A new puppy in the house

Question
I currently have a 5 year old English bulldog Ira (Male) neutered. He has been through a lot in life and is not comfortable with change. I have had him since he was 3 (when my dad passed away) he was my dads. When we took him he was already accustomed to all of us so he settled in nicely. We recently purchased another English bulldog puppie. He is 10 weeks Male (Angus) is like any other puppie wants to play and pounce nip etc. We have only had him 2 weeks now and I have him in a kennel so IRA can sniff him and get use to his presence. I take Angus out everynight for a few hours and let him roam the house. IRA does not like this and does nothing but bark and growl. They have made some progress as I can let them both outside together (supervised of course) People have told me it takes months for an older dog to get used to another dog in the house. Am I just being impatient?? I assume it will take some time for everyone to adjust. But I was wondering if there was anything eles I could do to make IRA comfortable with the change as you can probably tell he holds a special place in my heart. I love the puppie and we just love bullies!! But IRA and I have been through quite a bit together. Any suggestions or do I just need to be patient. I am one of those people who thinks everything will go according to plan and have learned with a puppie that never happens !!. He is the sweetest thing though.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time!!

Answer
Hi Wendy,

Yes, it can take a resident dog a month or longer to adapt to a newcomer. You can't force it, as the dogs adjust to one another and find a middle ground, things will get better, one day you just might find them sleeping together.

Of course, it's also possible that the two dogs might never be "best buds", but only learn tolerate each other. There's no way of knowing how things will develop.

It sounds as though you're doing everything right. Allowing the dogs supervised play sessions outside is really helpful in helping them form bonds, and to work out social standings between them.

Reward good behavior. This is a new situation for both dogs, reward them with playtime or treats and praise so that they know that they are moving in the right direction. When Ira growls or barks at Angus, offer a correction (tell him "NO", or "Quiet") Make it clear that you're the one in charge of the "pack", and YOU are the one who must be obeyed.

Give Ira some extra time to be alone with you. Take him with you more often on errands, a walk in a favorite park, a car ride, etc. These little special moments will let him know that he's still special to you!

Before the age of 4 months, puppies may not recognize subtle body postures from adult dogs which are signals they have had enough. Well-socialized adult dogs with good temperaments can set limits with puppies with a growl or snarl during playtime. These behaviors should be allowed. Angus can learn a lot from Ira, but keep supervising them until you're sure that the puppy won't get hurt. By the same measure, you must protect Ira from being
"overwhelmed" by Angus's energy level.

For the most part, dogs adjust to puppies easily, but it is wise to keep the introduction process slow and controlled. Be patient!

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti
(PS. I love Bulldogs too).