Give Each of Them Their Alone Time
Give your cat some time to roam around while the dog is outside so that the dog can smell all the good new smells when they come back inside. This also gives your cat a chance to explore their new space and smell their new buddy too.
Pay attention to each dog’s body language.
Watch carefully for body postures that indicate a defensive or wary response, including hair standing up on the dogs back, teeth baring, growling, a stiff-legged gait or a prolonged stare. If you see such postures, either when the dogs are at a distance or near each other, immediately and calmly interrupt the interaction by interesting the dog in something else. If the dogs seem relaxed and comfortable, you can shorten the distance between them. Again, offer treats to the dogs any time they look at each other in a relaxed manner. Top 10 tips
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Dr. Pachel is an accomplished board-certified veterinary behaviorist and highly sought after lecturer on many aspects of animal behavior. His approach to animal behavior cases focuses on the importance of the human-animal bond and the wide and varied roles that companion animals play in the lives of their families. He lectures and teaches throughout the country and owns and practices at Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, OR. In his spare time, Dr. Pachel loves to run marathons, practice yoga, take weekend RV excursions, and discover new beers…not all necessarily at the same time though.
How to Introduce your Dog(s) to your Small Animals
Our mission is to help save dogs and cats’ lives through our educational content. To support our efforts, this page may contain affiliate links. We earn a commission for qualifying purchases – at no cost to you.
Dr. Pachel is an accomplished board-certified veterinary behaviorist and highly sought after lecturer on many aspects of animal behavior. His approach to animal behavior cases focuses on the importance of the human-animal bond and the wide and varied roles that companion animals play in the lives of their families. He lectures and teaches throughout the country and owns and practices at Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, OR. In his spare time, Dr. Pachel loves to run marathons, practice yoga, take weekend RV excursions, and discover new beers…not all necessarily at the same time though.