Post # 1
Member
5001 posts
Bee Keeper
Has anyone here gotten a puppy (<1 year old) when you already have an older dog? Our dog is turning 13 this year, and while she is still doing really well, she won’t be around forever and we would kind of like to get another dog while she is still fairly active.
She is pretty good with other dogs- we can let her off leash at the dog park or bring her to friends’ houses who have friendly dogs. She has snapped before at other aggressive dogs or when playing too hard, but overall she is pretty good. That said, she has never lived with another dog and I kind of worry that a puppy will drive her nuts in her old age. I don’t want to ruin her golden years!
I work from home about 75% of the time and we don’t have any kids yet, so this seems like a good time. If we wait until our dog isn’t around anymore, we will likely have a baby so it wouldn’t be a great time to get another dog. I kind of feel like we need to do it now before our dog slows down too much, or wait a while.
Thoughts?? How did it go when you introduced a puppy to your older dog? Did it keep them young or just irritate them? What about when the older dog started going down hill?
Post # 2
Member
4047 posts
Honey bee
It can definitely go well!
When I was still at home, my family got a puppy (10 weeks). Our other dog was probably around 8 years old at that point. She was actually fairly aggressive and protective too. She wasn’t socialized well as a puppy, so she wasn’t used to other dogs except for one she encountered who attacked her.
They were totally fine though. The older dog wasn’t aggressive or anything, but you could tell she was annoyed! Hah. The puppy wanted to play and nip at her all the time, and the older dog would just give her a look and walk away when she was tired of it.
This went on for a few weeks, with the older dog not wanting anything to do with the puppy. But then slowly but surely she began playing a bit, and soon enough they were buds. It’s been around 5 years now, and they get along great. Never had a problem.
So don’t be alarmed if they aren’t buddies right away. They’ll get used to each other. Give the older dog a break sometimes and play with the puppy alone. Then play with the older dog alone. Make sure they get individual attention.
And of course, introduce the puppy slowly at first, and see if your current dog does react well and if it will be a good fit.
Post # 3
Member
6009 posts
Bee Keeper
RunnerBride13: Long story short, I got a puppy when my dog was older and she really liked playing with him. She looooves puppies. But she stopped as he got bigger than her and honestly I think he caused her some back problems. Puppies are definitely a pain in the butt for anything, including when it comes to an older dog. Fast forward, I still have older dog, first puppy lives with ex, I’ve adopted 3 more dogs and one is a puppy that tries to play with her from time to time. I definitely make sure he’s not in her face because she’ll be 16 soon!!
Now, having said all that (and there are long back stories – they are all rescues), you could adopt a dog that is 1 or 2 and some of that crazy puppy-ness will be out of them. I swore I’d never get another puppy. Love them though I do, they are a paaaaain. I got my old dog when she was 2.5 and it was perfect! Pretty much potty trained. More mellow.
Anyway, whatever you do, good luck! It’ll be FUN!
Post # 4
Member
8610 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
Ehhh I don’t think I would get a puppy with a 13 year old dog, especially if she’s never lived with another dog before. That’s a big adjustment IMO. I could never forgive myself if she didn’t like the puppy for whatever reason.
Post # 5
Member
5001 posts
Bee Keeper
RedHeadKel: Yeah as much as I LOVE puppies, we could get a “teenager” and then maybe add a puppy when that one is alone, as it would probably be under 5 still.
Post # 6
Member
9139 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
- Wedding: November 2013 - St. Augustine Beach, FL
RunnerBride13: Do a test run by asking a few friends if you can dogsit for them. We did this with our dog and he did not react well. In fact, he had a stress induced seizure the next day. As a result we decided against getting another dog until after our Bru passes.
Post # 7
Member
5001 posts
Bee Keeper
beachbride1216: Awww!! My parents had geriatric Golden Retrievers and we were able to bring some puppies over to see how they would react. Our male, who had never even growled before, snapped at a puppy that was chasing his back legs because he had hip displasia and was really sensitive. Needless to say, we didn’t get the puppies! The Goldens lived to be 14 and 16 though 🙂
Post # 8
Member
7437 posts
Busy Beekeeper
In my experiences, getting a puppy seems to age the older dog quite rapidly.