Well not strength training at least.

As passionate as I am about lifting I am just as, if not more, passionate about our furry four legged friends. We currently have four rescues dogs, have had as many as five, and I would save them all if I could. It kills me to go to the shelter and see how many dogs need to be rescued. If you're considering getting a dog, please go to the shelter. Please spay and neuter your pets. There are so many that need homes that I see no reason to continue to add to it. I wrote this in an attempt to get people to not only relate to the situation these dogs are in, but also to hopefully prevent people from returning dogs to the shelters they so desperately want to escape.

Introducing a New Family Member

Imagine that you’re homeless or living in a homeless shelter. You’re subject to the extreme heat or cold, unsure of when, or if, you’ll have your next meal. You may have been physically or verbally abused, but have done nothing wrong. You’ve lost all hope. Your only companions are those in the same situation as you who come and go while you stay, surrounded by cement walls with bars for a window. Finally, someone stops by to visit you. They stay for a while and seem to enjoy their time with you. To your surprise they come back the next day to visit again. The next thing you know you’re in the back seat of their car headed to your new home. Finally, things are working out for you.

You arrive only to find out there are others like you there. Are they going to take your food? Will you have your own room? Will they fight with you? An overwhelming feeling of fear overcomes you. You lash out at the first one you see. The next thing you know you’re headed right back to the shelter you were rescued from.

No, this story isn’t about someone who’s homeless. It’s the far too common story of dogs who are returned to shelters they so desperately want to escape.

Imagine how frightening it would be if you were in this situation. Dogs react off of instinct and can’t rationalize so the situation is even more frightening for them. Could something have been done differently to change everyone’s perception of the new arrival? Yes, absolutely. This situation could have been handled differently to yield a completely different result. It can be stressful and complicated, so you have to be patient.

My wife and I currently have four rescue dogs, three pitties and a lab mix, and have had as many as five. Although we don't have it all figured out, we have learned from our mistakes. The most important thing I can recommend is to take the introduction slowly and make sure the dogs always realize that you’re in control.

When we recently rescued our latest addition I searched for articles explaining the step by step process for introducing them. Unfortunately, they all seemed to lead to advertisements on products or training programs without fully explaining what needed to be done, so I took it upon myself to write from my experience.

We’ve worked with a few dog trainers over the years, some use positive reinforcement, some use negative (by the methods explained below). I recommend a reasonable combination of both.

The idea is to reward for positive behavior and reprimand for negative.

Here’s what you’ll need:
• 2 people
• High value treats (i.e. hot dogs, chicken)
• Pincher collars (not chokers)
• Pet corrector spray and/or a water bottle
• Dog crate
• Baby gate

You will need two people to correctly introduce the dogs and keep them separate. You will need high value treats such as cut up hot dogs or chicken to reward for positive behavior. I recommend you get pincher collars, not chokers, for the initial reprimand for negative behavior. Not everyone agrees with these, but if you have a strong or aggressive dog they do a great job of controlling them. If you don't like the idea of the pincher collar you could use the Freedom Harness, which may work for some dogs.  We had a 130 lb rescue Mastiff that was often aggressive.  He would pull even harder with a harness on.  We also have a staffy that pulled so hard that he made his paws bleed.  Both of them were much easier to control with the pinchers and never showed any signs that it was uncomfortable for them.  The pinchers mimic the mother dogs grabbing their pups by the nape of their neck. It doesn’t hurt them. Don’t pull on the pincher, just give a quick jerk to reprimand for bad behavior. I also recommend you get pet corrector spray or a water bottle. The compressed air will startle and redirect the dog when they show bad behavior. The same is true of them getting sprayed by water. Always opt for positive reinforcement first, before reprimanding for negative behavior. Not all dogs will respond well just to positive behavior so you have to find what works best for each dog. You’ll also need a crate and a baby gate for the new dog as well as a way to initially keep the dogs separate in the house.

No one said this would be easy, but you’ve made a commitment to save this dog’s life. A few days or even weeks for a dog’s lifetime of happiness and unconditional love is more than worth it. I want to do everything I can to make the situation work for you.

Here’s the day by day, step by step, plan I recommend for introducing a new addition.

Day 1- The first introduction:

Let each dog see each other across the street in neutral territory (an area your dogs don’t normally go) on the leash.

Cross one dog across the street towards the other while still keeping them separate and not letting them go face to face with each other. Walk each dog on the leash (one in front, one in back then switch) where they can’t get close enough to make contact.

Reward positive behavior with treats and praise. Spray compressed air or water and/or give a quick jerk on their leash for negative.

Let the new dog smell the house with the pack in the backyard or another room, then place him/her in the backyard or another room and let the pack smell the house without the new dog in it.

Feed them separately

Crate the new dog in a separate room.

Day 2- Continued gradual introduction in neutral territory:

Walk each dog individually on the leash next to each other (ideally parallel) in neutral territory where they can’t get close enough to make contact both in the morning and night.

Reward positive behavior with treats and praise. Spray compressed air or water and/or give a quick jerk on their leash for negative.

Feed them separately.

Crate the new dog in a separate room.

Day 3- Bonding with walks by the house:

Walk the dogs on the leash individually (ideally parallel) by your house where they can’t get close enough to make contact morning and night.

Reward positive behavior with treats and praise. Spray compressed air or water and/or give a quick jerk on their leash for negative.

Feed them separately

Crate the new dog in the same room with the others while you’re gone.

Day 4- The first contact:

Walk the dogs on the leash individually (ideally parallel) by your house again where they can’t get close enough to make contact morning and night.

Introduce each dog on the leash where they can interact in neutral territory.

Reward positive behavior with treats and praise. Spray compressed air or water and/or give a quick jerk on their leash for negative.

Feed them separately

Separate with the baby gate and introduce each dog individually through the baby gate.

Crate the new dog in the same room with the others while you’re gone.

Day 5- My home is your home:

Walk the dogs on the leash all together by the house morning and night.

Introduce each individually on the leash in the house.

Reward positive behavior with treats and praise. Spray compressed air or water and/or give a quick jerk on their leash for negative.

Feed them separately.

Separate with the baby gate with all the dogs out

Crate the new dog with the rest.

Day 6- In house intro :

Walk the dogs on the leash all together by the house morning and night.

Introduce each individually off the leash in the house (it may be good to keep the leashes on so you can grab them if necessary but don’t hold them).

Reward positive behavior with treats and praise. Spray compressed air or water for negative.

Feed them together

Day 7- One big happy family:

Walk the dogs on the leash all together by the house morning and night.

Have each dog individually off the leash in the house then have them all together.

Feed them together.

Reward positive behavior with treats and praise. Spray compressed air or water for negative.

Become one big happy family!

This may seem repetitive, but it all serves a purpose. The walking helps to build camaraderie, but you can’t jump right into it. The dogs that are already in your home have an established hierarchy, whether you notice it or not. Throwing a new dog directly into that would cause chaos and possibly fighting. The initial introduction can make or break dog’s relationships with each other, so it is crucial that you do it gradually and correctly.

Although I have this broken down over just a seven day period we recently introduced a new dog and took over a month for this process. You have to be observant of how the dogs are reacting to determine whether or not they’re ready to move onto the next step.

-Brian Schwab
Proud Dog Rescuer
lightweightpower@aol.com