Introducting a Puppy to Your Dogs

I was so excited to meet Jet. I heard Jenn's car pull up and I had to start howling. Jenn wanted to introduce Jet first to Eric. He said she was beautiful, even as she tried to eat the leather leash.She is quite the jumper! So now to meet dogs. How to best introduce a new member to resident dogs? Here's a great little trick called a scent exchange which can be very helpful during introductions. A week before picking Jet up, Jenn got a collar and put all our scents on it by having us all wear it. She put it in a bag and then put it on Jet when they got home. So, when we all were meeting Jet, she already smelled like all of us.

Next, you want a neutral location. So we went up the driveway and away from the yard and house. You can even meet at a completely different place. But Jenn was entirely jet-lagged (no pun intended) so we did introductions in the driveway, one dog at a time. First Eric brought out Big Sandy.She sniffed little Jet and that was about it. Jenn had treats so that we all could associate good things with the new puppy. Bernie thought the same thing, "nice puppy, how about a treat?". So far, so good.So I came out and had to get all the facts about Jet. After a thorough sniffing, we all went down into the yard together. That's when Jet did this...Seriously! A full play bow just for me. Well, that definitely set the stage for a smooth introduction into the family. Welcome Jet!

For more tips on introducing new furry members to your family, click here.