Articles about American Pit Bull Terrier
...to start reading this article from the beginning please click on here....Do not attempt to introduce dogs if you know very little about the foster dog. As a foster parent, you should never leave dogs loose together when unattended, even for a brief time. The foster dog and resident dogs should always be separated in different rooms or with crates when there is no one home to supervise them. Even if your foster dog and resident dog get along, it is still important to give each dog individual attention AND individual time away from each other. Do not introduce a new dog to multiple resident dogs at the same time. Start with your friendliest or least reactive dog and gradually introduce them. Do not try to push introductions with several different dogs in the course of the same day. Crating and separating for several days, even a week, is a good idea. Your resident dog(s) know the dog is there and can see and smell a new dog in the home. Let them acclimate. There are other reasons not to introduce an unfamiliar dog right away, mainly DISEASE! The reason it is recommended to only introduce one dog at a time is that dogs act differently together (pack mentality), and you could potentially set things off on the wrong paw. A pack of multiple dogs greeting a new dog can be overwhelming. It is recommended to remove high-value toys, chew items, and possibly food bowls, from the dogs' access in the foster home. If you are not already schedule-feeding your pets, now is a good time to start. Free-feeding (i.e., always having a full bowl on the floor accessible to the dogs) may encourage guarding behavior or result in a conflict. Instead, feeding may be done in crates, which also helps with crate training. Or you can feed the dogs in separate areas. Implement obedience into the daily routine, 'sits' for food, water dish filled, at doorways, etc. This helps maintain a routine in the home and improve basic obedience for all dogs in the home. Do not allow dogs to crowd or get pushy at doorways...too much opportunity for a conflict in a tight space. Teach your dogs a 'back up' cue and to 'sit' at the door. You might also consider buying DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) to install in a home with multiple dogs.
ADDITIONAL TIPS AND CONSIDERATIONS:
Be cognizant of different types of canine behaviors: resource guarding, barrier frustration, same-sex aggression, territorial aggression, etc. Any of these behaviors in either dog can complicate an introduction. Brief, repeated introductions over time that end on a positive note are far more beneficial than a long, drawn-out introduction that may become problematic....to continue reading this article please click on here...
