Meeting Children

You'll want to encourage your children to play with the new dog, but make sure to supervise the first interactions between the dog and your children. Also, setting play-time limits is a good idea. Try 15-20 minutes two to three times a day at first. Here are some basic ground rules to explain:

• No rough teasing or playing. Tell your kids that forms of teasing, such as tail-pulling, can lead to bad habits like jumping up on people.
• Be gentle. Kids should never shout at the dog, even if he does something wrong. Explain to your children that dogs can be startled by loud noises.

Introducing Other Pets

To help your animal meet your other resident animals, you'll want to:

• Do it gradually. Keep them separated for the first few days.
• Keep him safely in his crate (or behind a doggie gate) as you supervise their first meeting.
• After several days of sniffing each other out, let your resident pet enter the den while your new dog is out of the crate.