Introducing New Pup

[NewPup]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forums, so apologise in advance if this subject has been done to death. I'm picking up a new pup in three weeks, she is a beautiful little english staffy. I have a 41/2 yo am staff who is gorgeous and well socialised (is besties with our little cat).

My pup is ready to come home now, but I am leaving her with the breeder an extra few weeks as I have 5 weeks off from work soon, so thought that was the best time to bring her home. The pup and Diesel (the am staff) won't be left alone until they are really good together, but I'm just wondering if there are any tips or advice on introducing a new pup to a home that already has an adult dog?

I was told to get a pupy pen (like a baby play pen) that I can move inside or outside easily, though it would need to be strong steel so that Diesel was kept out aswell as the pup kept in. So the pup can be inside in it's own area and then we can have it outside as well but seperated from Diesel when we're not paying 100% attention to them.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated, oh and if anyone knows where to get a good puppy/dog play pen that is easy to move, that would be great too!

Thank you

NewPup

[Caesars mum]

I have just been through this process of bringing home a new puppy and having a 5 year old dog at home (boxer adult and Bullmastiff pup) . I have been really lucky with them and he just loves her to bits and lets her get away with everything from chewing on him, sleeping on him and eating out of his bowl.

As you have said it is a good idea not to leave them unsupervised together until they have bonded, but IMO and there a those on here with much more knowledge then me, they should spend as much time together as you can supervise while the pup is young so that they can bond.

be very careful at meal times and with treats as this can be a time when problems arise and I would feed them apart.

good luck with your new puppy

[NewPup]

Thanks Ceasar's mum, Your two are so cute (in your avatar) I will be spending the majority of the 5 weeks off with the two of them. Christmas is always Diesel's favourite time of the year with all the attention he gets!

Keep the advice coming, I was just told a horror story that a few months ago a friend of a friends dog killed their new pup, but she left them by themselves the entire day when she first got them, assuming they would be fine (don't worry I would never do anything like this)

Thanks

[chloebear]

Sorry can't offer any advice, but sounds great that you are waiting until you have time off to spend with the puppy and Diesel

[Caesars mum]

yes there have been a couple of threads of late on here of older dogs killing the new puppys. so if you do get a puppy pen it really does need to be very secure if you are going out. I would highly recommend that the pup be locked inside if you have to go out and leave them until you are absolutley sure.

Edited November 29, 2007 by Caesars mum

[GoldD]

Five weeks ago I bought home a golden pup to our home where we have a 3yo Pom X. We were told all sorts of different ways to introduce them. We ended up bringing Diesel (new) into the house first placing him on hubbys lap, let Rusty (old) in and watched the reaction. Within 2 minutes they were both on the floor rolling around going nuts. Five weeks later nothing has changed. I think it is really a case of watching their body language, making sure the older dog is fed first & is given plently of love etc. Only you will know the temperment of your older dog and whether he will take the continual play fighting a puppy dishes out. Be prepared for the odd puppy cry and growl as the older dog puts the pup in his place in your families pack. I do understand that we have been very lucky and it is fantastic that you have 5 full weeks before you leave them with each other - by then all should be well. Have fun!

[Cockerlover]

GOOD THINKIN (( having 5 weeks of to get dogs acustomed to each other ; )i have always found it better not to force one on to the other; just let them be (supervised OF corse )& judge for yourself the responce you get from the older dog to the puppy & riseversa;it may take the older 1 a few days to accept the new intrudor; but continue to treat old dog same as always ;feed separatly;but treat as equals ; theyll be cuddled up together in no time ;we hope; good luck

[kim21]

hi I had the same thing a few months ago bringing my baby boxer home to a 17yo kelpie cross. I bought a puppy play pen off ebay for about $70 which is an absolute bargin compared to the pet shops. I didn't let my pup go near the kelpie for almost 2months until I was sure he was old enough to have enough sense to at least run away if she tried anything. I kept my pup indoors except supervised visits outside with the 'oldie' safely inside. I think what helped was them being able to smell eachother through the flyscreen and and the time to get used to each other before they actually met without the wire between them. The reason I left it so long was because the kelpie (Sam) notoriously doesn't like other dogs and my boxer (Baz) jumps like anything on other dogs. I have to say they love each other now!

