Things You'll Need
- Puppy lead
- Treats (for kitten and puppy)
Instructions
Place the puppy on a lead to ensure control throughout the initial phase of introduction and to allow the kitten to feel safe in the company of a puppy. Take charge of the puppy and hold him in your arms and appoint another person to be in charge of the kitten. Enter a room in the home holding your charges. Allow them to see each other but do not move near each other at this stage. Close any doors and take a seat.
Allow the kitten to observe the puppy from a safe distance and vice versa, while you continue to interact with the puppy and the other person in a calm and positive manner, from a distance at first.
With your puppy on his lead, place him on the ground and allow him a little controlled freedom. Try not to speak to either the kitten or puppy at this point but let your body language be relaxed; speak naturally to the other person. It is vital that the person holding the kitten does not tense up or react negatively when the puppy approaches but instead, while holding the kitten, greets the puppy and remains positive and relaxed. This will pass on the clear message to the kitten that this is a friend. Do not allow the puppy to do any close sniffing or attempt to make contact with the kitten at this stage.
Once the puppy has made an approach a number of times, call the exercise off, praise both the kitten and puppy and feed them a meal or a treat and leave them in their separate quarters for now. Repeat the process of "making introductions from a distance" a few times a day for about a week, cutting it short if there is any overexcitement shown by either the kitten or puppy.
Once it appears that the kitten and puppy are comfortable around each other, you can allow the puppy and kitten to sniff each other while keeping strict control over the situation. At this point, you can take hold of the puppy lead and place the kitten on the ground, immediately giving both of them a treat, thereby making the association that being buddies pays dividends. Repeat the routine over the next few days, a few times every day, and you should see improvements in behavior very quickly.