How to introduce your new foster dog: 5 important steps
In which Jill shares why people still have trouble with introductions.
A few years ago, Outta the Cage ended up with a super smart Belgian Malinois named Brady. Brady was a complicated boy—anxious and too smart for his own good. In short: Not for everyone. I reached out to some Malinois rescues and a few owners to see if they could help find a breed-savvy foster.
A Facebook friend invited me over so that Brady could meet his “well-behaved girls”—two female Malinois. I took Brady on a long walk and loaded him into my car, saying, “Bounce, Brady!” whereupon he leapt into my backseat. He was that smart.
My Facebook friend was waiting for us in his driveway. I got Brady out of the car, and when my friend approached, Brady barked. It was a warning. I asked him to back away from the car and join Brady and me for a walk at a safe distance.
“What?! A WALK??” My friend looked confused. “Let’s just put him in the backyard with my two and let them all work it out.”
What could possibly go wrong? I re-opened my hatch and said, “Bounce, Brady!” And we left.
There are ways to integrate a new dog into your existing pack, and a lot of them are easy to find online. In our experience, there are five key practices that are mandatory for a successful foster integration.
Walk.
Walk the dog. Walk him longer than just around the block. Walk him before you take him inside a structure. Walk him until he is tired. Walking a dog helps him burn off steam—and not just physical steam. Mental steam is also important, as it also helps the dog relax.
Well-meaning foster parent: “But we have a big backyard.”
That’s great for play time and bathroom breaks. But dogs like to move forward through space, especially in the morning when their primitive hunting instincts kick in. While no one’s expecting your dog to kill and eat its prey on your walk, the stimulation and motion involved in a neighborhood walk or trail hike is good for any dog, foster or not.
2. Walk some more.
Once you’ve walked your foster dog, it’s time to meet the family dog. And how do you introduce them? You walk them.
The first (and second, and even third) walk should be what’s known as a “parallel walk.” The dogs walk “together” but maintain a distance of 6-10 feet from one another. They can see each other and smell each other from this distance, despite not making contact. Since smell is a dog’s dominant sense, the dogs have, in fact, met.
Opinions vary about which dog you should have at the end of the leash, your dog or the foster dog. If your dog exhibits protective behavior, a friend or someone from the rescue can walk the foster. Walk the dogs confidently. Don’t touch them, pet them, or ask them to acknowledge the other dog. That will come in time.
Well-meaning human: “But my dog’s dog-friendly! This shouldn’t be that hard.”
This is as much about your energy as it is the dogs’ energy. Both dogs might be dog-friendly. But the acclimation accomplished in the parallel walk is as much for the humans as it is for the dogs. Honor the parallel walk. Depending on the two dogs’ energy level, parallel walks might need to happen several times—or more!—before the dogs are ready to physically greet one another.
3. Butt introductions.
Now that your dogs are at least aware of one another, you should introduce them—not face-to-face, but…butt-to-butt. Take a parallel walk and then slow down and walk in a clockwise circle where the dogs are facing each other’s rear ends. Keep walking in a circle so the dogs follow each other without making contact. This is the equivalent of a handshake for humans.
Well-meaning human (again): “But my dog’s dog-friendly! This shouldn’t be hard.”
Think of it this way. You’re giving both dogs the opportunity to get as much information as possible about each other. Kind of like Googling someone before you go on a date. (And don’t say you haven’t.)
4. Crate time.
We know. Crate training is a pain. Who wants an ugly wire crate in the living room next to the recliner? But the crate is an invaluable tool for introducing your foster dog to his new environment. And if your dog is already crate-trained, BONUS! Rotating the dogs and in and out of crates allows them to live together, observe one another (and you), and grow accustomed to each other safely.
Well-meaning human: “My dog doesn’t like the crate.”
That’s okay. Just keep your dog separated when you take your foster dog out of the crate for a potty break and play time.
There are lots of articles and blog posts on crate training, so we won’t repeat them here. Just know that when used correctly, the crate represents a safe space for your dog to relax, sleep, and even eat in.
5. Establish a routine.
Predictability makes dogs feel safe. If they know what to expect, their anxiety will decrease. After a long morning walk and potty break, let your foster dog rest in his crate. Then feed him in the crate, away from your other dog. In a few hours, take another potty break, followed by a rest. Then, ideally a longer walk before dinner, and then rest again before a short walk and final potty break before bed.
Of course, your mileage may vary. Some dogs need more frequent potty breaks, some need longer walks, and/or less time in the crate.
Well-meaning human: “Okay, but at this point I want to take the dog out and play tug o’ war. I mean, C’MON, already!”
The first few weeks of having your dog are going to seem pretty boring, but trust us. Avoiding play, lots of touching and hugging, free roaming, and roughhousing might be hard, but it will pay off. Indeed, if you follow these five steps, you can play with your foster dog freely once everyone is comfortable.
Remember, there is one single reason adoptions and fosters go awry and dogs get returned: a human being did something too fast.
Well-meaning human: “Well heck, she’d been here a day already, I thought she’d figured out the baby.”
You get the drift.
If you’ve stepped up to foster a shelter dog while beleaguered rescues like ours are frantically trying to find it a forever family then: THANK YOU! Fosters, you not only save lives, but you help us glean information about a dog, which helps us optimize the match between the dog and its new, well-meaning humans.
Additional resources:
“Crate Training 101” from the Humane Society of the United States for crate training basics.
“Crate, Gate, and Wait” by Lisa Potiker of Pitty Pawfessors for a more detailed step-by-step approach to integration and introductions.
Foster guidelines: The FAQs for foster parents for answers to questions we (Outta the Cage) get asked all the time by fosters.
