Everyone’s heard the saying “the more the merrier.” However, plenty of people who have a dog and are thinking about getting another one question if that’s actually true. If you’re in this position, the good news is there are things you can do to help your dogs get along with each other. It’s also worth noting that as pack animals, dogs are built to enjoy interacting and bonding. So whether your house is currently more divided than you would like or you’re just worried about this becoming an issue in the future, here are several tips to help you out:

Start with Neutral Territory

If you’re going to bring a new dog into your household, it’s best if the initial meeting can take place on neutral territory. In fact, having a couple of these experiences away from your home is ideal. The best activity to do during this experience is to walk. By you walking one dog and another member of your household walking the other, both dogs will get to interact in a low-pressure setting.

Initial House Introduction

When you’re ready for both dogs to meet in the house, it works best to bring the new dog first and then the other one. Although it may be tempting to keep the dogs leashed, that can actually cause more anxiety for them, which is why it’s best to let them both off. As with the introduction on neutral territory, the ideal approach is to have several in-house meetings and gradually increase how long they last. 

Consider Crates

As your dogs start spending more time together, you’ll want to watch for behaviors like guarding toys or food bowls. The same is true for play that consistently gets too rough. In addition to preventing any situations from getting overly tense, you may want to consider crates for your dogs. Even if you don’t plan to restrict or sleep your dogs in the crates, having these designated spaces can help both of your dogs unwind whenever they feel like they need a little time to themselves.

An Easy Solution for Socializing Your Dog

The younger a pooch is when it’s exposed to other dogs, the easier these situations will always be in the future. But even if a dog is older, socializing on a regular basis will help it feel comfortable around others. If you’re looking for an easy way to provide your dog with this kind of experience, our  doggie day care  is the perfect option. Not only will your dog get to spend plenty of time around others, but it will get lots of exercise throughout the day and be taken care of by our very attentive team.