How Long Do You Have to Keep a Pound Puppy Away From Your Other Dogs?

If you're a dog lover, bringing home a new dog may mean introducing the animal to the other members of your puppy pack. Your new dog should be quarantined from your other dogs when it first arrives at your house. The length of the quarantine varies from case to case.

  1. Vaccinations

    • If your new puppy is not yet vaccinated, it needs to stay away from your other pets until it receives its shots. This prevents any potential illnesses the puppy might have, such as kennel cough, from transferring to your other dogs. Once the veterinarian vaccinates your dog and gives it a clean bill of health, it's safe to introduce it to your other dogs.

    Familiarity

    • Vaccinated dogs should remain separated from dogs already in your home until they become more familiar with each other. Throwing them together without proper introduction results in bullying, fighting and tension, according to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Problems lessen if the dogs are separated in the home and introduced to each other in neutral territory. Gradually increase the introduction length until the dogs are more familiar with each other and can be together with supervision for long periods without problems, which may take days or a few weeks.

    Unsupervised Time

    • When you are away from home, crate your new dog or put it in an area separate from your other dogs. Dogs may take anywhere from a week to several months to become adjusted enough to end the separation. When the dogs no longer appear anxious or territorial around each other, it's OK to leave them alone together.