The Art of Introducing Dogs Read Free Page B

quality of life for one or both is drastically affected. If the ages of the females are staggered i.e. introduce a female pup to female who is 3 years or older, then it can work well for the life of the dogs.
    Multiple dogs to a newcomer If you already have multiple dogs, chances are you also have a mixed sex group. You need to ask yourself whether your current pack really needs a newcomer as there are quite a few personalities to consider. The new dog could feel outnumbered, feel threatened - depending on how much previous contact they have had with other dogs - or totally change the dynamic of the home. Some people introduce newcomers successfully and with ease while others struggle. Generally speaking, the more dynamic your mini pack has been over the years, the easier it will be to introduce a new dog — in other words, if you have always had a constant stream of dogs coming and going, you will integrate a new dog fairly easily but if your pack has been extremely stable with no newcomers for a long time, then the introduction of a new dog could be much harder.

    (Left photo) These two desexed males are of similar size, age and breeds. When first introduced they regularly fought. It took 3 months of introductions 3 times per week at the local dog park for these dogs to feel comfortable with each other and play. (Right photo) The large 5 year old male is being introduced to a 1 year old female Pug. This male does not accept new dogs easily. He has a tense posture with closed mouth and a still erect tail whilst also making direct eye contact.

    Look at the body language of the dogs in these photos. On the left is the large male who feels tense around the Pug. The male lunged forward at the female Pug causing her to retreat. A successful introduction between these two dogs would be a long slow process. On the right, the same female Pug was introduced to a 6 year old male Siberian Husky. This photo was taken on day three. The dogs have relaxed bodies, tails and open mouths. This introduction was successful with only three meetings.
    Things you need to consider
    There are no hard and fast rules about what will work best in your home. Even within breeds, each dog is an individual that has had a unique set of experiences. Therefore, when looking at what works best, you need to focus on the individuals involved.
    In general, the most compatible dogs will be ones who have similar play styles, are opposite sexes or, if same sex, are desexed and separated in age by more than 2–3 years and will be of similar adult sizes e.g. a Chihuahua with a Siberian Husky is probably not going to be a good mix because the size difference is too great and play could turn into predatory behaviour or simply become too rough and dangerous for the small dog.
    Play styles are important
    Matching play styles mean less stress to the dogs. Think of it this way - we look for people with similar qualities to us either for friends or partners. If we like our personal space, then we generally won’t pick a ‘close talker’ to be our mate because it infringes on our space, making us uncomfortable. Likewise, your dog has set qualities that if matched correctly, will lead to a more contented life with less frustrations and tension.
    Four common play styles are 1
Chasing,
Neck biting,
Cat-like play and
Body slamming.

    These dogs are wrestling and neck biting. The dogs are a similar size. Provided both dogs take it in turns to be the dog ‘on top,’ this type of play is acceptable.
    Chasing works best when one dog likes to be chased and the other likes to chase. When this works well, both dogs should be relaxed, have a more loping or free moving run, have open relaxed mouths and tails flowing. Chasing can turn predatory so watch for tension in the body, tucked tail in the dog being chased, closed mouths and increased fixation/intensity in the chaser. Interrupt this type of chasing immediately and redirect the dogs to a calmer activity.
    Neck biting is a type