My two dogs don't get along. How can I make them tolerate each other?

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.

You are going to have to socialize them together. Try taking them for walks together and let them walk side by side on a leash. Reward their good behavior when they are getting along. If they start to growl or fight with each other than redirect their attention to something else. Once they start to get along on a leash you could try letting them play together and see how it goes. With patience and persistence they should learn to get along.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Usually these behaviors can be corrected but this usually requires in person training by a qualified dog trainer. I recommend you consider hiring a qualified dog trainer to work with you in person. I think with the appropriate training they may learn to get along great so that you do not have to fear this any longer. Otherwise, they may be fine but it is a bit of an uncertainty if it will happen again. Good luck and have a good day!

It depends a bit on how severe the problem is. If he just doesn't like interacting with other dogs, but is able to ignore them when they're around as long as he's left alone, this is perfectly normal - some dogs don't have much interest in meeting or playing with strange dogs, just like some humans don't want to strike up a conversation with everyone they meet. If you mean that he barks, lunges, or tries to attack other dogs when he sees them, this is a much more serious problem. In that case, it would be best to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person to help determine the problem, and help you put together a training plan to work on it. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

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.

If you are on vacation and this isn’t a dog Charlie is going to see when he gets home, I wouldn’t bother trying to make them get along. He doesn’t like this dog for some reason, and there’s no point in forcing it as he could hurt this other dog. I would keep them away from each other. I’d also have him neutered when you get home, aggression can be hormonally related. Enjoy your vacation, wish I was on holiday!