Adding a new puppy to the family can be a fun and memorable experience. But not all members of your household might share your enthusiasm. Perhaps you have a senior dog at home with different needs from a younger dog. Plus, some dogs are considered a senior at 6 years old, while smaller breeds, like a Chihuahua, may not be in that category until they’re 7 to 10 years old.
Key Points
You want your dogs’ older years to be as stress-free as possible. If a new puppy is part of that plan, you can take steps to prepare your older dog and help ease the transition for your new family member. Read on for expert advice on how to introduce puppies into a home with older dogs, including how to choose a puppy, recognize signs of aggression, create a safe environment, and carefully supervise interactions.
What to Consider Before Bringing Home a New Puppy
Managing Expectations
When you imagine the first meeting between your current dog and a new puppy, you might picture the puppy emerging from a crate or cardboard box as they sniff each other and begin playing. Similar to a movie or TV commercial, you might be hoping for them to get along and be friends right away.
“Just like relationships between people, relationships between two dogs take time to develop, and it’s rarely love at first sight,” says Rachel Lane, M.Sc., CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, a dog trainer and behavior consultant.
Before deciding to bring home a puppy, she suggests asking yourself the following:
- Will my current dog enjoy having a new companion?
- Are they the type of dog who has always gotten along with other dogs?
- Do they get along with male or female dogs?
- Where do they fall on the scale of dog selectiveness from being social to being aggressive?
- Have they always been a solo dog?
- Have they spent time living with other dogs, even for a few days at a daycare or boarding facility?
Choosing a Puppy
“When we bring a new puppy home, we want to set both dogs up for success,” she says. “And we want to make sure that we’re picking a puppy who is a breed, temperament, or gender that might complement your current dog.” This means spending time researching dog breeds, meeting dogs, and talking to experienced breeders and owners. In addition, AKC PuppyVisor can provide personalized advice and support for puppy seekers who are new to the process or need expert advice on breed, temperament, activity level, grooming needs, and other important considerations.
Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinarian for the American Kennel Club, says that it’s important to consider differences in size, physical fitness, and medical history between your current dog and a new puppy. “Sometimes the puppy can be of a giant breed and tower over and threaten the senior dog who may have underlying heart or osteoarthritic back or spine issues,” he explains. “Even a small, relentless puppy can jump and tug on a larger, ailing dog, potentially causing medical issues or mental anxiety.”
In addition to researching which dogs will be a good fit for your home and lifestyle, it’s also necessary to have your puppy examined by a veterinarian. Make sure they’re up to date on vaccines, including such core vaccines as distemper, canine adenovirus type 2, parvovirus, and rabies for puppies 4 months and older. Depending on the puppy’s age, your vet may recommend additional vaccines, such as canine parainfluenza and Bordetella, to protect against kennel cough. Also, both your senior dog and puppy should be tested for parasites like heartworm, fleas, and ticks, and be up to date on preventative treatment.
What to Expect When Introducing Dogs
Unlike the movie version of dogs meeting, in real life dogs might not get along right away. Your older dog might react negatively to a new puppy. Easily identifiable signs of aggression are growling, barking, lunging, biting, snapping, and snarling.
But there are other signs to keep in mind, especially avoidance. For example, rather than seeking out the puppy or initiating interactions with them, your older dog might turn away. Or they might move away when the puppy comes over and tries to play with them.
“I advise people that when their dogs are interacting together, we’re not quite sure what they’re going to do,” she says. “We want to be vigilant and alert and, at the same time, we don’t want to helicopter or add to the stress or anxiety of the situation.” Accordingly, avoid raising your voice or interrupting your dogs every few seconds to correct their behavior.
How to Prepare Your Older Dog
“Make sure your older dog is comfortable spending time around other dogs and just existing,” Lane says. Your dog should be able to lie on the floor with another dog and not be playing every minute or getting in each other’s faces.
Similarly, you want your older dog to be calm and settled if they’re behind a gate or in another room with the door closed. “Maybe they don’t have access to you, and hopefully they’re fine just taking a nap on the other side of a barrier,” she says. So, it’s more about learning to read your dog’s body language and how they interact with other dogs. That said, the more obedience training your older dog has, the better your chances of success with a new puppy.
Another way to prepare your older dog is to keep their routine as intact as possible. This includes continuing to spend time with your older dog as usual. For example, if they play fetch every day, go for a 30-minute walk every morning, or enjoy sniffing walks, keep up these routines, and consider not bringing your puppy along every time. “Make sure your original dog is still getting that one-on-one time with you that they would normally have,” Lane says.
Klein agrees, adding that you can show your older dog attention by greeting them first, putting on their leash first for a walk, and feeding them before you feed your younger dog. “These small gestures can make a huge difference in the attitude of your older dog,” he says. Moreover, puppies aren’t yet accustomed to these routines or their order.
How to Prepare Your Puppy
Since puppies come from different sources, they may have different experiences with socialization. Some puppies might have been more isolated and had little time with other dogs, while others might have had a good mom as a role model. “If you can get a puppy from a breeder who has done crate training, that’s amazing, but we might not be able to make that happen,” Lane says.
