Introducing Your Dog To Other Animals

2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-07-31 03:34

As a rule, a person who loves dogs treats other animals well as well. Often different pets live in his house, and this leads to the need to introduce the dog to other dogs, cats, birds and other animals.

Although we flatter ourselves with the hope that peace and quiet will always reign in our home, some animals cannot peacefully coexist with each other. Before you take a new animal into the family, study its character, and also take into account the nature of the animals already living in the house. Perhaps by doing this you will save animals from injury or even death, and your pets from bites, scratches, waste of money and other unpleasant consequences from a collision of incompatible animals.

We take a new dog. If you are going to keep two dogs, it is safest to take a dog and a bitch about the same size and spayed. If the bitch is not spayed, then the owner will need to decide where to put her when estrus begins.

Before adopting a dog of the same sex that already lives in your home, consult a specialist. There are many breeds (and crosses) that are more likely to start fighting. Most likely, you will constantly have to keep them separate or pick up one of the dogs from a different owner.

Dogs of the same sex, even if they get along well, still have to establish a certain hierarchy. One of them will take a dominant position, while the other will have to obey. This is often detrimental to the character of the dogs, and they begin to behave differently than you expect. On the other hand, when dogs are dioecious, they can usually live together without stress and fights, of course, if they are properly raised. Try to avoid keeping dogs that are too different in size. A large dog can inadvertently injure or even kill a small one.

Many people believe that if dogs are raised together, they will always live in love and harmony. This is not true. Dog instincts begin to show themselves when dogs reach puberty.

Changes in the social structure of both the human and the canine "pack" can occur throughout life, and this can destabilize peaceful relationships between dogs of the same sex. Adding a new dog is a huge risk as it completely changes the hierarchy in the pack. The likelihood of fights between dogs of the same sex increases if one or more dogs are not spayed.

If you have more than two dogs, then, according to the laws of mathematics, at least two dogs will be of the same sex. Each new dog increases the chances of fights.

Consider also whether your living environment allows you to keep multiple dogs. Do not forget that every dog requires a lot of time and work, do you have enough energy for all?

Introducing the dogs. If you decide to take another dog, then the first meeting is better to be held in neutral territory, and not where one of the dogs lives. Dogs should be kept on a leash by different people. If you have more than one dog, introduce the new dog to only one of them at a time.

Pulling on the leash too much can cause a fight. On the other hand, too loose a leash can also lead to problems. Keep the dogs at a distance at first, gradually moving them closer if they are calm. Leashes should not be too tight. It is good if you have the opportunity to let the dogs communicate several times before they live together. True, dogs behave differently with playmates than with those with whom they share a roof over their heads, so this does not guarantee the future between them.

When you first bring a new dog into your home, don't leave the dogs alone. Even the dogs who later become good friends don't always start out in peace. Unobtrusively observing the development of their relationship at the initial stage.

If you see a looming conflict, separate the dogs. Carrying will help you here. The safest way to separate two dogs is to use TWO carriers. One dog can run around while the other sits in the carrier. Place a free dog in the second carrier before you release the first. When the dogs behave absolutely calmly around, and one of them is sitting in the carrier, you can proceed to further acquaintance in an open area.

Cats and dogs. Sometimes cats and dogs can become friends, but sometimes the road to peace is long and thorny.

The first problem is that cats and dogs have different body language. It's good if they happened to communicate at an early age, when this language is just being formed.

Also, cats and dogs have different social structures. Dogs live in packs, raise offspring together, hunt together. Cats are loners by nature. Some cats and dogs are willing to socialize, but don't be surprised if yours won't.

Before taking a dog to a house where there are cats, or vice versa, a cat to where dogs live, you need to carefully study both of them to determine whether these animals have a chance to coexist peacefully. Some dog breeds will always perceive the cat only as a potential enemy. In addition, if you have several dogs, then there is a high risk that they will turn into an uncontrollable pack if such an irritant as a cat appears. Before taking your dog to the house where the cat lives, consult a specialist.

Even if the cat and the dog will behave friendly towards each other from the first minutes, do not leave them unattended. If you cannot keep an eye on them, then leave the dog in a confined space. If its role is played by a carrier, then the cat can freely run around the house. When leaving the dog in any room, make sure that the cat does not get in there through an oversight. Place the litter box and bowl of food in such a place that the dog does not get there. Too few dogs can be trained not to touch the litter box and cat food. Eating this is unsafe for your dog's health and irritates the cat, and an irritated cat may stop using the litter box in retaliation, and you have to deal with the persistent smell of cat urine.

Some dogs need special training so that they do not touch the cats. It should be borne in mind that not only can a cat fall prey to a dog, but a dog can also lose its eye from cat claws. Allowing animals to fight is dangerous and inhumane. If the cat behaves aggressively towards the dog, then the dog's instinct sooner or later tells him to catch and kill the cat.

Encourage your dog and cat to behave calmly around each other. Don't punish your dog for trying to catch a cat, it won't teach him anything. Just try to prevent this by giving praise and treating your dog when not chasing the cat. It can take a long time to work, but your efforts will be rewarded a hundredfold.

There is always a risk that your newly acquired dog will never learn to get along with the cat, and then you will have to constantly restrict the freedom of one of the animals. This risk increases for some breeds of dogs and greatly increases with the advent of each subsequent dog in the family.

Horses, sheep, cattle. If you live on a farm and there are many horses and cows around, then you may decide that a shepherd dog will help you keep calm. However, first she must be trained and not left unattended when she is in contact with excitable large animals. Chasing animals is a natural, instinctive behavior of a dog. Despite the fact that these animals are much larger than the dog, they often get wounds and can injure the dog.

Birds, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits and other pets. Some dogs are tolerant of other species of animals and, after meeting, they can be allowed to communicate with birds, ferrets, pigs, rabbits and other animals living with you, but this communication should always be observed. If you cannot keep track of the animals, then you should have a place in your house to keep them separate.

We, humans, are accustomed to consider murder - the deprivation of the life of one representative of our species by another, but in relation to animals this is wrong. Animals are not capable of intentionally killing. They act according to their instincts, and their instincts can be awakened by anything. For example, a dog hears you approaching a house. At this moment, all her senses are heightened, and she may attack a cat or kill some small animal, or, if you have several dogs, they may start a fight. Noise or the view from the window can also affect the dog's behavior. Dogs, cats and many other pets are much more affected by their instincts than humans.

Everything will be quiet and peaceful in your home if you have the opportunity to take good care of all your pets. Consult with experts who understand animals. With a smart owner, all the wards in your home will live a long and happy life.

Copyright holder portal Zooclub