[NewPup]

I'm feeling good about the replies you've all given me, especially Kim seeing your older dog doesn't like others. We've named our pup Chilli and we pick her up in a few weeks. Diesel likes other dogs, but I just want to make sure I introduce them the best and safest way possible. I bought a puppy pen from ebay, and Chilli and Diesel won't be left alone unsupervised for a long time.

Any tips of how to introduce them? Do I just bring Chilli into the house and let Diesel smell her while I hold her? Maybe I'm thinking too much into this, I just don't want to upset Diesel or have him hurt Chilli if i do the wrong thing

Thanks for your advice

on a completely seperate tangent, at the dog beach yesterday there were two other Diesels! Boy was my Diesel confused, poor boy couldn't be everywhere at once, must be a popular name now

[peibe]

Goodluck with your new pup

I do not recommend feeding seperately though

While the pup is small I would crat her to feed, with your boy being feed first as he is Alpha dog but with them next to eachother so they can see eachother eat

Feeding a pup seperately can create food aggression as they mature

ETA, do not bring the puppy home and let them meet for the first time

If possible ask her breeder for a blanket that smell like the pup to bring home before you bring Chilli home, let Diesel smell this

When you pick her up take them to nuetral territory, remember Chilli has not had all her vaccinations so cannot be walked on a public street etc yet

I would have her in a crate and let him smell her at a friends house or a few houses up from your own, then bring her home after 20 minutes or when he is not so excited,

Keep her in the crate at your home, let him explore then let her out to look around while he is in the crate

Swap them over a few times and put them both on lead and see how things go

a well socialised adult dog should not harm a puppy delierately

Edited December 4, 2007 by peibe

[NewPup]

Thanks Peibe, I was thinking when I get home with Chilli that one of us stay home with her and one take Diesel to the beach (his favourite place in the world) and then introduce them when he comes back, because Diesel will be relaxed and happy. Then I thought maybe let them meet at the beach, but as you said she won't be fully vaccinated - so that's not a good idea! So maybe take him out for a walk and introduce them somewhere neutral close by. Is this beacuse he might get territorial that they can't meet in our house?

I didn't know that about the feeding, Diesel isn't really a food orientated dog so I can't imagine it being a real problem, but I'll move his bowl next to her pen for feed time.

Thanks for the tips, learning a lot from reading all the posts on this site :D

[peibe]

Making him tired is a good idea, an over excited adult can hurt a pup without meaning too

But yes, she cannot go to the beach until 2 weeks after her third vaccination at 18 weeks

Do not put her on the ground anywhere especially at the vets until she has had all her vaccinations too

He might not be real food orientated now but having to compete with another dog for food might bring it out in him

[NewPup]

also, regarding the blanket for him to smell, that might be a bit hard as she's a bit far away. When we came back from seeing Chilli on the weekend, Diesel had a very good sniff of us (which he always does when we've been patting other dogs). Would he remember that smell from one time?

(sorry if this is a stupid question, maybe you were saying he would need the blanket for a few weeks or something)

[peibe]

He would recognise the smell, dogs are great like that

Mine will recognise a dog that I fostered a year later

[cazxxz]

Ooh, a new addition! Congratulations you must be so excited.

I don't agree that the dogs should be fed together. I haven't found any information (other than peibe's anecdotal) that this will prevent resource guarding. They'll share toys, why should they share space when they eat?

My main concern however is that you intend to leave these two dogs together unsupervised. What's the saying? Never trust a pit not to fight? Even if Diesel absolutely loves every dog he meets, I personally don't think it's worth the risk to your dogs' health or your bank balance (stitches, antibiotics, surgery - all adds up and is easily prevented). Plenty of dogs survive the day with just a few toys, a bone and a kong as company and a comfy place to snooze.

Do you use NILIF in your home? That is useful for any dog, but might be extra helpful for your situation. There are some books that can help you to manage a multi-dog household, eg "Who moved my bone?" It even has a gorgeous pit/AmStaff on the cover

ETA: Multi-dog home

Edited December 7, 2007 by cazxxz

[kim21]

Glad my experience could be of use! The only advise I have is don't leave them unsupervised together until pup is old enough to look after himself! (And they are both good together) Good luck with the new puppy!!!

[NewPup]

Don't worry everyone (I know your just caring about the pup) the dogs won't be left unsupervised till they are ready, and until Chilli is big enough to handle any rough playing.