In addition, it’s unlikely you would have had time to train a new puppy before they’re together with your older dog. When the puppy is new to the home, treat the time they spend apart from your older dog as an opportunity for training. You can also use a dog gate or dog crate to separate your dogs and keep them safe.
Lane recommends rotating your dogs throughout the day. Sometimes, your puppy will be in their crate or playpen. Other times, your older dog will go into another room and chew on a toy while your puppy is exploring their new environment.
Guidelines for Initial Interactions
When you introduce your dog to your puppy, Lane recommends taking the dogs on a walk first. “Meet somewhere neutral, walk them side by side, and just let them get to know each other in a low-pressure situation,” she says. “If possible, having one handler per dog minimum is ideal.” That way, each handler can support and guide their dog, as well as create space between the dogs if there are any signs of discomfort or aggression.
The idea of a neutral meeting is to avoid putting your dogs in a situation where they have to be face-to-face or play with each other. “We want to provide some support and structure, like a common shared activity,” she says. “They can go on a walk, sniff around, get to know each other nice and slow, and then go home together.”
These guidelines apply whether you have a single or multi-dog household. Let’s say you have two dogs. When introducing the puppy to your dogs, she recommends taking dog number one with the puppy on a first-time walk. Then, you would bring dog number two out for a walk with the puppy. You still want them to meet each other one-on-one. She also recommends working with a trainer or behaviorist if you’re unsure about how your dogs are getting along.
Creating a Safe Environment
“Once we get home, we want to make sure that both dogs have a safe space to retreat,” Lane says. For your older dog, their safe space might be a favorite spot on the couch. As for your puppy, you might set up a place in your office or kitchen or use a playpen to section off an area of the living room.
“Interactions between the dogs should be short and sweet,” she says. “We want to make sure that they’re not alone together unsupervised at all.” She also recommends feeding your dogs separately and putting away food and toys to avoid conflict.
Dogs should always have access to fresh water. Keep more than one bowl out to curb territorial behavior or resource guarding. Klein recommends never leaving the dogs unattended during feeding, especially in the beginning.
Another safety tip is having your dogs work on training and remaining calm when they’re on opposite sides of a dog gate or playpen. “They can see each other and practice relaxing and coexisting and don’t have to interact all the time,” Lane says. “You can have one person with the puppy, one person with the older dog, and both dogs are practicing relaxation exercises close to each other.”
Carefully Supervising Interactions
“When we’re looking at dogs who are playing nicely, we want to see balanced play,” Lane says. For example, the dogs might be jumping around back and forth. Sometimes a larger dog will lie on the ground to make themselves smaller and more similar in size to a puppy or small dog.
Other signs that dogs are getting along include loose, wiggly body language from both dogs, play bows, and lots of pauses between play, she says. It’s their way of checking in with each other to see if they’d like to continue playing. Play that isn’t balanced might look like one dog crouching on the ground or lying on their back and pushing up at the other dog the whole time.
Sometimes, one dog is very playful and tends to initiate most of the interactions. Lane suggests having the more playful dog on a leash that is dragging on the ground. “Every couple of minutes or every minute, move that dog away. Then allow the less playful or interactive dog a break, and then let them restart the interaction,” she says. “It’s called a consent test, where you let them come back over to the other dog.” When you move the playful dog away, be sure to do this in a gentle, happy manner. That way, they learn they’re not in trouble.
If the less-playful dog comes back and plays, you can let the dogs continue playing, Lane says. But, if they don’t come back and play, consider it a sign that they’re done playing and perhaps it’s time for a walk or a nap in their crate. “Respecting the choice that the other dog is making is incredibly important,” she says.
Should You Let Dogs “Work Things Out” Themselves?
“Often people will say, just let the dogs work it out themselves if there’s conflict,” Lane says. “Some dogs can correct a puppy appropriately and at the right time and intensity.” However, if your puppy is repeatedly annoying or harassing your current dog, the older dog might begin avoiding the puppy or acting aggressively toward them. In addition, your dog is learning that you’re not going to step in and help them when they want to have their space and be respected.
As for your puppy, they’re learning that it’s okay to behave inappropriately or that other dogs are scary. “If the handlers can properly supervise interactions and intervene at appropriate times, it can go a long way to creating a peaceful, harmonious household with multiple dogs versus one where there’s conflict, aggression, or fear of each other,” she says. “We do not just let our dogs work it out themselves. Both dogs deserve to live in a happy, safe home.”
Lastly, there are times when adding a puppy might not be the best decision for your senior dog. Perhaps your older dog is dealing with pain, arthritis, incontinence, or hearing loss, or isn’t going to enjoy having a new dog in their life. “If it takes them a couple of months to get along, that’s different than having a dog who is miserable for the last three years of their life,” Lane says. “I would recommend not bringing home a second dog if it was going to negatively impact your older dog’s quality of life.”
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