Having an older dog & puppy together?

I thought it would be a good time to get a puppy, while
Toffee is getting on a bit (12 in Sept) but still fairly
playful. My thoughts are that she would help to train
& guide the puppy over the first year or two, & she would
enjoy playing with it sometimes. On the other hand she
may hate sharing the house at this age & be very jealous.
I'd be interested in other people's experiences with this.
The puppy would be my teenage son's responsibility, so
it would spend a lot of time with him (hopefully) which
may help to ease the jealousy a bit.

i'v e just bought a new pup in ( 5 weeks ago) with 3 older dogs. 1 boy accepted her immeadiately, the other 2 are slowly coming round xx

I had 2 pups while my older girlwas 7 and it was great.. she was the surrogate mum for them and taught the everything ( also the bad bits, lol ) and even now, nearly 4 years later , she still is the alpha dog.. but I couldn't have done that while one of my other dogs was still alive as she would not have accepted them.. just make sure that you spread the attention and not just give it to the cute new pup..

I would definitlely go for it. We had an older Kerry Blue who had a bit of arthritis and when we got a puppy called Rosie (my Sally's mum), it gave her a new lease of life. She totally adopted Rosie and started enjoying her walks more. They became really close before she passed away. I think she really enjoyed the company of another dog and Rosie who was ten weeks old when we got her settled in really easily and would snuggle up.

Thanks, it does sound like the best way to go!

It depends on the indivdual dog and pup. It can give an older dog a new lease of life but you really need to make sure the pup doesnt pester your old dog too much and be prepared to separate them to make sure they each get enough rest.

Pups pick up the good and not so good behaviour of other dogs so for example if Toffee barks a lot then the new pup will too. If Toffee has good recall then the pup will probably follow her when you call her.

Looking ahead, sadly your new dog will one day have to cope with out Toffee. It will be a loss for her and she will have to learn to cope on her own so you cold help prepare her by leaving her on her own sometimes and walking her on her own

Does your son really want a puppy too? is he prepared to take responsibilty for it?

I know what you mean. I took the collie in when wee dog was three and too used to being the "only dog" to be happy.. they have never "gelled" ie do not sleep or play together and wee dog is boss. BUT as collie gets older and is starting to fail some, I am aware that one day wee dog will find herself alone. It will be fine; they are such different dogs and I am home almost all the time. Certainly no reason to think of not getting the puppy though... Wee dog was my relatives dog when she was here and we made sure that she was well attached to me before my family went home to Canada and there were no issues. Interestingly I had a cat die from pining when his brother died. But they were inseparable for around 14 years.

I have a 12 week old TT bitch and a 10 yr old PON boy - the boy can be intolerant of some dogs and I was worried about his reaction, but he's been amazing with her, very tolerant but doesn't let her get away with too much!

Make sure you give your older dog time away from the pup and ensure that it gets lots of attention. My lad always has a walk 'all to himself' at least once a day, and I use puppy playpen panels across doorways to separate him from the little one - that way he can see us (and the puppy), and be seen, but she can't mob him!

Make sure your son understands the full responsibility of having a puppy - teenagers often blow hot and cold over puppies, and the reality of that 4am puppy toileting visit might not be nearly so glamorous two weeks down the line! If he has other interests, puppy won't 'switch off' to be convenient while he goes to football/out with his mates/studies for his exams, etc - it's a huge commitment for anyone, but much more so for a teen!

Skye and Fingal were 8 when I got Breagh as a pup

Skye was 16 and Breagh 8 when I got Mij as a pup

I think it does help with pups upbringing.

[IMG]Untitled by Phil Jerrard-Dinn, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Untitled by Phil Jerrard-Dinn, on Flickr[/IMG]

gorgeous pics Phil, I presume that's Skye with Mij,
what is Skye?