Bringing A New Dog Home To Fido

What’s the best way to introduce a new dog to my home if I have another pet already?

When we adopted our dog Daisy 4 years ago, we already had a cat at home. At the time Daisy was 4 months old, the cat was 15 years old and we didn’t have the slightest clue what we were doing. Needless to say we simply released Daisy to run amuck when we returned home from the adoption agency.

Not the best way to handle things, but the kids have a great story that they still tell to this day. “Mom, you should have seen it! Daisy came bouncing around the corner, turned to go up the stairs and there was Molly. Molly was just slowly walking down the stairs like she always does, relaxed and happy. Then POOF! she puffed up like a balloon, arched her back, let out an enormous hissssss and stopped Daisy right in her tracks.”

Game on, Daisy thought. Much to the dismay of Molly. And the rest is bringing a new dog home the right way?

I sure wish I knew then, what I know now. And I really wish I knew Will Bruner back then. As he states in an interview he did recently with Eliana Osborn of MomZette, “If you and your dogs enjoy the quiet life, bringing in an overly exuberant, active puppy can be disruptive,” explained Bruner. “This can also hold true if you have a calmer or more passive dog and you bring in a dog who greets like a truck and plays like a linebacker.”