Susannah Moore
We’ve all seen them. The adorable videos on social media of dogs cuddling with cats, bunnies or some other animal. In reality, multi-species households are often a little less than picture perfect. Whether you are trying to bring some peace to your mini zoo or are thinking of bringing another type of pet into your household, read on for some helpful tips.
MAKE A PLAN
Consider your current pet’s personality and temperament before introducing a new furry family member. A dog or cat with a high prey drive may not do well with smaller animals. An energetic puppy might not do so well with an older animal who has trouble moving around and sleeps a lot. Does your animal have a history of hunting small prey or is it young and still impressionable? Is your pet aloof or playful?
If you’re not sure, check with your local shelter or rescue group and ask for advice on compatibility when considering a new pet. “One thing I've learned in rescue is that cats, just like humans, have different personalities," said Melissa Murphy, a long-time volunteer with the local rescue King Street Cats.
"Some are aloof but others are love bugs," said Melissa Murphy, a longtime volunteer with the local rescue King Street Cats. "Some divas need to be 'only cats' and others really need a companion animal and sometimes that is actually a dog! That is why it's important to work with a rescue that really knows their cats' personalities when considering adopting into a household that already has pets."
GO SLOW
Do your research ahead of time on how to introduce your pets to each other. It’s best not to introduce your pets right away. Oftentimes, a new animal will need a few days to decompress and get used to their change in environment without the added stress of interacting with another animal. Create a "safe room" your animal can safely retreat to when needed.
Make sure you have a good handle on the ins and outs of the layout of your house as it pertains to introducing a new pet.
“If you think you will be able to bring a guinea pig into the house with a dog with a high prey drive without having management, that’s probably not going to work," explained Sandy Modell, founder of Wholistic Hound dog training. "So you have to have strong management, meaning barriers, baby gates, pens, crates, leashes to keep them separated but not necessarily isolated."
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria recommends keeping introductions short and controlled, advising: “Begin with a short session, 10-15 minutes.
Begin to increase the sessions as you close the distance gap between the dog and cat(s). The goal is to have both animals nice and relaxed while they are within close proximity to one another.” Familiarize yourself with animal body language to interpret signs of stress that might include:
• fast breathing
• constant hiding
• change in appetite.
And closely monitor how the pets interact while under control. Reinforce good behavior and create positive associations between the animals by rewarding pets with high-value treats, praise and affection. “Take the time to set the animals up for success,” Modell said, emphasizing hat it's best to go slow and never force anything. “Most times when we hear that animals are not getting along, it's because the pet owner did not follow this golden rule,” said Murphy.
Kathleen Wilsbach, chapter manager for the House Rabbit Society of Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia, recommends that pet owners interested in getting a rabbit find information at The House Rabbit Society’s main webpage, rabbit.org.
“The early stages of strict control can last days or weeks or months," an article about introducing pet rabbits and dogs emphasizes. "The animals involved will set the pace. Your job is to pay close attention and to be absolutely sure that everyone [dog, human, and rabbit] is ready before moving on to the next level of freedom.”
Many resources suggest never leaving pets of different species alone together without your supervision, even if they do appear to get along without physical separation.
TRAINING
One of the biggest pieces of advice, particularly when dogs are involved, is making sure they have at least some basic obedience training before introducing other animals into the mix. Dogs should be very familiar with the commands “down,” “sit,” “stay,” “come,” “leave-it,” “gentle,” and other similar cues.
A trained dog looks to its owner in order to learn how to handle unfamiliar situations, like meeting a new animal.
Modell also suggests teaching dogs "boundary" training, which involves using positive reinforcement to get a dog to go to a mat or bed and stay and relax there on cue. This can be helpful when introducing animals to each other.
“Work on the basic foundation skills before you get the other animal," Modell said.
"A lot of times people make the mistake and get a second animal before the first animal is fully trained. Sometimes, they think that maybe the second animal will help the first animal get trained or be more comfortable…but oftentimes, it creates more chaos."
"Make sure that you are working on the basic foundation skills," she noted, "so that there is value in doing the things you want them to do, so when you ask them to do something they do it easily and the first time you say it."
Some animals may eventually become playmates or cuddle buddies, but sometimes they will learn to simply co-exist. Your pets may not become best friends or social media stars, but with enough planning, patience, training and work, it's possible to achieve a multi-species household where everybody gets along.
