Introducing Your Cavapoo Puppy To Family Animals

Dogs being social animals should love the company of other dogs.

Introducing your new Cavapoo puppy can be tricky because first impressions are very important.

This is even more important if your resident dog is used to being the only dog and has been enjoying all your attention.

A Cavapoo is an adorable mixed breed dog. 

It is a cross between a Poodle and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Cavapoos usually go by several names including Cavoodles and Cavadoodles.

Cavapoos inherit the best of both worlds from their parents resulting in a dog that is playful, outgoing, and super friendly.

They make for great pets due to their extroverted nature.

They also adore all kinds of attention and love playing and engaging with humans.

Like most dogs, Cavapoos thrive in packs although they can also work with less dogs.

Getting a Cavapoo is a great way to add even more joy to your home.

But a new dog may have difficulty transitioning and settling in a new place.

Moreover, it can become a challenge for the new dog to become friends with existing animals.

However, there are a few steps you can take to facilitate the bonding process between the older animals and your new pup.

Keep reading to find out how.

Settling Your Cavapoo Puppy Into Its New Home

Settling your Cavapoo puppy into its new home can be a tricky challenge but with appropriate planning and preparation beforehand, the whole transitioning process can become a lot less stressful.

Before bringing your Cavapoo puppy to its new home, organization is key.

A lack of organization can lead to stressful and sometimes potentially harmful situations for your puppy.

For this reason, you should be well-prepared before you bring your little buddy from its old home to its new future home.

Here are a few steps you can take to ensure your puppy’s home transition goes smoothly.

Have Everything Ready

You don’t want an anxious scrambling to be the first thing the puppy witnesses as soon as they enter your house.

Prior to your puppy’s arrival, prepare all their supplies and essentials beforehand instead of anxiously running around to find what is where after they arrive.

Things like their poo bag or their treats should be ready before your Cavapoo puppy is brought home.

Moreover, you should also have their bed (or crate) all set up for them along with all their relevant accessories stored where they need to be.

Collect Your Cavapoo Puppy Early in the Day

This may not sound important but collecting your puppy early in the day instead of late at night can be an important step that either adds or subtracts from its confusion.

It is better to pick your new puppy up as early in the morning as you can so that they get enough time to familiarize themselves with their new environment and people for the rest of the day.

Puppy-Proof Your House

One of the more important steps before opening your home to a new puppy is to puppy-proof it.

Puppies, by nature, are inquisitive and want to touch and try everything.

You have to make sure that all the areas that are accessible by the puppy are escape-proof.

Objects that can potentially cause them harm should be placed at a safe distance.

 This includes things like:

• Your children’s toys
• Any and all electrical wires
• Toxic foods like chocolates
• Houseplants that can be poisonous for the pup

Toilet Train Them

We get it!

We can all get a little too excited as soon as we get a new puppy.

However, that excitement can make us forget everything and rush the pet indoors as soon as we can.

But practice patience!

Because you do not want your new friend to piddle on the carpet indoors as soon as you reach home.

Toilet train your new Cavapoo puppy as soon as you get home.

In fact, a good practice is to not even take them indoors before showing them their potty spot.

Let Them Explore

Rather than dragging around your puppy throughout the house the whole day, show them where they can and cannot go.

You can start by showing them one room at a time.

Doing this will allow your puppy to explore his new surroundings at his own pace instead of feeling constantly over-shadowed by you.  

It is also a great way for the puppy to pick up smells and sounds around the house and figure things out on their own.

Introduce Your Puppy To The Children

Keeping your excitement in control for the arrival of a new pup is hard enough for an adult, let alone for kids.

If you have kids around the house, try and control their enthusiasm while introducing them to the new dog.

Guide them to stay as calm as possible in the animal’s presence.

This includes changing their body language to be inviting like crouching down to the Cavapoo’s level instead of towering over it.

A treat or two will go a long way along with pats, strokes, and some cuddles.

 However, no matter how comfortable children and dogs get with each other, their company should still be supervised at all times.

Introducing Your Cavapoo To An Older Dog

Bringing a second dog into your house might cause tension with the older dog.

This can be due to dogs and their territorial nature. 

The older dog might find the new dog to be a threat to their territory.

As a result of this, the older dog might act out aggressively towards the new dog, if not monitored wisely.

Nurturing a bond between your older dog and the new dog is a time-taking process and it is something that you should not rush through.

They will become buddies on their own time.

Nothing should be forced.

Before You Bring the New Cavapoo to Your home

Before your new puppy arrives home, you need to take a few steps to avoid conflict between the two dogs:

• Buy separate food dishes for the new dog and the old dog.
• Create enough empty space in your house for the dogs to get away from each other if need be.
• Buy new toys for the new dog and keep the older dog’s chews and toys away from it.

During Introduction

When you bring a new dog into the household, the older dog’s routine is somewhat disrupted.

Your older dog considers your home their home and can view your new Cavapoo puppy as a threat.

