Over the years, I've brought in many dogs to foster, sometimes as many as five at one time, and oftentimes dogs who had some behavior problems. But not all the dogs did, of course. That experience has helped me to refine some techniques for the introductions. At the time I wrote this article, I'd been serving as President of Collie Humane Care, Inc. for many years. That will explain why I have taken in so many foster dogs.

First, before going to get the new dog, I will crate my other dogs in a separate room. Then, when I drive home with a new foster dog, I first take it immediately on leash from the car to the exact spot in the yard where I will want it to urinate and defecate. That will be the dog's *spot.* It's been pre-designated. I know precisely where it is. We amble about the yard together for a few moments, before I bring the dog indoors.

Then I take it immediately to my office where I have a dog crate, food and water bowls, as well as a couple of chew toys. I close the door to the office and stay in that room with the new foster dog for a while. Gradually I open the door to the dog crate and encourage the foster dog to go inside the crate. If it's able to settle, then I leave the room briefly, closing the door behind me. At that time, I go to take my other dogs out of the house and into the fenced yard for a while. While they're outdoors, I immediately return to the foster dog and let it out of its crate in my office to just wander around the room, hand it a dog cookie to chew, while I read or work at the computer.

In about fifteen minutes, I take the foster dog outside again on leash to its spot, but not within view of the resident dogs. I leave the house with it by a different door this time.

Over the next several days, I play this game of "musical dogs," letting some out and some in, but keeping each dog away from the new foster dog. While the other dogs are outside in the fenced yard, I bring the foster dog into the kitchen with me or into the family room for a few moments, before returning with it to the office. This will be the room where the foster dog eats and sleeps for many, many weeks. It will be a safety zone. No other dogs permitted here.

Now in only a few days, my resident dogs will become accustomed to the fact that a new dog is here. They will smell the scent from its footfalls on the carpet and in the yard. The foster dog will learn that other dogs live here, too. And it will *learn* to recognize who they are, from the scents of their individual footfalls on the carpet and in the yard. Do you know what happens when a dog learns to recognize the scent of another dog? It seems to identify the other new dog as "not a stranger."

By about day four, I let my other resident dogs out into the fenced yard to romp. Then I take the foster dog on leash out of the house by another door, just to amble with me in the yard outside of the fenced dog yard. We walk on by the fenced enclosure, say at a distance of fifteen feet or so. All the other dogs are eager to see the new one, but we just walk on by and enjoy a stroll on our own. There may be one or two happy barks, "Hey, hello there, dog!," but no terrified or aggressive displays at the fence, simply curiosity.

I learned this technique of slow introduction many years ago. I refined it a bit at a time when I had taken in a foster dog who was recovering from illness. That was an emergency situation. She was recovering from some severe skin wounds and she needed a safe place to recuperate, as free as possible from other doggy germs, but also restful, peaceful. I tried this slow introduction to keep the stress levels down for each dog, for the new one and for my resident dogs.

You may do that, too. Give each dog a safe place to sleep, preferably in secure dog crates in separate rooms from each other. Feed them in separate rooms, too, for quite a long, long while -- many months. By your careful management, your resident dog will learn that he has no need to compete for scarce resources: food, family, toys, space, nor for your attention. Then he will be less likely to become overprotective of these resources.

Shortly thereafter, the owner's job becomes one of helping the resident dog(s) form a positive mental association with the new dog. I realize that you don't expect immediate mannerly behavior. But just as soon as the dogs are becoming civil to one another, you may start doling out the treats to each, doling out the toys to each, having many more treats and toys than dogs. Keep the atmosphere jolly, happy, relaxed and calm when you do this.

Each dog will learn that you are in charge of the resources, and that you're inviting them to participate. They'll take their emotional cues from you. Keep these first few *together* moments very brief, say two or three times a day for a few minutes and then up to five minutes. Over the next weeks, increase these together times to ten to fifteen minutes each time. Gradually then you may start to take walks on lead together in the yard.

Could one move this process along more swiftly?  Of course.  But the long slow introductory process has many, many advantages at preventing problems that might occur otherwise.

If you're uncertain, then have a local dog trainer assist your effort, one who will involve the entire family in the instructions. After you read the messages on this list for a while, you'll realize that we recommend dog trainers who have experience in lure-reward and in clicker training methods.

How can you tell? Ask, when you make phone inquiries. Ask if the trainer can help you learn how to use food treats for training and no chain training collars. A good place to begin to find a dog trainer is to inquire at your veterinary clinic.

I hope you'll stay with this group and read the other messages, too. You'll learn a lot here about how dogs interact with one another.

© February 2001. Barbara D. Brill, North Chili, NY 14514   All rights reserved; no further reproduction is permitted without express written consent. Email address: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it