Resident dog hates the new dog
Current dogs often react to a newcomer with growling, avoidance, or outright indifference rather than immediate acceptance. This unexpected hostility leaves owners stuck with pets that barely tolerate each other, preventing a peaceful multi-dog household.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- Most of it landed at once — the busiest month was September 2026, with 9 people.
- This comes up 26.0× more often in r/dogs than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Waiting longer for the resident dog to adjust to the lossDid this help you?
- 2Trying to meet calmer dogs or dogs of a different genderDid this help you?
- 3Adopting an adult dog instead of an older puppy to match energy levelsDid this help you?
- 4Giving the dogs time to warm up to each other at their own paceDid this help you?
- 5Take home a blanket that smells like the pup to get him used to it's scentDid this help you?
- 6giving older dog lots of attentionDid this help you?
- 7giving older dog his own safe space where the puppy can't bother himDid this help you?
- 8not forcing interactionsDid this help you?
- 9Confining the new kitten to a guest bathroom or separate roomDid this help you?
- 10Allowing occasional roaming periods in the apartmentDid this help you?
- 11Watching webinars for training techniques and slow introduction tipsDid this help you?
- 12Introducing pets through a door so they can smell each other firstDid this help you?
- 13Doing the introduction slowly and making sure they have their own spacesDid this help you?
- 14Meeting guests outside on a walk in neutral territory, then entering the house together.Did this help you?
- 15Having guests completely ignore the puppy for the first 20 minutes to allow it to investigate on its own terms.Did this help you?
- 16Having guests toss treats behind the puppy rather than handing them directly, so it isn't forced to approach.Did this help you?
- 17Giving the puppy treats when it is quiet or trying to distract it with treats.Did this help you?
- 18Making sure the older dog is well-trained first so bad habits aren't passed down.Did this help you?
- 19Introducing the animals slowly by keeping them in separate rooms and swapping their scents.Did this help you?
- 20Having short, supervised initial visits.Did this help you?
- 21Walking them into the house together so the initial meeting is on neutral ground.Did this help you?
- 22Having a short, calm first meeting outside in a neutral area rather than indoors.Did this help you?
- 23Keeping both dogs on loose leads at first and interrupting rough play.Did this help you?
- 24Keeping other household pets separate during the initial dog-to-dog introduction.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Our other cat is 7 years old and has been hissing and growling at the sight and scent of the kitten. Seems to be very high alert still.”source ↗
“We are getting a bit tired of spending so much time in the bathroom. How do we know it’s time to let them roam freely together?”source ↗
“With this puppy, he does not want him anywhere near his space. He’s not being aggressive by any means but gets annoyed when the puppy is even near him or following him, and avoiding him at all costs.”source ↗
“I want them to be best buds and I know it takes time, but I’m all in my head about what if he never warms up to him etc.”source ↗
“I will be getting a new puppy soon ( 3 months, female doberman ) and we currently have a 10 month old female toy poodle and i was wondering lately on how to introduce them properly.”source ↗
“every video ive seen is introducing a small puppy to a bigger adult dog but in my case the sizes are flipped and not sure if that makes a whole lot of difference when meeting.”source ↗
“Today we met two dogs we were approved for and my current dog, who is generally very loving and submissive, was not a fan of the dogs we met.”source ↗
“Growling and avoiding. He’s never done that before. He’s usually very eager around dogs.”source ↗
“She was not having any of it at first, just sat there looking at us like we betrayed her.”source ↗
“Little Rocket does not care for new dog at all, just barely tolerates her, even after a year.”source ↗
“how would we go about introducing the wee fella into our household without causing jealousy or upset on Dougalls part and fear or anxiety on the pups part?”source ↗
“I’m having second thoughts considering how crazy I remember the puppy days being for our current dog and my concern about how our current dog will react to a new puppy being added to the mix.”source ↗
“My dog is super friendly and socialized as he loves going to daycare and has a lot of friends there but he can be very territorial when he’s at home.”source ↗
“the last thing I would want is for the puppy to be intimidated and have a bad experience with us.”source ↗
“when guests come to our house, he goes crazy! if it’s people he already knows, there’s initial barking but he settles fast. With new people, however… just a whole ton of growling and barking😭”source ↗
“when the guests fall into his line of sight he will bark and growl even if I try to distract him with treats.”source ↗
“My shih tzu was exactly like this at that age.”source ↗
“My dog is a 1.5 year old Bichon and in about a month I will be bringing home a bichon puppy. What are some helpful tips for adding another dog/puppy to the mix?”source ↗
“im just curious on how I should introduce this puppy to the dog I already have, should it be through a door at first so they can smell each other? or whats the proper way to introduce.”source ↗
“Wanted to get the group’s opinion on best ways to introduce new puppy to our 1 year old GSP.”source ↗