Meeting Resident Pets

Slow is fast

However well you know your resident pet, a new arrival changes everything for them too.

Introductions that are rushed cause setbacks that take months to undo. A calm gradual plan gets you further in two weeks than chaos gets you in two months.

The gradual plan

Each stage is finished when both animals are relaxed at it, not just tolerating it.

• 1Start with separate spaces, each animal with their own room, bed and bowls, and a complete break from the other.
• 2Swap scent, bedding between rooms, and let each smell the other on your hands and clothes.
• 3Feed on opposite sides of a closed door, moving bowls closer over days as both stay relaxed.
• 4Walk dogs side by side at a distance before any face-to-face, parallel walks are the most underrated introduction tool there is.
• 5For the first face-to-face, choose neutral ground, keep leads loose and first greetings to a few seconds, then separate and rest.
• 6Read body language. Loose wiggles and play bows are good. Stiff bodies, hard stares, growling or snapping mean step back a stage. Never punish a warning, the warning is the safety system.

Life together, managed

For the first weeks, supervise everything valuable: food, chews, sofas and doorways. Give each animal exits and one-to-one time with you.

Being separated sometimes is not a failure. Plenty of peaceful coexistence beats one forced friendship.

Cats, extra care

Cats need escape routes, high spaces and the choice to observe from safety, always.

Keep the dog on a lead around the cat until you can read both reliably, and never let chase become a game, once learned it is very hard to unlearn.

When to get help

If there is a fight, an injury, or hard fixation that will not fade, bring in a qualified behaviourist early.

Serious conflict escalates, and professional help is cheaper than the aftermath.

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