As we bid farewell to 2023 and welcome 2024, it is time to bring in the new year and review how to bring a new dog into your home. If you are part of our Habibi Bear tribe, maybe you're considering bringing another wonderful Habibi Bear puppy, the Original Teddy Bear dog, to add to the size of your own little pack. Here are some tips that we have found help make settling in a pleasant and calm experience for everyone in the household.
- (If you have a resident dog ) Make sure all bones and chewies are packed up and put away (or out of reach) temporarily, before bringing a new or guest dog into your home. This reduces the chance of territoriality or possessiveness in the established settled dog. Chewies and bones can be re-introduced after a week, when each dog can have their own in their own space under your supervision, until the actual pecking order is determined.
- Make sure you have enough time to let the new dog explore your yard at their own pace. This could take anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours. Because smell is a dog’s primary sense, it is very important that they are allowed to familiarize themselves with the new smells of their forever home, at their own leisure. In some ways, the new dog will get a “sneak peek” via scents and chemical signals of your other established dog inside the home. By the time your new Habibi Bear pup is introduced, they will have already experienced a calling card, albeit via scent markers, of your resident Habibi Bear pup inside awaiting introduction.
- As exciting as it is to bring home a new Habibi Bear pup, make sure you are relaxed and chill, as you will set the tone for pups and people alike. Take a few deep breaths, get centered, give yourself a good cleansing shake so that your energy, which dogs are very much tuned into, is one of centered calmness, and not of shrill, frantic anxiety.
- Introductions of your dog to the new puppy can take place either inside or outside the home, where both dogs are on leash and supervised. If the weather is nice, a walk is a nice way to bond the pair, too. Walking all together allows everyone to get some exercise, stretch, move those feel-good hormones around, and acclimate to the new surroundings and smells before coming into their new home. Once inside the home, keep both pups on their respective leashes (Loose leash dragging) for a day or so, while the pups are getting used to each other.
- Keep introductions and play time short and sweet until Day Four, when your new pup will be rested and ready to go. This keeps everyone from getting overstimulated. See #7.
- If you know that your dog is a more sensitive type, a baby gate can be a miraculous tool to have up so that each pup can sniff and smell each other to their heart’s content without direct physical contact. When you notice a play-bow or two, it’s safe to say the fence can come down as long as you are available to supervise for the first week or so.
- Make allowances for jet lag, travel decompression, and other settling-in symptoms with your new Habibi Bear puppy. They have to get their “sea-legs” back in a new environment, find their new potty place, adjust to a new feeding and crating schedule, and new people all at once. Most of your new Habibi Bear puppy’s first three days in their new home might be spent sleeping and recharging. Remember the Rule of 3 (Chill Out: Rule of Three ) when bringing a new pup home.
We here at the Habibi Bear central hub are wishing you and your family, pups and people alike, the very best and prosperous new year. Reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns, because we are always here for you, cheering you on!