Adding a puppy to your family when you have an older dog can be a lot of fun, but it can also bring about some challenges. A puppy can inspire an older dog to be more playful and be more active. However, depending on your older dog鈥檚 health and temperament, a puppy can also cause conflict in the home.
When bringing home a new puppy, it鈥檚 important to carefully manage not only the initial introductions between your existing dog and a puppy, but also to supervise and support positive interactions moving forward. While adult dogs can be a helpful resource for teaching puppies appropriate behaviors, a key part of responsible dog ownership is understanding your older dog鈥檚 needs and not relying on them to train a new puppy good behaviors.
Would Your Dog Benefit From a New Puppy?
Before bringing a puppy home, it鈥檚 important to be honest about your adult dog鈥檚 temperament and level of training. If you have an adult dog who is dog-reactive or who dislikes other dogs, it can be very challenging to get a puppy. In these situations, you must consider if you have the time, resources, and space to manage if the dogs need to live separately within the house. This could be a temporary situation if the older dog adapts to the presence of the puppy or could be a permanent arrangement.
If your dog likes to play with other dogs, they might still struggle with having a puppy in the house. 鈥淓ven though you may have a dog who gets along really well with puppies, it doesn鈥檛 mean they will get along with a puppy in their own home. It鈥檚 very different to have a puppy visiting you vs one that is there 24/7,鈥� explains PhD, DVM, DACVB Fear Free Elite, Low Stress Handling Certified, who is a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and the co-founder of Synergy Veterinary Behavior. With that in mind, there are things that dog owners can do to help set both older dogs and puppies up for success with cohabitation and reduce conflict between dogs.
Before You Get a Puppy
Dr. Valli encourages dog owners to be proactive with helping older dogs adjust even before a new puppy comes home. 鈥淭he first thing I would do is take the older dog into your vet, and make sure the older dog is healthy.鈥� She notes that it鈥檚 important to identify and address any arthritis or other sources of pain before a puppy comes into the house. This is important because any kind of physical discomfort can increase reactivity for a dog and potentially increase the likelihood of conflict between dogs and puppies. In addition to pain management, you may also want to investigate other supportive treatments if your older dog has chronic health conditions, such as canine massage therapy.
In addition to making sure your older dog鈥檚 health is in a good place, we also want to consider their level of training. 鈥淏efore you get a new dog, be as confident as possible that your current dog is in a good place emotionally and behaviorally,鈥� Dr. Valli encourages. The added distraction and stimuli of a puppy in the house is likely to exacerbate any ongoing behavioral issues, so working on training before bringing a puppy home is best. Otherwise, you鈥檒l be finding yourself doing remedial training with your older dog and puppy basics at the same time.
The Importance of Supervision
It鈥檚 impossible to stress enough the importance of supervised interactions between older dogs and puppies. As much as we want our puppy and older dog to get along, that doesn鈥檛 always happen overnight. Even when dogs and puppies are getting along, they鈥檙e still dogs and accidents can happen, potentially resulting in injuries. Proper introductions between your new puppy and your older dog are important, but that鈥檚 just the beginning of helping them form a healthy relationship.
Dr. Valli notes that a mistake that many dog owners make is that they鈥檒l replicate interactions like they see on TV where a new puppy comes home, the older dog sniffs the puppy, and everything is fine moving forward. She notes that the older dog will show signs that they鈥檙e uncomfortable with the puppy as these behaviors continue. These signs of stress are ignored, and then the older dog snaps at the puppy later, and dog owners feel like the aggressive incident came out of nowhere.
Dr. Valli encourages owners to pay special attention to the of their dogs. 鈥淛ust because two dogs are playing or appear to be playing doesn鈥檛 mean they are comfortable,鈥� she explains. Watch your dogs鈥� body language closely as they鈥檙e playing. Does your older dog initiate play? Dr. Valli advises that older dogs can seem like they鈥檙e having fun with a puppy, but they end up engaging in 鈥渄efensive play鈥� because the puppy is constantly bothering them. The result is the other dog engaging in play just to get the interaction over with, but they aren鈥檛 actually having fun. This can build frustration in your older dog which can lead to conflict between the dogs later.
