Two new puppies in the house. HELP

Question
In the household we have just acquired two new pups. One is a four week old Lab/Beagle mix and the other is a 8month old Shih Tzu. The Shih Tzu came from my cousin's house where it probably wasn't raised that well when comes to being obedient. I got both of them one week apart from each other, both are new in the house. We had a 12 year old boxer/pit that died two months ago of some disease.

My question is, the Shih Tzu is not very friendly with the puppy. The Puppy wants to jump and play with him but he growls and runs away. They don't seem to get along very well in the  four days they been together. Since we have never raised two new dogs at once what is the best way to do this? How should we feed them? Both don't listen to almost no command. Any help is appreciated

Answer
I am a little surprised the Shih Tzu isn't better with the puppy.  I must admit I have less experience with the smaller breeds.  They do seem to be a little less inclined to the rough play larger breed puppies live for.  Perhaps he is used to being the only dog and may have been removed from his litter before 6 weeks.  Puppies need at least until then to learn to be dogs from their mother and litter mates.  After 7-8 weeks, they need to go to their homes to start learning to live with people.  They lose much of their acceptance of new things after 12 weeks.  This means the 4 week old needs time with known to be healthy dogs.  

The period between 6-12 weeks is a dangerous time.  One sniff where a sick dog relieved itself in the last 6 months can bring on parvo or another life threatening disease.  Fail to expose it to strangers, including men, women, children, noise, etc. and you could end up with a misfit you can't take out in public.  They also need continuing contact with other dogs, but it must be limited to ones you know are getting good care.

The Shih Tzu needs to learn his place in his new home.  With somebody the right age in the family, 4-H dog training is a great idea. In my area, clubs form soon after the first of the year. Even many urban areas have 4-H. For info look in your phone book under government listings for extension or cooperative extension offices. Ask specifically about a dog or canine club. The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands a treat.  In time, he may become friendlier to the puppy.

The puppy needs to be eating about 4 times a day.  If it won't eat dry puppy chow, add water.  If you have to, make a soup out of it and use your finger to transfer it to its mouth.  You can cut back to 3 meals in a month and then 2 in another couple of months.  Smaller dogs need 2 meals a day all their life.  I would feed them both any of the common brands of puppy chow maybe toll the Shih Tzu is a year old or better.  Larger breeds of puppies are better off moving to an all life stages food at 4 months to slow growth.  If your mix is past 30 pounds by then, maybe switch them both to an all life stages food.  Puppy chows are expensive and rich enough to damage large breeds through faster growth than best.  You should be feeding a puppy chow now. Switching to an adult chow for the larger breeds at 4 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints.

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx

Don't let them rush the food bowl.  Hold them back until the bowls are on the floor and you say ''Free dog''.  the more they fight, the longer they wait.  Most dogs catch on quickly.