INTRODUCING A NEW PUPPY TO AN OLDER DOG

FIRST GREETING

• When introducing a puppy, it's important that the first interaction be a good one, so you might want to keep the initial greeting short and sweet.        

• When you bring your new puppy home, keep your current dog next to you on a leash and let the puppy wander around the room to investigate.  (But of course, you may want to keep a close watch on him/her, since he/she might not be potty trained yet.)  If your adult dog is remaining calm, allow him to greet the puppy, but don’t allow any tension on the leash. 

• An adult dog might emit a low growl, show his teeth or ‘air snap’ near the puppy, in order to get him to back off.  Unless your adult dog has a history of aggression, it’s rare for them to intentionally hurt the puppy.  If you’re unsure whether or not your older dog might harm your new puppy, then create more space between them. As much as it may be tempting to correct the adult dog for growling, try to resist this temptation. 

• To increase the possibility of a good night’s rest, I always have my new puppy sleep in an enclosed crate next to my bed.  The crate has a bed, next to a potty pad, so that the puppy has the opportunity to hop out of bed to use the potty.  (Puppies will instinctively avoid eliminating in their bed.) If the puppy starts to whine, I just put my fingers in the side of the crate so he/she knows I’m there.  The new puppy sleeps next to my bed for the first few nights.

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IN THE FIRST WEEK

• The most important thing owners can do is to always make sure they supervise interactions between puppies and other adult dogs in the household.  Some puppies can be relentless in their pursuit of rough and tumble games and it is unfair to expect an adult dog, especially if he’s elderly, to put up with this.  Sometimes, it’s appropriate to intervene by using gates or crates to separate the dogs and always makes sure the adult dog has an escape route.

• Depending on how they interact, consider having them eat separately for at least the first week.    

• Keep an eye on trigger areas, such as toys and food to make sure there is no guarding going on.  Toys should not be ‘owned’ by one dog or the other, so if you suspect there is rivalry over toys, remove them and use them only for supervised play.

• When they’re together, you can distract them by giving them a treat.  This creates a positive association with the presence of the new pack member. You can also try giving them the “sit” command for a treat.  

• If your older dog wants to play with the puppy, that’s great, but be sure to monitor the situation in case the older dog doesn’t have the experience to know how to play carefully around a smaller dog.  

• Don’t force interactions, but allow the dogs to become comfortable in their own time. 

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IN THE FIRST MONTH AND BEYOND

• After a week or two, your adult dog will usually begin to show more interest in playing with the new member, since the puppy has begun to learn the rules of the game. Some older dogs take 3-4 weeks, but depending on the age and temperament of your adult dog, it might only be a matter of days.  

• As long as the adult dog is not making contact with the puppy, let the pup learn that a growl means – “leave me alone”.  If he doesn’t listen to this warning, he may get snapped at; usually this is enough to stop a persistent pup, but if he still won’t leave the adult dog alone, provide both dogs with ‘time out’ so that you have the opportunity of calming the situation and gives the adult dog the peace he needs.

• Remember that you “own” everything – food, toys, treats, etc. – and as pack leader, you always make the call.  Your adult dog needs to see that you are taking charge, so he/she doesn’t feel that burden.  

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