Interactions with Mature Dogs

[YOLO]

We have been thinking about adding our next dog to our family.

We have two Flatties, Jasper 14 and Chloe 7.
Am thinking of perhaps a Goldie.

 

There are good reasons for getting any new dog before Jasper passes, but what is very important to me, is that Jasper (14) never feels that he has been supplanted. I THINK Jasper would accept/love a puppy. He still loves to play, and I think he would be good with a puppy.

 

We have been "fortunate" in that both Jasper and Chloe were "rescues." Would love to rescue again, but thinking that would be hard with Jasper and Chloe.

I highly doubt he would accept another adult dog.
And even a "young adult" would likely be too mature for Jasper.

My big concern is how fast the puppy will grow up, and whether it would quickly become too much for jasper?

Edited October 26, 2018 by Big D

[Tassie]

Love the way you're thinking.   It sounds as though a Goldie pup would be a good fit.  and really, it would be a matter of observing and managing to be sure Jasper is not being overwhelmed.  With puppy pen, and crates, it should be very doable, I'd think.  Your hope would be that the pup would be playing with Chloe .. so maybe a male pup would be good.   I got 2 pups .. 7 weeks apart (not intending that they would be so close) when my first dog was 14, and ageing gracefully.   She really enjoyed her last years, lying around watching the youngsters, and occasionally joining in.    In your situation, I'd go ahead with the plan.

[sandgrubber]

Sounds good for a puppy.  14 is old, and Jasper could end out with pains before the pup is mature, but flatties tend to be very tolerant, and older dogs can teach a puppy to back off.  Presuming the puppy is reasonably sensible. If you have trouble finding a Goldie, you might consider either a lab or a pointer (not a GSP, they're inclined to be very rambunctious)... or another flattie. 

[Dogsfevr]

Can you get council approval for 3 dogs would be my first question given your WA .

 

Personally if your 2 are happy I would enjoy the time you have with your oldest still feeling special ,

Yes it could work ,it could also not work ,the 3 dog will take valuable time away from your oldie 

[YOLO]

I should have mentioned that I have 4 Adult children who all love dogs, so much so that there is competition between the humans for doggy affection.
The new dog would "blong" to one of them, even though it's one big happy family.

Jasper will always be my favourite.  I just want to be sure he always knows that.

[The Spotted Devil]

For me it’s about management. Can I make sure the older dogs are not constantly harassed by the younger one? Can I be certain that I won’t use the older dogs as a “baby sitter”? How am I going to keep them separated? How am I going to keep the youngster entertained, trained and exercised given that all 3 dogs will have vastly different requirements? Am I prepared to walk, feed and socialise them separately? Can I afford the vet bills given that very young and very old dogs will likely have more vet visits? Etc....

 

 

[YOLO]

Well one of the interactions is a little strange.

Jasper is fine.  He's a little curious, but otherwise mostly ignores the puppy.  I'm hoping that once she learns to play tuggies and fetch she will provide some engagement for him, for a while st least.

 

However the problem has been our 7 yr old bitch Chloe.  She seems almost afraid of the puppy, and can become quite defensive/aggressive.

[RuralPug]

Puppy is being taught about Chloe's personal space.. Puppies in general are a bit dim about that and if puppy won't listen to Chloe's warnings. they will eventually escalate past moving away and glares and growls and snaps to a bite.

Make sure that Chloe has her space by separating the puppy when you can't actively supervise them together. Puppy will eventually learn but in order to survive the learning experience it is best that you supervise the process..

Edited September 27, 2018 by RuralPug
fat finger typos

[Dogsfevr]

You need to remember Chloe grew up with a mature dog ,she has grown up with a different style of company through her adult stages .

She is not use to it .

She needs her space and needs to not fell overwhelmed .

 

[Dogsfevr]

You need to remember Chloe grew up with a mature dog ,she has grown up with a different style of company through her adult stages .

She is not use to it .

She needs her space and needs to not fell overwhelmed .

 

[YOLO]

There is a problem I didn't anticipate, bringing a Lab~Kelp puppy home to two Flatties.
Unfortunately, to her, they are just big walking ROPES.  So teaching that playing tuggies with Chloe's tail is not acceptable, is a neverending battle. 

Jasper is actually improving.  When she's not being too annoying he will lick the puppy and start the beginnings of play. 

 

Chloe, yes unfortunately just doesn't know wtf this thing is.  She knows she's not allowed to kill it, but beyond that does not seem to recognise it as a Puppy or even a dog.  She loves to play with other dogs, including my other "grandchildren" so I'm hoping it will improve once Seven grows into an actual dog.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Big D

[RuralPug]

It is a big job to socialise a puppy - if you can get the puppy through the puppy stage then then Chloe will happily accept him once he has learned his manners. Meantime it's your job to keep puppy separate except for those times you can ACTIVELY supervise (yes, that never ending job!).
 

It is perfectly normal for young puppies to hang off/swing off adult ears, tails and anything else they can reach - and equally normal for adult dogs to have very little patience with that!
In Chloe's case, if she never has met many puppies, she won't know how to gently discipline the pup, which leaves you with the job of actively supervising so that pup is immediately removed when he does swing off tails/ears etc. 
 

This is why so many breeders recommend puppy pens as an aid to puppy growing up safely - in the case of a larger breed like a lab you might choose to crate train the puppy. This ties in nicely with him learning social manners and getting plenty of sleeptime to grow in, as well. Google crate training if you are not sure, or ask your breeder for tips.
 

Puppy should be getting a lot of separate attention at this time anyway from his designated training human (with back up from the rest of the household) to learn basic sit/stay/come/wait walk without pulling - that training plus a lot of other brainwork enrichment will tire puppy out nicely so that less time is spent harassing the older dogs. 10 minutes training three times a day plus 10 minutes puzzles or trick training (learning fetch etc) a couple of other times in the day will exhaust puppy nicely!
 

Yes, it is a lot of work - but you will see results inside a month or two at the longest and then all your dogs can enjoy each other!

[YOLO]

At our wits end with this.

We were so worried about how 14 year Jasper would react, that we just assumed 7yr old Chloe would be less of a problem.  Could not have been more wrong.
We had my daughters young (6 months?) "Groodle" around last Christmas, and Chloe loved it.  Followed her around, played with her, and pined when she left.

We even tried the old scent-transfer trick when we first got the puppy, in the hopes of helping Chloe "bond."  Didn't work.

Jasper, despite being old, crotchety, and perhaps a little senile, is fine with the puppy.  He will lick her and even try playing tuggies (but is too accustomed to Chloe, so not very gentle with his tugs.)
 

[YOLO]

Things seem to be moving along ok.

Fortunately Chloe is a Deep sleeper.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Big D

[YOLO]

Seven seems to have designated Chloe as her Surrogate Mother.
Which would be fine accept that Chloe thinks Seven is some form of rodent that she should be allowed to kill.

Seven waits for her to fall asleep, then snuggles up.