Question
RC and Kayleigh
Last Tuesday our dog for 14 years past away. We have another dog who is a rottweiler german shepard mix and he's about eight years old. About 2 days ago we decided our dog, RC, was getting lonely and we should get a puppy. We got a very tiny beagle puppy that is about 1/10 of RC's size. At first he was biting at her and barking, then my dad came home and calmed him down. Since then he's been following her around, pushing her with his nose and is very aggressive for her tiny body, will she be okay? She seems to not mind, and wants to play, but I'm so afraid he'll be too mean. Any advice?
AnswerHi Kimber,
Not every dog wants to share it's home with another dog. RC is no doubt mourning the loss of your 14 year old dog, as you are. He might not want the company of another dog or puppy. It's not unusual for an adult dog to be jealous of a new puppy when it's introduced into the home. For those reason, until you are very sure that RC will not hurt the puppy, you need to carefully supervise RC whenever the puppy is around him. You shouldn't be leaving RC alone with the puppy, as it's entirely possible that RC could hurt, or even kill the pup. If you see RC playing too roughly with the puppy, stop the "game" immediately, and tell RC "NO!". Don't punish or hit him, just let him know his behavior is wrong.
Be sure to give RC some quiet time away from the puppy and definitely give him lots of individual attention by taking him with you on errands and long walks. This special time will pay off in the long run. RC needs to be reassured, don't forget he's lost his old pal too. Every time your dogs play nice together, reward them. Use soothing words, strokes and petting, even some treats. You want to reinforce the correct behavior and actions right from the start.
Play with the dogs separately and also have playtime together. Make sure they have plenty of toys and lots of praise and rewards during the combined playtime. Once they begin having fun, it won't be long until they are playing together and you are the one left out!
Be sure to keep RC's food and water separate from the puppy's for a time. Your puppy won't know he's not supposed to eat your older dog's food and doing so could cause a very aggressive response from RC. Your puppy needs to eat a puppy food for the first full year, and RC shouldn't be eating that either.
You can't rush RC and the puppy into any kind of relationship. With patience and understanding you can make this work. An older dog usually will accept a puppy as long as the introductions and time is tailored to the older dogs needs. He was there first and should receive respect from the new puppy, this is what pack order is all about.
Read more about introducing a puppy into the home, when you have an older dog:
http://helpwithpettraining.com/introducing-older-dog-to-new-puppy.php
Best of luck,
Patti
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