There is nothing worse than your besties (both human and pet) not getting along. Let’s change that with these simple 5 steps.
Surely, if you and your best friends get along like a house on fire, so should your fur babies… right? Well, unfortunately, that is not always the case. But before you assume that you will need to keep your four-legged besties separated, give this blog a read. Before you know it, your fur babies will be Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl.
Step #1: Choose a neutral location
Yes, getting together with your besties at one of your homes may seem like the preferred location. You can comfortably kick back, put your shoes on the couch and sip on your drink of choice. And while this is a comfortable setting for you, your fur babies won’t be too happy about it.
When bringing your fur kids on an outing, it’s best that all of the fur kiddos meet in unfamiliar territory. Basically, you want to find neutral ground like a quiet outdoor park or fenced space.
This will help ease any aggression from the pups because they will not feel territorial over the space as it is not their home!
Step #2: Start introducing your fur babies in stages
You may be tempted to let your fur kid off the leash and encourage them to get to know each other, but trust us when we say that this is the quickest way to introduce a whole lot of chaos. Instead, keep both pups on a relaxed leash while they get to know each other.
If your pups seem to exhibit positive behaviour around each other, like licking and sniffing, relaxed gazes and wagging tails, then you can let the leash go slack. Keep them on the lead though in case you need to intervene quickly.
Step #3: Sharing is not caring
As a pet parent, you most likely want to pack your furbaby’s favourite toy or comfort blanket. Well, you may want to leave those in the car before you awkwardly find out what ‘resource guarding’ is. Trust us, this is something you want to read about, not experience.
Resource guarding is when your pets start exhibiting signs of aggression over certain possessions — like their favourite toy, water and food bowls etc. To avoid these kinds of scenarios, make sure that both pups have toys to play with and that each one has a bowl to drink water from… you get the point.
Boujee pooches don’t share, so rather allow each fur baby to have their own toys and bowls.
Step #4: Stay equally attentive
You know how we get excited when we see our bestie’s fur baby and want to give their pooch all the love and affection? Unfortunately, when you display that type of behaviour, you are building up feelings of jealousy in your pup.
Yes, doggos do get jealous, and they express that feeling through aggression. So yes, while it may be fun to see a new fur face, you must ensure that you are equally attentive to your friend’s pet and your own.
So make sure to divide all of the belly rubs, fancy treats, and ‘ooohing’ and ‘ahhing’ among all of the fur babies around you. That way, everyone feels equally loved, and they don’t have to feel like they need to fight for your attention or affection.
Step #5: Make sure your pup is down with the lingo
Before you bring your fur babies together, it’s important that you and your bestie make sure that your pets have basic obedience training. This means that they know what to do when they are given certain demands like “sit”, “heel”, “off”, and “stay”.
By regularly working on obedience training, you can ensure that your four-legged bestie is made aware when they are engaging in unwanted behaviour. This way, they can quickly correct and act accordingly — you know, in a cute and peaceful manner.
Bringing your pooches together can truly be one of the best experiences ever. So make sure that you follow these 5 steps at your next girl’s night, and you and all of the besties (both human and pet) will have the cutest get-together ever — guaranteed!
