Day one starts outside the house
Your resident dog should meet the newcomer on neutral ground, not in the hallway he considers his. Walk both dogs in the same direction with space between them, two handlers, loose leads, and let the distance shrink gradually as both stay relaxed — sniffing the ground, glancing at each other, then looking away. A dog who fixates, stiffens, or cannot take treats is telling you the gap needs to widen. Only once the walk feels boring should you head home, and even then the new dog enters first into a prepared room of his own, away from your resident dog's favourite resting spots.
Set the house up as two territories at first
Baby gates, closed doors, and separate water bowls turn the home into two calm zones rather than one contested space. The new dog needs his own bed, bowls, and chew items in his area; sharing comes later, once it is earned by calm behaviour rather than forced on day one. Rotate which dog is out in the main living space so both get family time and neither spends the week shut away feeling punished. Pick up high-value items — bones, favourite toys, food puzzles — from shared areas, because even friendly dogs can snap over a prized chew when the relationship is brand new.
Feed, rest, and sleep separately all week
Meals happen on opposite sides of a gate or door for at least the first week, with bowls lifted as soon as each dog finishes. Sleep arrangements stay separate too: a dog woken suddenly by an unfamiliar housemate brushing past his bed is a dog set up to react badly. Crates or pens, if both dogs already accept them, give each a den the other cannot invade. This separation is not a failure of the introduction — it is what lets both dogs decompress, learn the sounds and smells of the house, and build positive associations at their own pace.
Build shared time in short, successful doses
From day two or three, add brief joint activities with a clear end point: another parallel walk, a few minutes of both dogs settling on mats in the same room with chews of their own, then separation again before either gets tired or overstimulated. Watch for the soft signs — loose wiggly bodies, play bows, choosing to rest near each other — and for the warnings: hard staring, guarding doorways, one dog repeatedly shouldering the other away from people. End every session while it is still going well; ten good minutes teach more than an hour that ends in a scuffle.
One plan everyone can see
First weeks fall apart when one person lets the dogs loose together because they seemed fine, while another is still carefully gating them. Write the rotation, feeding spots, and this week's rules down where the whole household can check them, and update them as gates start coming down. KinsLe's Family Sharing keeps the new dog's profile, routines, and care details in front of everyone who helps, so each family member runs the same introduction plan rather than improvising a different one.