Do you feel guilty at times when you leave home for a long day at the office and your only pet, especially if it is a dog, which is a very social creature, is left behind all alone for the next nine or ten hours or longer?  Have your children out grown the dog and no longer include their furry friend in their after-school activities?  Well, it may be time to consider getting your pet its own pet.

You should consider the relative ages of the animals.  A young puppy and a very old dog may not mix well.  The energy of the puppy may cause the older dog to act aggressively towards the puppy simply because the older dog does not have the same interest in playing that the pup does.  Dogs in the wild live in groups and establish a social structure within the group called a hierarchy.  Dogs also establish territories that they defend against intruders.  You must consider these attributes when introducing a new dog to your existing dog or dogs.

When you introduce the two dogs, do it in a neutral location so that your present dog will not consider the new dog to be intruding on its territory.  Do not use your backyard or a park that you frequent with your dog.  Have a friend handle the new dog and keep them on leashes.  Let them sniff each other and use a friendly tone of voice, never a stern one.  Do not let them sniff for too long or they may become aggressive.  Watch their body language for such things as hair up on the spine, lips curled, a deep growl or hard stare.  Defuse the anger by moving the animals farther apart, continue to use a friendly tone of voice and give them each a treat.  Continue to give them treats after they obey a simple command.

The next step in the process is to take them for a walk together each on a leash and each with a separate handler.  They can sniff the area and themselves as you walk along.  Hopefully, they will become comfortable with each other’s presence.  When you are satisfied that they are not acting aggressively towards each other, you should be able to take them home.  You may want to do this in separate vehicles, since the close quarters of a car can foster aggression.  If they are in the same car, it may be a good idea to have them in dog carriers, so they are contained.

Do not be surprised if when you get them home that your current dog tries to dominate the new arrival, after all your home is his or her territory.  A little sparring is normal and the new arrival may actually turn out to be the dominant dog.  It is probably a good idea to feed them separately until they have bonded, since food can be the catalyst for a dogfight.  If your household already includes more than one dog, it is best to introduce the new dog to the current dogs individually so the current dogs do not gang up on the new one.  If the dogs do not adjust to each other you may need to contact a professional animal behaviorist.