Tidbit: Holidays
Bringing home a new friendDogs
When bringing home a new dog to introduce your new pet to your other dogs, put all of the dogs in a "neutral" area. Dogs guard their things and don't like it when new animals just bound in unannounced. Once the meet and greet has been done in the neutral area, make sure you have separate food and water bowls for your dogs to prevent fighting until they are comfortable sharing. Also pick up all toys and anything else you think might be a grounds to fight over.
Keep the squirt bottle handy to help break up any little tension that might come about. Remember your other dog(s) were there first, so don't get on them too heavy if they growl at the new pup. They are just trying to lay out the "ground rules" to the new guy in the house. It can take up to a month for some dogs to get comfortable with each other while others might need only 5 minutes. This all depends on your dog's age and attitude. For sleeping at night for the first week, kennel your new friend and let your current buddies sleep in their normal place. It's important to make sure that your current pet knows you are NOT replacing them with the new one you brought home. So give your pup some extra TLC to help everyone get comfortable with the newcomer.
Cats
For cats, it is best to put your new kitty a separate room for a day or two. This allows your current cats to sniff under the door without an actual face-to-face meeting. On day two you might also put the new cat in a carrier in another room then allow your current cat the newcomer's room. Close the door on your current can and let the newcomer out of the kennel to sniff where the other has been.
Cats are not like dogs that just sniff run and play. Cats are a LOT more picky. Don't expect peace right away. They may do a lot of hissing and slapping for a week or more. This is very normal for cats. To help them get along better, get some toys they might like or build them a cat house out of boxes with holes cut in them for them to play and hide in. Once they start having fun together they'll soon forget why they disliked each other in the first place. Again, separate food and water bowls and litter boxes until the cats are use to each other.
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