Cazxxz - I know you were just trying to give advice, but I was actually quite offended by you implying I can't trust my dog not to bite. I'm not going to encourage any breed bashing, and perhaps I shouldn't bother responding, but my dog has always been left alone with friends dogs (and cats) through all his life and he has never caused any trouble. Anyway, I'll leave that subject alone, just had to defend my beautiful boy!

I am interested in the NILIF method though, have been reading about it here and other places online, I have started to introduce it with Diesel, hard not patting him if he comes up to me though!!

[oceanaussi]

Hey Kim,

is this correct you brought a new puppy home while having a 17-YEAR-old Kelpie X?

I'm in a similar situation. I've got a 8-year-old Kelpie X and she doesn't mind other dogs - as long as there not too many and as long as they don't sniff her butt ) - and as long they're not in her yard. I'm getting a Weimaraner puppy early March and I also have 4 weeks off to get them sorted. I'm a bit scared how my old girl will react. She's very attached, tend to be jealous and doesn't like body contact. I just added a couple of Indian Ringnecks to my family and she leaves the room when they're there although they haven't even tried to harrass her. Not sure how she will react to the puppy...

My plan is to take the old girl to the groomer for a bath while I pick up the little boy from the airport. Then I drop the pup of at the groomer for a bath as well (so they smell similar´). The groomer is also next to the vet surgery so I can check the pup and the vet staff agreed to give me a hand introducing them there. A few people disagree with this as they think a vet visit is stressfull but my dog loves going to the vet (she only get her needles once a year but a treat every month), so that's really not an issue.

I then will drive the two of them home with the old girl in the cargo area and the pup crated on the backseats. I see how they go but I probably have the pup on the leash when the old girl is around so she can just leave and he cannot follow her. I also have a kind of shed with doors and windows next to a 10m fenceline. I will fence off the other side off it and will keep the puppy in there with the old girl just being around. I will also use this area to put the pup there when the old girl and I go for walks. I plan to feed them at the same time but a couple of meters away from each other and with me in between them.

My old girl lived with various other dogs and there was never an issue (only for the first few days she behaved a bit cranky and left out) but lately they were all older than her, so a puppy is something different. I honestly am very concerned but what else can I do?

The reason for me to get a pup now is that Hera is still young enought to teach the pup something as she's extremly obedient. Also Hera is my heart dog and if she would die I have the feeling I would die with her, but with another dog I know I gotta be strong and there for him. And I think he'll be the only reason to keep me out of hospital in the dreadful event.

Sorry, this is a long post but I'm curious to hear other peoples opinions too.

[cazxxz]

Cazxxz - I know you were just trying to give advice, but I was actually quite offended by you implying I can't trust my dog not to bite. I'm not going to encourage any breed bashing, and perhaps I shouldn't bother responding, but my dog has always been left alone with friends dogs (and cats) through all his life and he has never caused any trouble. Anyway, I'll leave that subject alone, just had to defend my beautiful boy!

I am interested in the NILIF method though, have been reading about it here and other places online, I have started to introduce it with Diesel, hard not patting him if he comes up to me though!!

I'm sorry for offending you.

I certainly didn't mean to offend you. The American Pit Bull Terrier is my favourite breed and that is why I was compelled to recommend that you never leave your dogs together unsupervised. It's obviously your decision. I have an AmStaff mutt and I won't ever leave him with another dog unsupervised. Not because I think he will start a fight, continue a fight or anything of the sort, but because his ancestors were bred to be dogfighting champions. They were selected for their dog aggression. That is not your fault, that is not my fault, that is absolutely not the breed's fault.

If anything happened, I would never be able to forgive myself and I would be devastated. It is simply not worth the risk to me.

I know what you mean about NILIF, but my dog relaxes when I get home pretty quickly, and after a couple of minutes is very excited when I finally call him over

[kim21]

Yup thats correct. They didn't meet each other properly for about three weeks tho coz puppy baz was too silly still and old lady sam (kelpie) was very suspicious. They just met thru the flyscreen in this time (coz Baz was indoors at all times unless supervised outside!) Now sam loves baz and thinks he is her boyfriend! But I purposefully made the introduction period as long and dragged out as possible. I think sam being able to get used to Baz's smell over the first month really helped!

I was so stressed about my 2 meeting but in the end it worked out fine, just took lotsa patience. And a excersise run/cage/ pen for new pup is the best thing by far so you don't have to trust them together when you arn't there to supervise! That was my best weapon! lol

Good luck with your two guys!!!