty" area, your foster will quickly remember good house manners.
	On-line article about introducing a new dog

UNDERSTANDING THE RULES OF DOGDOM

Dogs are not people. They can't work out all their issues peacefully by discussing them. Many times when dogs are introduced to each other they get in a fight as a part of the process of establishing their pack order. And many times it is the one and only fight or one of very few fights. It can be totally harmless and it sounds much worse than it usually is. Very rarely will dogs seriously injure each other, and if they do it is accidental during a fight (scratch or rip on ear).

The harm comes in when a person viewing this scene tries to be a referee and tries to break them apart with their hands. Results? More often than not the referee gets bit and the dog gets labeled as dog-aggressive and a biter. When dogs get in a fight, leave them alone, do not get close to them, perhaps if you can't stand this vicious sounding confrontation throw some water on them but stay away from them. You will be surprised how many times the only thing you find on them after an "awful" fight like this is slobber and there will be some heavy panting but that is about it.

If the fighting is persistent, and every time they get close they are ready to go at it, that is a problem that needs to be addressed and the dogs need to be separated; but one or two fights, especially with dogs who are new to each other, is usually nothing to worry about. Getting physically involved does more harm than good.

It will take a little while before we convince our dogs that sitting at a table, discussing their issues and shaking paws to make peace is a better way of working out their problems, but for right now, we just have to understand them and their behavior for what it is.

As a few reminders:

• DOGS DON'T SHARE. Feed all dogs separately. Be very, very careful when doling out rawhides or other long-lasting treats.
  
• DOGS FIGHT. The dogs will have to decide who the "boss dog" is. Every time you bring in a new dog, the whole pack structure changes. Dogs don't have lawyers and courts and judges to settle their disputes and leadership issues. They don't vote. They DO have discussions, and often sound like they're going to kill each other, in order to decide who gets the bone, who gets to have the best dog pillow, who gets to sit on the couch by "mom". Sometimes this does not happen until the new dog has been there 2 hours, 2 days, or 2 weeks. When a dog fight occurs, a rule of thumb is to count slowly to 10. If they haven't quit by then, intervene by making a loud noise (not yelling) or throwing a couch pillow, or a water bucket if outdoors - then each dog goes to his crate to calm down. Usually they will get slobber on each other and quit in a few seconds. If you see any blood at all, you may want to CAREFULLY intervene immediately and not let those two interact again without very close supervision. If it's a serious fight, some trainers will recommend that you grab the aggressor by his hind legs and "wheelbarrow" him away from the other dog - going towards a doorway and then close door between dogs. Do not grab collars - you will get bitten.
  
• DOGS LOVE TREATS. REWARD, REWARD, REWARD good behavior. If the dog makes a "mistake", take a rolled up newspaper and bonk yourself on the head, repeating "Bad Trainer, Bad Trainer". EVERYTHING WE DO WITH OUR DOGS IS TRAINING. If the dog does something undesirable, rather than "punishing" the dog, try to think of an alternative behavior that you can ask the dog to do instead. Think in terms of what you WANT the dog to do instead of what you don't want him to do. For example, if the dog jumps up to greet you, rather than scolding or kneeing him in the chest, decide what you want the dog to do in that situation. Stand? Sit? Then REWARD him only when he does that.
  
• SIGNS OF STRESS. Know and be alert to signs of stress in your new dog as well as your other dogs.
• Low stress - panting, shedding.
• Moderate stress - panting, pacing, drooling, high-pitched barking, refusal of treats.
• High stress - Excessive drooling, panic-type behavior, inappropriate elimination, compulsive spinning, barking, destructive behavior.

Above information gathered from the world wide web, and from the member manual for ESRA found on our website, www.springerrescue.org. I did not author this material.

Created and maintained by Kathy Patterson, MidSouth Co-Coordinator, springerhelpnc@yahoo.com This site does not necessarily represent our national organization, ESRA. For any problems, please contact me directly!