My dog doesn't like my friend's dog. How can I make them get along?

Unfortunately you cannot force dogs to get along, just like people. Your best chance at resolving the issue is to have a professional, in-home dog trainer to come to your house and see the interaction between the dogs. They can then help you to correct any behaviors that they see could be the issue. Please be aware that there are some behaviors that cannot be corrected. I suggest this company. To the best of my knowledge they do a free consult. ( https://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-denver-south )

I'm sorry to hear that things aren't going well with your new dog. Unfortunately, it sounds like this may not be a good match - just like humans, some dogs have very different personalities and may simply not get along. If you want to try keeping both dogs, I would really recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate the dogs in person to give you a better idea of whether this is a fixable issue - if so, he/she can help you put together a detailed step-by-step plan to work on the problem. You can search for a behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, I would recommend keeping your older dog on a leash or physically separated from the other dog with a baby gate or other barrier. This will allow the younger dog to relax a bit without being harassed. If things go well like this for a few days, you can gradually allow short periods of contact between them. Reward both dogs when they are together, and particularly praise and reward your older dog for calm behavior around the new dog. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar on both dogs, along with a natural calming supplement such as Zylkene or Composure for your older dog to see if this helps a bit.

Hello, sorry to hear about your pets. This is a complex situation that will likely require a long time and patience to resolve. This is also multifactorial and a few ground rules must be implemented before working on the long term management. First thing is, cats will be rulers and your dog will have to learn to respect Calvin's space and tolerance. From there on, your cat will have to get used to Calvin being around and learn to keep her distance from your dog. You must set expectations for yourself, as you may never be able to get them to interact in a social manner but you could realistically get them to be able to live in the same place. Specific recommendations on how to approach this will need to be made by a behaviorist whom has obtained important information about your household and lifestyle to then assess the best way to approach this situation. When modifying a behavior, there are multiple methods to achieve whats desired. You should plan to see a behaviorist to truly get a full plan for your pets, in the interim however, do not overwhelm then by having unlimited exposure to one another. You should keep them separate and interchange items in their separate rooms so that they become accustomed to their different scents. You should play and interact with each separately but wearing the same clothing so that they become used to that as well. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello, relationship between dogs and cats takes time to develop. Ideally you should introduce your cats to your dog slowly to allow them to get used to each other. Keep a distance between them and see how your dog reacts towards them. If he begins to chase after them, then remove them from he same room. If he is curious and your cats are tolerated your dog then allow them to interact with one another. This may take several weeks to allow them to assimilate, but often, dogs and cats cat get along well. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello and thanks for using PetCoach! I'm sorry to hear that Molly and your friends dog are getting into fights. Unfortunately it can be very difficult or even impossible to socialize them so that they will never fight. If they are both more dominant as you describe then allowing them to play together could result in a serious fight and injury. It is probably best to not allow them to play together in the future. If they must be together at times then they should both be leashed and wear basket muzzles to prevent injury. A dog can be easily trained to wear a comfortable basket muzzle by allowing them to put them self in a muzzle with treats. The handout here may help: http://info.drsophiayin.com/handouts-vol2-spring2011

You're right that there can sometimes be problems when introducing two dogs for the first time, especially if either of them has any history of aggression towards other dogs. I would recommend introducing them in a neutral place at first, like a park. Keep both dogs on leash, let them sniff each other briefly, then go for a walk together. This allows the dogs to get used to each other's presence without feeling pressured to interact. After the walk, take them both home and into the house together and if things are going well, let them off-leash to relax. If things don't go smoothly, it would be best to get help from a veterinary behaviorist (ideally) or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or a qualified trainer here: www.ccpdt.org.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is so adorable! The best thing for this is to have her associate other dogs with something positive. I like to use treats for this. When she is around other dogs and behaves well, you give her a treat. This will get her used to something positive when being nice with other dogs. Also, it is crucial to socialize her a lot which can be accomplished by taking her to the dog park. Keep in mind that some dogs do not enjoy the company of other dogs as much and prefer human interaction regardless of how much we want them to have lots of friends. However, these are things to try to accomplish this. Good luck and have a great day!