If you're like many people who currently share their homes with an older canine companion, you've had many happy years with your furry friend and are looking forward to many more. However, you also may be wanting to bring a new puppy into your home to add to the job of having a dog in your life but are nonetheless wondering if your current dog will accept a newcomer in its domain — after all, dogs are territorial creatures. Fortunately, you can help facilitate harmony in your home when introducing a new dog to the old one by following the three strategies listed below.
Don't Throw the Two Together
One of the worst things you can do when you bring a new puppy home is to simply leave it on its own with your other dog and expect the two of them to work it out together. The puppy should be given a chance to process its new environment and get used to being away from its mother and siblings before being expected to make friends with a strange dog — and by the same token, your other dog should be given the chance to process the existence of a new puppy in the home before the two of them are left alone together for any significant period of time.
Introduce the dogs slowly in a neutral area, and let them set the pace. If either shows signs of aggression or annoyance, it's time to cut the session short.
Establish Separate Feeding Areas
You can cut down on a lot of conflict and rivalry between the two dogs by establishing separate feeding areas from the start. Your older dog is naturally going to view the puppy as competition for its food source, and your puppy will feel threatened by a larger and older animal in the vicinity of its food. Puppies also require a different type of food than their older counterparts — growing bones and muscles need a high-protein diet in order to thrive, but older dogs have different dietary needs.
Supervise Their Play Sessions
Short, supervised play sessions provide an extremely effective way to get your dogs used to one another. However, these should never be allowed to occur unsupervised, and the first sign of aggression should serve as a sign that it's time for the play session to come to an end. It shouldn't take longer than a couple of weeks for the two to become best friends for life.
If you believe you are ready to bring a puppy into the home, start looking for Goldendoodle puppies for sale.
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