THE FIRST CONTACT of a new dog and humans

The arrival of a new friend creates expectation and a happiness climate at home, but the new puppy or adult dog will feel kind of insecure when it arrives and that excess of enthusiasm can be overwhelming for the dog. Try not to make the introduction excessively effusive, make them quiet and peaceful. Take the dog to the garden, terrace or street as soon as you get home, so it can defecate and urinate and then begin showing it the different rooms one by one, carefully watching the dog at a reasonable distance while it explores. Tell the children in a very clear way that they are not aloud to carry the dog in their arms, disturb it or make it feel rounded up.

INTRODUCING OTHER DOG

 If you already have another dog, the best thing for them is to introduce each other in a neutral area. The ideal thing would be that the adult dog would go with you to the breeder's house when you pick up the puppy. After making the trip back home together, both dogs should stay together in the garden, terrace or somewhere outdoors, in a safe place, for some time, before entering the house with the puppy, inviting the adult dog to go with you. Don't leave at hand any object that your dog may want to protect from the intruder, such as your dog's toys or a bone. If you fear that the old dog will show aggressive with the new dog, don't let any of them free from the lead or leave the puppy in a kennel or park (playpen) while both of them get their first interview and repeat this action many times until the adult dog is used to the puppy's presence. During the next months, you will need to clearly state in front of the new dog that the first and oldest one is in charge by greeting the old dog first, feeding it first and giving it, in general, the priority when it comes to giving your attention and petting the dogs. Even when it won't be easy for you to ignore that cute little puppy, there will be no other remedy because if you don't do this, you may cause rivalry problems between the two dogs.

LIKE CATS AND DOGS

If they are properly introduced, a dog and a cat can become best friends. The problems usually appear when you allow the dog to chase the cat, since this one will stop trusting the dog from that moment on and it will be very difficult for the dog to forget how fun it is to chase a cat. If you have an interior kennel, put the dog inside and close it. Then let the cat get into the room, but make sure that there is a table or shelf available for the cat to jump if it gets scared. In order to feel secure, a cat must know that there's a way out or a high and safe place for it. The cat will normally look at the dog in a suspicious way, but it won't take long to go back on the floor and approach the dog. The next time they get together, keep the dog attached to the lead and give it a treat for distraction.

These controlled interviews should be repeated until both animals get to accept each other. Make sure that the cat's food and water are out of the dog's reach and that the dog is not able to take the cat by surprise in its most vulnerable moments (for example, while using its sand box).

Even when there may be problems sometimes when the dog has strong chasing instincts (the Greyhounds for example), truth is that cats are excellent tutors for the dog. In fact, almost all of the times a dog and a cat live in the same place; it is the cat that is in charge.

THE DOG AND THE OTHER PETS

Puppies can learn to see any pet as another member of the family if they meet them since they are very young. For a dog to consider a rabbit or any other animal as part of its pack it is mandatory for the dog to meet the new animal before having twelve week of age.

Kids & Dogs Assuming the responsibility of taking care of an animal is really beneficial for a child, but if this one is younger than 7 or 8 years of age, he may be still too young to fulfill his commitment. Once the dog is no longer a novelty, kids use to forget about them and it is the turn of the parents to take care of this new member of the family. Make the children participate in feeding the dog. They can serve the food or drop a delicious treat on the dog's bowl every now and then, just to prevent the dog from defending its food in an aggressive and possessive way in the future. Children sometimes happen to be the best canine trainers. Try to register your kids for some puppy training lessons that may be taking place around your area. Help you children to relate themselves with the dog in order to state very clearly that they also have authority in their category of human beings. If you teach the children to hide objects for the dog to look for, or to teach the puppy some new tricks, or how to groom the dog, everybody will be benefit from it.