Introducing a new puppy to an adult dog; Rodrigo (adult) and Blue (puppy).
Established dogs can take a bit of time to warm up to rowdy new puppies galloping into their personal space. Introduce them on neutral territory at first before bringing baby home and you will set yourself up for success. Once they are under the same roof, let the play bows begin.
Recently a client introduced a new lab puppy to her established pit bull mix. The puppy plays quite roughly and bites fairly hard, so I suggested a large, plush toy as a buffer. We already knew that the pit bull mix was not toy possessive, so I hoped the needle teeth of the puppy would find the plush toy just as attractive as furry flesh. In this video of their first play session together, you can see that the pit bull mix, named Keelo, was not fully engaged but was willing to go along with it since he had a supportive audience. Once the puppy leaves the toy and latches onto his neck, Keelo makes an excellent decision: he leaves the room.
Amy Robinson spent her childhood absorbing Lassie movies and practicing her future dog training skills on all her neighbors’ dogs. Now in her twenty-second year as a respected pro, Amy has earned national recognition and logged many television appearances. Her Drool School DVD for kids and dogs earned a Parents’ Choice Award and a ‘Two Paws Up!’ review from Booklist. Amy is D.A.R.T. certified by the HSUS for disaster animal rescue and raced to help pets in peril on the Gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina. She is an certified evaluator and team member for Therapy Dogs International. Her rescued bully mix, Mac, is a favorite at local nursing homes and with neighborhood children.
October 16, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Jasmine has always been amazing with exercising control over her corrections. The funniest one was when a rambunctious Chi was going to jump up (on hubby, actually) in a manner Jasmine did not approve.
Jasmine just took a breath in order to execute a growl. The Chi noticed that, thought better of it and didn’t jump up. Jasmine held the growl she’s already taken a breath for. I thought that was really cool.
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Jana Rade recently published..Dog Cartoon Of The Week: We’ll Have The Homework
Twitter: DawgBlogger
October 17, 2012 at 6:47 am
Isn’t amazing how dogs interact with each other? I just love it. Our dogs are extremely patience with the puppy. When Blue first joined our family he was so little and Rodrigo would just lay in the grass while this little puppy jumped all over him, biting his ears, etc. He is still very patient with him and tolerates a lot of things that he wouldn’t tolerate were it another dog.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 21, 2012 at 7:20 am
Having just brought 2 puppies (littermates) into our home with our established 4 year old, I can say that these are excellent tips! Heidi was very eager to play, but had to be taught how to play appropriately with the tiny babies. She would throw herself into that on-the-back, wriggling puppy posture, but would often catch one of the 7-lb pups under her 40-lb butt! Much yelping and confusion ensued. Heidi is definitely not a “natural” and has somewhere around zero maternal instinct, but she is SO social that there is already a bond there. It takes some extra vigilance on my part, but luckily, I have the time and inclination and I’m really enjoying watching them develop together.
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Audra recently published..In which the puppies get their first taste of roller coaster fun.
Twitter: scarletvirago
October 21, 2012 at 11:36 am
Wow. That has got to be so much fun. I remember when our puppies were small. They were pretty amazing and so much fun. The picture I have of your 4 year old playing just cracks me up.
Take lots of pictures!!!
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
November 11, 2012 at 11:57 am
I never done something without knowing all the important aspects first. Same goes to introduce puppy to an adult dog.
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Andre Joe recently published..3 Critical Aspects That You Should Know About Older Dogs
Twitter: cepuma5