Anyone would think I'd be an expert on introducing a new dog into a home - but, alas, I'm not. Each "new" puppy or dog is different whether they are already part of your pack or are about to join it. Just like humans, eh? So you need to tailor your introduction to fit your dogs.
First: when you bring a new dog or puppy into your home, please schedule a Vet visit within the first 24 hours if at all possible. A dog/puppy may leave its former home with good health but pick up something along the way. It's always better to be safe than sorry later.
I've heard it said, and it does make sense, that one of the reasons dogs and humans get on so well is that we are both social animals and we both live in groups. We understand them. They understand us on a very basic level. People who love dogs often have said to me that their dog seems to understand them. Uh, yes.
I have had many dogs over my seven decades of life on this rocky/wet planet orbiting the sun. Some I have actively sought out and adopted. Some came to me as unexpected, but welcome gifts. I have only four dogs today - not counting the three newly arrived and expected puppies. Soon all of the pups (hopefully all) will move to their new forever homes. I always entertain the possibility that I may be unable to find a home for one or more, and that would be ok. I try to find the best possible home for each pup and I'm usually very successful.
Three of my four current dogs were unplanned new family members. One I actually kept on purpose from a litter I had about 13 years ago. There's a long story there. Suffice it to say I decided to keep her, train her, show her, breed her. She's a spit fire and I love her; she is one of the smartest Icies I've ever had - and that's saying a lot for a breed that I think is among the most intelligent of all dog breeds.
The other three came to my home or came back to my home already mature. One I got at the age of five from Europe. His human had passed away, he was a bequest, I could have him as long as I paid for his ticket to the US. He has fit in well; turns 16 this year.
My point is that I had to introduce these "new" dogs into my already established home. How did I do it? I don't honestly remember. Here's what I do know. Dogs like humans are territorial. We tend to protect our home turf. To introduce a new puppy or a new adult dog into an already established pack, it should be done in a neutral location. Let them play together a bit - on leash. If they seem to be getting along ok, let the leash go but be ready to grab it again. Give them some room to play and get to know one another. Watch for any signs of aggression. If that happens, treat them like two year old toddler humans, distract their attention perhaps with a toy - but that can be problematic. (Toys can be considered by some dogs to be theirs and theirs alone.) If you're outside in a park or a parking lot and you feel some tension, distract them by taking them for a walk - on leash. Let one lead first. Then let the other one lead. Then get them both out in front together leading you. Then let them play a bit. Any trouble, potential trouble, go back to walking. I almost always have my treat bag attached at my waist when I'm out with a dog(s). I have bite sized treats like kosher hot dogs or cheese chunks cut to the size of a pea. Enough to reward them but not too much, you know. I keep my bait bag in the freezer and the extra pieces of good food in a sandwich bag frozen. Easy to grab. I don't like Velcro bait bags because of the noise they make when opening them. If both dogs are behaving, give them both a treat - do not favor one over the other. To begin with I like to hand them the treat with my fingers - that lets them know that I am the giver of treats. Later, much later I can shoot it at a dog. That would not be a good idea - to shoot a treat - if you have two dogs out. They could fight over the treat - at least to begin with. After they know you're going to actually be fair, the competition will stop. Using your fingers gives you more control. If they nip your fingers, or even if it looks like they are going to nip your fingers, yell, "Ouch!"
Dogs, like humans, are problem solvers. For example: - If you stand in front of a dog with a treat, it will look at you for a while. Watch it. It will start to get antsy. It's thinking. You can almost see the wheels in its brain turning. It will move around a bit. Maybe circle. It may actually sit or lie down. It is trying to figure out what to do to get the reward. This is important. Do not say anything. (I know that's hard to do.) Just watch the dog. If your goal is to teach "Sit!" and it does sit, then say the word sit (once only) and give it the reward treat immediately. Your dog has solved a problem. I know that will take some patience on your part. Trust me. It will work. If your goal was to teach it to spin or twirl or circle (you decide on the command word), and it does spin, then say the word you've chosen (Spin perhaps) and reward it immediately. They love solving problems. Sorry. I digressed.
Pay attention to both of them. Don't favor your current dog, nor the new one. I like to take a towel or a washcloth and rub it on one dog to pick up its scent, then rub it on the other one. Then vice versa.
Perhaps you could use clean, recently washed linen for your current dog's den or sleeping spot so there's less 'smell' which might translate into less territoriality. Don't fuss over the newby more than your current dog.
Remember, dogs are pack animals. In some breeds introducing new dogs might be more of an issue than I think it is with Icelandics. Icelandics are pack animals.
If trouble starts again, go back outside and walk a bit. Never leave your "old" dog and your "new dog/puppy" completely alone until they are truly friends. That means you may have to cage one, or barricade one in a room with a baby gate of some kind when you leave for shopping etc.
Puppies often go right for an older dog's face. That's what puppies do. It's their way of checking out the new dog. It's normal. However, some older dogs don't like that or have never experienced a puppy doing that. So watch them closely. Your new puppy/dog may roll over on its back exposing its stomach. That's a "welcome" sign. It means I won't attack you, I want to play, I want to be your friend. Let them do that.
The new dog/puppy may bat its paw at the current dog. That is also a "do you want to play" sign. Dogs know how to read those signs. Isn't it interesting, at least to me, that the opposite is true of cats. A cat waving its paw at another animal is a sign of aggression. It's saying, "I will scratch you if you come any closer". And we wonder why first encounters between cats and dogs often go bad rather quickly. My two cats and my dogs get along very well together. They have me outnumbered and know it.
Your old dog may feel a little insecure. Be sure you spend some alone time with just the older or current dog. And also some alone time with the new one - preferably away from the other dog so they can't hear and be jealous.
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It's quite surprising to me that all four of my current dogs are chocolate-brown dogs. I most definitely did not plan that. I actually love the great variety in Icies - in color, in fur length, in fur texture, in fur color patterns. I would prefer to have that variety in my dogs. But that's life. I make an honest effort when I breed to breed for variety. It's not my first criterion, but it's near the top of the list. My current litter has three very different puppies in it. I think one will have long fur, one medium length fur and one shorter fur. One will be a tan shade, perhaps a dark or a reddish tan, one is mostly black with some tan, and one is pied, mostly white with a few large tan spots. I was really planning on keeping one but I've found great homes so far for two of the three and at only five weeks it's still early. I might be able to find a great home for the third one too. My puppies leave their birth home at eight weeks. At that age they are ready to go. (And I'm ready for them to go too.)
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