New Puppy - Would you allow it to bond with existing dog?

Don't take the title thread too literally - it was the most descriptive title I could fit into the space allowed!

We're getting a second Beagle pup on Saturday. He'll be 7 weeks old. Our little girl Beagle is a year old.

Beagles are very sociable animals and all our Beagle owning friends assure us that they'll bond instantly and will be fine sleeping together in a crate from day one. I don't doubt this.

Up until today our thought has been that provided the pup bonds with Beanie it'll be plain sailing. So all of our preparations have revolved around making sure they spend lots of time together. Of course they'd be separated for walks, training, obedience classes etc. And our little girl Beagle has lots of hobies like racing, swimming and agility. But the pup could go along and watch until he's old enough to join in.

Last night I had a little chat with our obedience training instructor and she strongly advised me to keep them apart most of the time for the first FEW MONTHS! She says that the little one will readily bond with Beanie and won't bother to form a relationship with us. And worse still he's likely to become so dependant upon Beanie that he'll be nervous and lacking in confidence without her.

I have to say, most of the two and more Beagle families that we know have this problem. One dog won't go anywhere without the other. These dogs AREN'T confident and self-assured like our little (up until now) only dog.

So I guess I'm looking to hear your experiences. I'd like to hear from people that let the new pup bond right away with the older dog, and from those that kept the dogs apart until the new pup had bonded with the owner.

I don't agree with your trainer really. I think as long as you do walks seperate, training seperate and make yourself as interesting to the pup as you can then you should be ok.

Is your trainer very interested in competition obidience? This might be why she is suggesting it. If you are more interested in a happy friendly family pet i would carry on doing what you are doing and making sure that the pup is seperated from the older dog at least once a day, to rest and to give Beanie a chance to have some time off and some time with you .

I have heard this from Obedience people as well. Apparently they keep the pup in a room on its own so it only bonds with them, which to me sounds dreadful and I just couldn't do it.
I did the biggest NO ever when I took 2 litter sisters, it wasn't planned that way, but thats the way it happened I am not going to say it has been easy or plain sailing by any means. And they are bonded to each other, but they are also bonded to me. I started as I meant to go on, so that meant that sometimes I was with both of them, i.e. on walks, and other times I did one to one training with the other one nearby so they could see what was going on, there was barking and stuff at the beginning, but they gradually settled into the routine I made for them. Still have some issues obviously, but it was my choice to do it, and then only after a lot of conversations witht the breeder. Depends on the amount of time you are willing to spend with them as well I think. I work for myself from home, so am there with them a lot anyway. Maybe if they were on their own all day without any input from me it would be different. I do make sure they go on individual walks with me so they have their own 'me' time when we do things together, and they love it.
Everyone has their own opinions on this anyway so you will end up following your gut instincts I suspect.

I also met someone at a training workshop who, although they used positive methods, were, IMO, obsessed with obedience.

They had a collie pup in a cage and people were asked not to talk to it at all. The pup was let out of the cage regularly, but not to play, the only interaction they had when outside of the cage was to go to the toilet and train.

Needless to say i was absolutly disgusted. It sounded to me as if they were buildng an obidience winning machine for their own benefit and not the dogs.

I don't have Beagles but in my experience it is a bit of a balancing act. They do have a tendancy to focus totally on the older dog and you have your work cut out sometimes to restrict this. You do want them to bond but not be dependant. Mine have always slept seperately for many months, sometimes upto a year, crated side by side. It makes it easier for the new pup to settle knowing the other is close by. Train them as individuals, walk them often as individuals etc. not just while they are young but still have individual sessions as they get older. Mine are totally bonded and for the first few moments when singled out they look longingly for the others but hey once they're out and about they don't give them a second thought, well until they get home and have to show off about being the special one today.

We did it a bit backwards - our ten week old pup came home and only two weeks later, my mum almost had to give up her dog, so I volunteered to foster him for a while.
I don't see how we could have kept them separate for several months One of the favourite times of the day was when dinner was over, the dogs were fed, and we all snuggled up on the sofa to watch a movie. As the weather got colder and we started using the fire, the dogs would take turns to sprawl in front of it and would come for a cuddle when it wasn't their turn.
We found both dogs were affectionate with us in their own way, and when one of them decided they had had enough of the other, they would come and sit quietly with us.
We ensured that both dogs had one on one time with us and training was done separately, as they found each other far too distracting. We had Sam for almost six months and while the dogs did spend a lot of time playing together and bonding (only to be expected, really), my OH and I were still very much "included" in their games. We were the source of food, comfort, love and first aid, and often a "safe haven" when the game got too boisterous. We had Sam for almost six months before my mum could take him back, and I don't regret a moment of it.

Now, our "puppy" is going to be playing big sister to a new youngster, and I cannot think of a way to ensure that both dogs get equal attention and affection whilst keeping them apart, unless my OH and I sit in separate rooms with them! The puppy will have a crate and a "space" of his own, as will our existing dog, but I don't see the harm in allowing them to bond. So long as both dogs can have one on one time with you to reaffirm their bond with you, and have a bolt hole for when they need a bit of space, I don't think there's any need to keep the dogs apart.

I'm sure there will be some who disagree with me, though

That is exactly what I meant about some of the Obedience people I have spoken to, it is more about some sort of machine than a pet. Another thing I have heard and don't know if it is true or not, is that they take the pups from 6 weeks before they have had chance to bond with their litter mates so as to make sure they are completely focused on them and no one else.
I go training with my 2, but it is about making sure they are not a nuisance to other people and will be an asset to me rather than a liability. We would never ever in a month of Sundays win anything and all I want is for them to lead happy doggy lives and have fun times with me.

Humm...difficult.

I don;t agress with the totally seperate - I think a pup can learn many useful things of a well behaved adult - things that we don't find it as easy to teach (manners and social ettiquette around other dogs for example) - that being said,......often becasue they are the same species they can bond with each other better than they can with us.

I was very careful with my first BC pup - all his walks were seperate from my older girl - but BC's are known for obsessive tendancies. I also did this with my new girl as wehn she was 10 weeks I started to observe her 'locking' on to my older bitch, she then didn;t walk with them AT ALL until she was about 6 months and then it was once or twice a week.

She is now 15 months and very fcused on the others...but..I can call her away if I need to.

SO..personally I would go for the seperate walks/ training etc and some seperation in the house...but definatley not total...Sorry...long way of saying I agree with you

Completely agree with you. I find it odd that people can become so into winning and having the best, and be able to see that it must of some detriment to the dog.

Maybe they would say i am not competitive enough, but i am competitive with myself rather than against a set of standards someone else has designed.

yes, the other thing is that the pup gets taught 'pack manners' so will learn to behave properly quite early on having been given some short sharp lessons on what is acceptable.
Mine actually went through a stage of them both answering to the same name so I had to go back to the drawing board and find a way of getting them to answer to their own name
I can now have them sat together and call just the one over to me, and 'usually' it works, sometimes I get the wrong one, sometimes I get both, but most times I get the right one