Introducing a New Pet

From "the leader of the pack" to "the top dog," plenty of simplistic metaphors come from the canine world. But relationships between canines can be pretty complex, beginning with the very first meeting. Like most animals who live in groups, dogs establish their own social structure, sometimes called a dominance hierarchy. This dominance hierarchy serves to maintain order, reduce conflict and promote cooperation among pack members. Dogs also establish territories, which they may defend against intruders or rivals. Obviously, dogs' social and territorial nature affects their behavior whenever a new dog is introduced to the household.

Introduction Techniques

• Choose A Neutral Location: Introduce the dogs in a neutral location so that your resident dog is less likely to view the newcomer as a territorial intruder. Each dog should be handled by a separate person. With both dogs on leashes, begin the introductions in an area unfamiliar to each, such as a park or a neighbor's yard. If you frequently walk your resident dog in a nearby park, she may view that area as her territory, too, so choose a less familiar site. If you are adopting your dog from an animal shelter, you might even bring your resident dog to the local shelter and introduce the two there.

• Use Positive Reinforcement: From the first meeting, help both dogs experience "good things" when they're in each other's presence. Let them sniff each other briefly, which is normal canine greeting behavior. As they do, talk to them in a happy, friendly tone of voice; never use a threatening tone. (Don't allow them to investigate and sniff each other for too long, however, as this may escalate to an aggressive response.) After a short time, get the attention of both dogs and give each a treat in return for obeying a simple command, such as "sit" or "stay." Take the dogs for a walk and let them sniff and investigate each other at intervals. Continue with the "happy talk," food rewards, and simple commands.

• Be Aware of Body Postures: One body posture that indicates things are going well is a "play-bow." One dog will crouch with her front legs on the ground and her hind end in the air. This is an invitation to play, and a posture that usually elicits friendly behavior from the other dog. Watch carefully for body postures that indicate an aggressive response, including hair standing up on one dog's back, teeth-baring, deep growls, a stiff-legged gait, or a prolonged stare. If you see such postures, interrupt the interaction immediately by calmly getting each dog interested in something else. For example, both handlers can call their dogs to them, have them sit or lie down, and reward each with a treat. The dogs' interest in the treats should prevent the situation from escalating into aggression. Try letting the dogs interact again, but this time for a shorter time period and/or at a greater distance from each other.

• Taking the Dogs Home: When the dogs seem to be tolerating each other's presence without fearful or aggressive responses, and the investigative greeting behaviors have tapered off, you can take them home. Whether you choose to take them in the same vehicle will depend on their size, how well they ride in the car, how trouble-free the initial introduction has been, and how many dogs are involved.

• If you have more than one resident dog in your household, it may be best to introduce the resident dogs to the new dog one at a time. Two or more resident dogs may have a tendency to "gang up" on the newcomer.

• It is important to support the dominant dog in your household, even if that turns out to be the newcomer. This may mean, for example, allowing the dominant dog to claim a favored sleeping spot as his or to have access to a desirable toy. Trying to impose your preference for which dog should be dominant can confuse the dogs and create further problems.

Introducing Puppies to Adult Dogs

Puppies usually pester adult dogs unmercifully. Before the age of four months, puppies may not recognize subtle body postures from adult dogs signaling that they've had enough. Well-socialized adult dogs with good temperaments may set limits with puppies with a warning growl or snarl. These behaviors are normal and should be allowed. Adult dogs who aren't well-socialized, or who have a history of fighting with other dogs, may attempt to set limits with more aggressive behaviors, such as biting, which could harm the puppy. For this reason, a puppy shouldn't be left alone with an adult dog until you're confident the puppy isn't in any danger. Be sure to give the adult dog some quiet time away from the puppy, and some extra individual attention as well.

When to Get Help

If the introductions don't go smoothly, contact a professional animal behaviorist immediately. Dogs can be severely injured in fights, and the longer the problem continues, the harder it can be to resolve. Punishment won't work, and could make things worse. Fortunately, most conflicts between dogs in the same family can be resolved with professional guidance.

Spaying and Neutering

 

Myths and Facts about Spaying and Neutering

All pets adopted from the SPCA of LIVINGSTON must be spayed or neutered before going to their new home. We also advise people who are reclaiming a stray pet that they should give serious thought to spaying or neutering their dog or cat.

Sometimes, people feel uncomfortable about spaying and neutering because they have outdated information or misguided ideas on the subject. Here are the most common myths we hear from the public.

Myth: “I want my kids to see the miracle of birth.”

