How to introduce a new dog to your pack

Many people have a dog, some have more than one. I personally have eight, four Rottweilers, one Doberman and three German Shepherds. While I enjoy bringing a new dog into my pack, I realize that there is a chance that one of my pack, or the new member, may not enjoy this interruption to their usual routine. You see dogs as routine, meals at the same time, familiar smells that give comfort and the security of being in a well-balanced pack. When you add a new stimulus to the mix, say an unfamiliar dog, you should do so in a way that minimizes the destabilizing effect it can have on your pack.

First of all, you must, and I mean definitely, be in control of your dogs, in other words, unless you are sure that all your dogs see you as pack leader, and will respect and obey your commands, it will not be respected and the dominant dogs in his pack will dominate the new dog if he shows any instability i.e. barking, running, sniffing rudely or adopting a dominant posture i.e. standing with his head on another dog’s neck. This type of behavior will almost always end in a fight.

If you are already having trouble introducing new dogs to your pack, you need to focus on the source of the problem. The dog displaying dominant aggression clearly doesn’t see you as the leader of the pack. To regain control, the dominant dog must be rehabilitated, he has to understand that he can be with other dogs and not feel that he must maintain the balance of the pack, and that is what he is reacting to, the sudden imbalance in his routine. Without strong and consistent leadership, the dog will feel that it is his job to stop the instability.

When I bring a new dog home, I have already established my leadership with the new dog before I put him in my car. I do this by putting him on a leash and going for a walk, during this walk I bond with the dog, and they are always willing to give in to assertive energy. No dog wants to be the leader of the pack, it’s a big responsibility.

When I get home I have my new dog on a leash and I open the door a little bit to see how he responds to my dogs inside and how they respond to him, if there is any excitement, like whining, barking, pulling, from the new dog, I close the door. door and return the new dog to a calm state, that is, to a sitting position.

I know that my personal dogs will obey me on command, so in my case, my only concern is the new dog.

When I’m sure the new dog is calm and submissive, I open the door and go inside this time.

I immediately stop and let my dogs and the new dogs sniff each other, this is the dogs way of greeting each other and checking each other’s energy and history.

As long as there is no obvious negative energy and all the dogs are calm, I take the new dog off the leash and let him go because he needs to explore his new surroundings. I always watch this process for at least 3 hours to make sure all the dogs have excepted the new pack member and understand that I am in charge and take care of everything, all they need to do is be a dog.

To change any unwanted behavior, you must control the four basic areas of your dog’s behavior.

1. Eat

2. Sleep

3. playing

4. Social Interaction

If you are not sure how to safely regain your status as pack leader, I recommend that you find a professional trainer to help you. Be sure to research trainers carefully, it’s easy to say things and much harder to prove.