Having 2 dogs

Question
We got a puppy approximately 4 wks ago and we have a 2 yr. old dog.  I have many questions regarding raising/training 2 dogs together. Such as; should they eat separately?  Should I train the puppy without the distraction of the older dog? Is it ok to separate them when I tire of the playing?  Do you have a book you can recommend?  The only books I find are training 1 dog.

Answer
Hi Terry,

At least at first (for the first 2 months) it will be easier to feed the dogs separately. Also separate highly desirable toys. Dogs who would otherwise get along great can go into a survival mode over food. Don't put them in this position.
If after that adjustment period you aren't seeing any aggression between the dogs, it would be okay to feed both dogs in the same room, though you will probably need to stay in the room to make sure one dog doesn't steal the other dog's food.

Yes, work on training your puppy without your other dog present. You actually should be spending individual time with each dog away from the other dog, every day. Later you can reduce it to less frequency, but keep it up forever. Each dog needs that one-on-one time with you. It causes the puppy to bond to humans rather than just to other dogs, and it helps avoid the older dog being jealous of him.
When both dogs are with you, pay attention to both. If you talk to them a lot, eventually you will be able to pet one dog and give the other one a loving look and loving words, and find that dog feels loved at the same time. At first, though, try to just get one dog under each hand so they both get loved. Don't push one dog away so you can love on the other one. However, you can engage one of them in a game of fetch the toy while you love on the other one.

When you reward one dog, reward them both whenever appropriate. This builds a team spirit. Occasionally (but not yet) you may want to make a point by rewarding the dog who does right and not rewarding the one who did wrong. But whenever the other dog is just standing by, include that other dog in the reward, even though it was not the one asked to do the command.

Do crate training your puppy, and do not give him the run of the house until he's ready for that responsibility! Meanwhile, your older dog will have time off from being with the puppy, when he's in his crate and you're not needing to supervise.
Having some "timeout" is a good thing for the puppy. Your puppy will learn how to "self-soothe" and become calm, and you and your older dog can have a good rest!

Don't leave them alone together until he is a minimum of 4 months of age (older is better) and they are obviously getting along great.

Don't forget to take the puppy to a training class and teach him good manners. This will help you to control him around your older dog, and give your older dog less reason to be bothered by the puppy.

These web sites may be helpful:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/375200/managing_a_multiple_dog_home.htm...

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/seconddog.htm

http://www.ehow.com/video_2348924_introduction-owning-multiple-dogs.html


A good book you might want to buy, or have your library order for you is:

"Feeling Outnumbered? How to Manage and Enjoy Your Multi-Dog Household" by Karen B. London and Patricia B. McConnell. It provides clear and workable ideas to make living with a "pack" of dogs fun and fulfilling.

Best of luck,

Patti