Supervision and careful monitoring of interactions between dogs and puppies is important, regardless of the size of the dog and puppy. However, the bigger the size difference, the easier that an injury can occur, even accidentally in play. This is true if you have a large puppy and a smaller older dog or a small puppy and a larger older dog. Dogs should always be supervised while interacting or playing, but when you have a significant size difference between dogs, supervision is even more important so that rough play can be appropriately interrupted and redirected.
Give Older Dogs Breaks
Puppies can be exhausting! It鈥檚 a lot of work to bring a puppy home, which can be stressful for dog owners. Even when older dogs and puppies get along great, they still need breaks from time to time. Don鈥檛 wait for one of the dogs to get frustrated. If you notice that either dog is getting tired, frustrated, or disengaged, it鈥檚 important to step in. Consider interrupting a play session and play with the puppy yourself or enforce some separate rest time in a crate, playpen, or other puppy-safe area of your home away from your older dog.
Dogs Need Space
Dr. Valli explains that dog owners bringing home a puppy need to have a set-up where the puppy has their own contained area. She explains that this can be helpful with house training and cutting down on chewing inappropriate items. Plus, it can help foster a good relationship between the dogs. By limiting interactions between dogs to when they can be directly supervised, you decrease the likelihood of conflict developing. Using a can allow a puppy to be part of daily activity while being separate from the older dog when you cannot fully supervise their interactions. This setup also allows the puppy to have a safe space to be when your older dog gets tired and needs a break from play.
Make Time for Training
All dogs benefit from training. While it鈥檚 best to have your older dog鈥檚 training in an established place before bringing a puppy home, it鈥檚 important to continue training together without the puppy鈥檚 involvement. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for them to be separated from each other and be able to do things and do cues in each other鈥檚 presence and each other鈥檚 absence,鈥� explains Dr. Valli. Training is a way of building communication with your dog. Dr. Valli encourages dog owners to make sure they spend time teaching and reinforcing training cues with their dogs to strengthen their bond and connection.
Don鈥檛 Make Your Dog Correct the Puppy
When it comes to getting used to our routines, puppies can learn a lot from watching older dogs. However, we don鈥檛 want to rely on our older dogs to train or raise our puppies. Dr. Valli noted that one of the big myths is that dogs can work out issues by themselves. She explains that a problem of letting dogs navigate conflict together is that puppies often aren鈥檛 socially savvy enough to recognize when an older dog has had enough. Older dogs can also overcorrect puppies, or correct repeatedly, with the puppy not understanding or not responding as expected. As a result, the puppy keeps going back and interacting with the older dog who is becoming increasingly frustrated. The result can be a fracturing of the relationship being built between the older dog and the puppy.
In this case, the puppy can become frightened of the older dog after being corrected. Dr. Valli explains that, depending on your puppy鈥檚 temperament, they may also take the correction as a challenge, which can lead to conflict escalating between the dogs and a fight breaking out. Dog owners must be involved in any interactions between their older dog and a new puppy, especially while their relationship is still in its early stages. If you notice your puppy playing rudely with your older dog, step in and redirect the play yourself.
The Complication of Puberty
Don鈥檛 forget that puppies are actively growing and changing. While your dog and puppy might get along great when first introduced, their relationship will continue to evolve. Many dogs may tolerate rude and playful behavior from very young puppies, but that can change as puppies get older. Dr. Valli explains that when puppies start to hit puberty, between the time they鈥檙e 6 months to a year old, an older dog may become less tolerant of their behaviors. As your puppy is reaching maturity, continue paying close attention to canine body language to ensure interactions are still positive between your older dog and puppy. If you notice uncomfortable body language from either dog, separate or redirect their interactions.
Get Support if Needed
It鈥檚 never too early to reach out for professional support when it comes to dogs and puppies living together in the home. It can even be useful to start working with a dog trainer before bringing a puppy home. A dog trainer who utilizes positive reinforcement training approaches can help you refresh training plans with your older dog and help you prepare the home environment for adding a puppy.
They can also help you identify what interactions between dog and puppy are normal, and what could signify a potentially larger problem. If you鈥檙e struggling with introductions or see any kind of avoidant or aggressive behavior between your dogs, Dr. Valli recommends seeking professional support sooner rather than later. In the most serious cases of aggression or avoidance, you may also be referred to a veterinary behaviorist through your veterinarian, who may suggest medication support for your dog or puppy, in addition to training.