Fact: Mama cat will not give birth in the middle of the kitchen floor during homework hour. She will probably give birth behind the washing machine at 4:00am. If you want your kids to see the miracle of birth, rent a video on the subject. You don’t have to feed it, clean up after it, or find a home for it when it’s over. And if your kids miss the important part, you can rewind it.

Myth: “It’s too expensive.”

Fact: You must ask yourself honestly if you really can’t afford the surgery for your pet, or if you just have your priorities mixed up. If you can afford a pair of expensive basketball shoes, a new DVD player, or a video game player, you can afford to spay or neuter your pet. You must also consider the hidden cost of feeding and caring for any unwanted offspring your pet can produce.

If you are on a severely limited budget, and truly cannot afford to spay or neuter your pet, it is still your responsibility to keep your pet from becoming pregnant if it is a female, and to keep your male from impregnating females. This means you must keep your pet from running loose, and to keep it confined in such a manner that is does not have contact with other animals – either indoors, in a kennel, or behind a secure fence.

Don’t give up on the idea of neutering your pet because you called one veterinarian for a cost estimate and found the price to be too high for your budget. Take time to shop around. Call a number of different veterinarians to compare prices. If you’re on a tight budget, explain this, and see if you can work out payments over a few months.

See our list of veterinarians elsewhere on this site for a list of phone numbers.

Myth: “Doesn’t my dog have to have her first heat before she’s spayed? Shouldn’t I wait six months before I neuter my male kitten?

Fact: Long ago, most people believed it was best to allow pets to reach sexual maturity before spaying or neutering. We now know this is incorrect. Puppies and kittens can be successfully spayed or neutered as early as eight weeks of age. Performing the surgery before the animal is physically able to reproduce completely rules out the chance of an unexpected pregnancy. For males, neutering at an early age greatly reduces the chance that he will spray urine to mark his territory around, or inside, your house. Young animals also tend to recover from surgery quickly.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control Center follows the American Veterinary Medical Association recommendation to spay or neuter beginning at eight weeks of age.

Myth: “My pet won’t be healthy unless she has at least one litter.”

Fact: Spayed females tend to live longer, healthier lives than fertile females because they don’t face the risk of reproductive diseases. Giving birth does not improve your pet’s health.

Myth: “I just can’t bring myself to neuter my male pet.”

Fact: Don’t get your own sexual identity mixed up with your pet. Neutered males do not suffer psychological problems from the surgery. In fact, neutered males are five times less likely to bite, and much less likely to run away, than their fertile counterparts.

Myth: “My dog will lose his hunting or retrieving abilities.”

Fact: these instincts are located in the dog’s brain – not on the other end of the dog.

In fact, an intact hunting dog can be distracted from the hunt if he smells another canine in heat.

Myth: “My pet will get fat..”

Fact: Whether or not your pet will gain weight after spay or neuter surgery depends on diet, exercise, age and genetic factors. Take care not to overfeed your pet after surgery – many people want to comfort a pet with extra rations, “people food” and fatty treats while it’s recovering. This is not a good idea.

Make sure your pet gets enough exercise after he or she recovers. Talk to your veterinarian about a healthy diet and exercise program for your pet. And remember, walking your dog every day helps you stay fit, too.

Myth: “My dog won’t be a good watch dog after being spayed or neutered.”

Fact: Both males and females will bark to alert their owners to danger. Spayed or neutered pets are less likely to bite. They will be as good as watch dogs after the surgery as they were before.

A dog who bites is a liability to you. In fact, it’s much more likely that an aggressive dog will bite the mailman rather than an intruder.

Burglars and rapists count on the element of surprise. A barking lap dog is just as effective as a big, aggressive dog when it comes to making a burglar think twice about targeting your house.

Myth: “My dog or cat will lose his manhood.”

Fact: Your dog never had any manhood. Only human males have manhood. He’s a dog. Intact dogs don’t laugh at castrated males. If the appearance of intact testicles is cosmetically important to you as the owner, a veterinarian can insert silicone implants into your dog’s empty scrotum to give the appearance that he is intact.

Myth: “But it’s just not natural!”

Fact: What’s really “not natural” is having to humanely euthanize a dog or a cat just because nobody wants it. For every human baby born in the United States each day, seven unwanted puppies and kittens are born. There will never be enough homes for them all. Millions of animals are euthanized (“put to sleep”) in the United States each year simply because no one wants them.

How “natural” are you, anyway? You probably drive to work in a car, wear clothing containing synthetic fibers, and don’t grow your own food. And you’re visiting this website using a computer. Please don’t confuse your own ideals about a wholesome, “natural” lifestyle with your pet’s health needs.