Cygni and Me

In one corner we have Cygnus the Mighty weighing in at 2 1/2Lbs and 100% of pure Pom power!  In the other corner we have Leon the Zombieslayer weighing in at 40Lbs and bearing the true colors of a Beagle!  Who will be victorious?!?!

Lol, but really, it seems like every time Cygni sees Leon she just has to pounce on him.  She is unreasonably smaller than him but is relentless in her attacks.  She tries to stand on her back paws to reach his face, she bites his tail, legs, and lips, and the whole time she is growling her little Pomeranian growl.  Luckily for her Leon is a big softy and just lies down and lets her have her fun with him.  I think he knows that if he gets tired of it he can just jump onto a couch, which she still cannot reach due to her small stature.

When you are bringing a puppy into a home with another dog it is important for all parties that they can get along.  I know from experience with my cats that feuding pets is always a bad time.  It can result in fights, one pet chasing another out of the house, and even pets blocking each other from access to food or affection.  (The family’s cat Tiki is at odds with my cat Smoker and stands guard so that Smoke can’t get to the house to be fed without Tiki chasing her away)

Here are some tips to introducing a new pet into your family.

1. It is always smart to alternate genders of the pets.  If you have a male dog already try getting a little female so that he does not feel as threatened, especially if one or both of them is not neutered yet. This works the same way for females.

2. If you have the option try to introduce your new pets on neutral ground such as a park, and make sure that both of them have already gone on walks and are worn out.  Tired dogs are more submissive than energetic dogs and the chance of conflict is much lower when both of the dogs are calm and relaxed for the meeting rather than excited and wound up.

3. If the new pet is a young puppy then remember that the whole experience of moving is a stressful time.  This means that you shouldn’t immediately go and show off the puppy to everyone in the family or you may stress the dog out too much or cause it to become anxious or frightful.  Keep the puppy in a designated area where it does not have free roam of its surroundings for awhile before you start introducing it to more people, places, and other pets.

4. Do not neglect your old pets now that you have a new one.  It is possible for pets to feel jealousy, this is scientifically proven, and I see it all the time at my house.  When you show your new puppy to your other pets give your other pets the affection they are used to and they will associate that affection with meeting the new member of the family.

Hopefully these tips will ensure that adding a new pet to the family only increases the affection, not the stress level for the other pets.

1. Teddy Dawson says:

   June 20, 2009 at 7:59 am

   good advice, thanks

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2. lgrenville says:

   June 17, 2009 at 3:23 pm

   Kiva had a hard time coming into our family, because she was a rescue puppy. But now she is a lot more comfortable and plays with David’s pug.

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3. vargoza says:

   June 17, 2009 at 1:58 pm

   Czarina always attack Samara. It was a 10 lb puppy vs a 50 lb muscular husky. Czarina is now 20 lbs and she has learned how to attack Samara. She always go for the face or bites at Samara’s fur at the neck. However, Samara just puts her paw over Czarina, pushes her over and then lays on top of her. It is real funny to see them fight.

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   • Cyrnyx says:

     June 17, 2009 at 1:59 pm

     Its great for puppies to get experience interacting with other dogs, I think it teaches them what being a dog really is. I’m to hear that your two dogs get along as well.

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