Territorial aggression should be prevented by providing a neutral area for both the dogs to get acquainted in.

Arrange for the older dog to be at a park or friend’s house.

This will stop the older dog from defending their territory.

Then bring the puppy to where the other dog is.

Let them sniff each other and get used to each other’s scents in the neutral area.

It is important to stay calm during the introduction.

There is a big possibility that the dog, sensing a tension in you, might become tensed too.

As you are the caretaker, your dog is going to take your emotions and feelings into consideration while meeting the new dog.

Spend a few hours and do not rush this introduction.

Once they are both settled then take them home together.

After The Introduction

To avoid an aggressive situation, the older dog should be monitored constantly around the new dog for the first few weeks.

You need to build your new dog’s daily routine without disrupting that of the older one.

Additionally, keep an eye on your older dog’s body language.

This will help you gauge where their feelings lie for the new dog.

Some signs to look for-

• Growling
• Snarling
• Display of teeth
• Prolonged stares
• Raised fur

Things To Do

Listed below are things you should do to accelerate the bonding process:

Introduce Both Dogs By Smell

You might have noticed dogs sniffing each other’s butts rather enthusiastically when they first meet.

This is because dogs use scents and smell as a way of identification.

Use this to your advantage by introducing your older dog to different things that are used by the new Cavapoo puppy and let them smell it.

This will help the older dog get familiarized with the new puppy’s scent.

This should result in a smoother introduction.

Try Not To Overwhelm The Older Dog

Cavapoos are generally energetic and love to run around and play.

This can overwhelm your old dog since their energy level may not match that of the newer puppy.

This could irritate the older animal and it may react to it by simply walking away.

But, it may also react by being aggressive towards the little pup.

Make sure that if you see the older dog not tolerating the playfulness of the puppy, that they have a way or area that they can retreat to.

Keep Both Dogs On Leashes

While introducing your dogs, keep them on leashes so that you can prevent either of them being hurt or frightened.

Dogs organize themselves in packs and the leader of the pack expects the others to respect him.

If the leader feels like he is not getting the respect he deserves, he can get rough or aggressive.

When you bring your new dog into the house, the old dog might feel threatened and hurt the new dog.

Therefore, leashes and proper supervision are necessary to avoid this happening.

Things to Avoid

A few things that should be avoided at all costs include:

• Do not hold the new Cavapoo in your arms during the introduction. 
• Do not force the two dogs to be together.
• Do not allow the two dogs to fight with each other.
• Both dogs should have separate crates and beds.

Introducing Your Puppy to Other Animals

Bringing a new animal to the house can be a stressful time for all the animals involved.

It is important to exercise patience and let all the animals get used to each other’s presence.

The introduction among all the animals should not be forced or rushed.

Rather, it should take place over at least a week or even longer if needed.

Cats

If you have a resident cat that needs to be introduced to your new Cavapoo, there should be a few things to consider before both the animals interact with each other.

Think back to any past instance where your cat might have experienced the presence of a dog.

Maybe you took care of a friend’s dog for a few days or for some other reason.

How did your cat react?

Did she stand at a far distance?

Did she flee the house and refuse to come in until the dog was gone?

Did she hide in a corner?

Each of these scenarios will give you an indication of how your cat will react to new puppy in the house.

Additionally, you should keep in mind that while your cat probably won’t be impressed by the new dog, the pup might be excited to meet his new friend.

Dogs, in general, like cats.

The important thing to make sure here is that they don’t hurt each other.

Then there are some cats who are quite bold and, in fact, even a little aggressive towards new pups.

They hate giving up their feline privileges and will bully the new puppy to get their way.

Bold cats should be supervised since they can attack and harm the little puppy.

Rabbits

Rabbits are generally very well-behaved and get along with most animals.

However, dogs and rabbits differ from each other in one key aspect: dogs are predators by nature and rabbits are prey.

Rabbits are fragile creatures and can also suffer heart attacks if chased or frightened.

Never allow your Cavapoo to interact with your bunny unsupervised.

It is advisable to re-think your decision of bringing a dog into your home if you already have a free roaming house rabbit.

However, if you want both those animals in your house to co-exist, here are a few introduction steps you should partake in:

Find a neutral space for the introduction to take place in.

Place the rabbit in a secure crate or cage before the introduction.

Secure the dog with a leash.

Let them get acquainted at their own pace and don’t rush the process.

Keep an eye on them, especially the dog.

Keep the session short.

Practice the introduction multiple times and separate feeding areas.

Conclusion

Animals need all the help they can get when first introduced into your home and as their owners, we should be diligent in our efforts to provide them with that care.

Preparation is key when it comes to helping your new puppy feel at home.

Following the steps mentioned above will make sure that the transition and settling of your new Cavapoo puppy and the older family animals go smoothly.

This avoids the confusion and fear associated with meeting a new animal and will make them feel comfortable in each other’s presence.