> Whats the best way to do the 1st intro?
very very calmly....
generally in the past we've gone in, said hello to the resident dog then either kept a hold of the resident as puppy is brought in or taken resident to the puppy who has been put in the crate.
when our Kizzy arrived we put her in her crate then brought our mastiff through to meet her through the cage. he would not move from beside it, with theis rapt expression and a lovely gentle waggy tail (not to excited but obviously happy). then she was let out and we got him to lie down to speak to her, very civilised and nice, he restrained himself very well. he clearly thought she was the best present EVER!
similarly when Tio was introduced to Kiz dad brought him in, held him on his lap while she had a good sniff (he went excitedly mental but thats just him). Kiz is an increadibly calm dog and she just lay down and was like "ok, new thing...". when tio got down he ran about like mad, played with her a little, then fell asleep (as pups do).
just be calm and watchful in case someones nose is out of joint with the new entry
as to closing the cage, its up to you, we always have because its safer for the pup when your not there- wires are chewable and not always puppy proofable, someone is guarenteed to accidentally leave something about thats nice for a nibble... everyone of our pups has hated the cage for a day or two and now (as adults) gets very upset if they can;t get in their cage. and yes to the vet bed, great stuff.