Try introducing new pets to each slowly. If you’ve just bought a new dog, cat, or even a turtle, they often need to be brought into your family slowly. For four-legged pets, you can begin by keeping them in a separate room at first, until your current pets get used to the “newbie’s” scent.
If you have a new pet sitter and are trying to introduce an especially cautious pet to them, it helps a lot to do the same thing. Let your dog or cat see you chatting with the pet sitter, comfortably. They’ll respond to your energy—if they see that you’re okay with this new person, then it’ll be easier for them to adjust.
Distractions can help with the whole pet meet-and-greet process, too. If you give your animals toys to play with, they’re less likely to feel like there’s an intruder around and will be more playful and frisky. Just make sure you get enough toys to go around! Just like with children, you don’t want them to be fighting over who gets to play with the toy first.
Treats don’t hurt, either, especially if your pets are either not getting along with each other, or if they’re wary of a new person on their turf (like a new pet sitter or dog walker). I like to keep special, healthy dog treats around the house for Blake and Sydney—it helps keep them quiet when we have new company around. For example, we’re having our annual Care.com summer outing at our house next week and I’ve already stocked up on treats to keep the dogs quiet!
How do you help your pets co-exist with other animals or people? And if you have cats and dogs, do they get along? Let us know!
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