Introducing a new puppy to an older dog

[ajohnston]

I have rescued a puppy and have found a potential home for her, however the couple is very concerned that the lab they have may hurt the new puppy. She has shown aggression to other dogs before. The puppy is very hyper and likes to rough and tumble with my dogs. Any suggestions or advise on how to introduce them so they will get along would be greatly appreciated.

[Angie]

Hi there
There are a couple things you can do to ensure the meeting goes as smoothly as possible.
1: Make sure BOTH dogs are fully exercised, especially the older one. Take the lab for a long walk, and practice a couple of minutes of obedience work too to make sure she's tuned in to your authority, and that she's not going to be tense or agitated from having too much energy.
2: Introduce them in a neutral setting. Don't bring the puppy straight into the new house - let them have a sniff around (and hopefully a play) in a place that neither of them are particularly familiar with. A good bet is a park that the Lab hasn't been to before (and so will not have had a chance to develop territorial feelings about). If they get on here, then bring them back to the house together and let them continue to play.
3. Keep toys and treats out of the mix. Even the friendliest dogs can get snarly or aggressive if they think another dog's getting something they want. Let them romp around if they feel like it, but keep toys out of it.
4. Give them a chance to adjust to each other before you start involving yourself. If they're getting snappy, then yes break it up, but otherwise it's best if you give them some space. Keep an eye on them, but do it from a distance unless your intervention is necessary.
5. The Lab will definitely be the dominant dog - all puppies are submissive, and the Lab sounds like she has assertive/aggressive qualities anyway. If so, it will make it easier on everyone if the Lab gets the lion's share of everything. Pat the Lab first, let her go through doorways before the pup, and never let the puppy do anything that she isn't allowed to do (like get up on furniture). The more you do to confirm your Lab's dominant position, the less likely she will feel it necessary to prove her dominance through her own actions.
Hope this helps.
- Angie

[tlkng1]

Along wth Angie's great reply ...when I brought a second dog into the house, the one thing I always make sure of is that my first dog is first in everything. Her food bowl goes down first, she is first in and out the door or car, she is first and last to get petted and first to get any treats. Other than having a slight problem with sharing her toys, the two are getting along great. I solved the toy problem by basically getting two of the same toy. This way, the older dog can't figure out wich one is really hers.

My pair are a 3 year old lab/chow/border mix and the new dog is (now) an 11 month old lab/chesapeake bay retriever mix.

Terese

[chopper and tulip]

hi.we have just got a male maltese shitzu puppy.we adore him and he us.problem is one very grumpy eight yr old female maltese terrier.she is unimpressed.i swear she greases us off constantly.puppy loves her to bits but if she is annoyed by him in any way she growls real deep and if he doesnt back off she jumps on him really pins him down and stands over him growling for a bit.puppy seems an fazed and generally when she gets off him he lies batting his legs at her to play.brave boy.it has progressed now to the older grump growling at us if we touch her and she thinks it is the pup.we remove her immeidiately from our company.any thoughts from other dog lovers would be awesome ta much

[Lyka_01]

I guess you can introduced the puppy to the old dog with a bit of fun...try to do some activities for them which they can mingle with out having war...