Introducing a puppy into the family with an older dog

[beerbucksducks]

I appreciate this topic and the input! I just brought home a yellow lab pup Saturday and my 8 year old lab doesn’t want anything to do with him. He growls at him when he gets too friendly and stays away at all costs. I’m glad to hear the older dogs usually come around to tolerating the pups.


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[Finch]

I'm in PA and I paid $1700 last year for my puppy. My second was $1500 8 years ago and my first Golden was about 12 years ago and we got her for $500. Chloe, the dog I "only" paid $500 for was the six million dollar dog. I spent several thousand dollars on her over the years for skin allergies and cancer. We finally had to put her down. She was the best dog I ever had but she had a lot of health issues. Just something to maybe ask

Serious question- what do I ask and expect to get a truthful answer from someone selling dogs for a living?

 

[Antares]

Serious question- what do I ask and expect to get a truthful answer from someone selling dogs for a living?

Ask for a list of people who bought dogs from previous litters and then contact those people. A reputable breeder should not be surprised by that request.

 

[KurtR]

Serious question- what do I ask and expect to get a truthful answer from someone selling dogs for a living?

Post up the pedigree I know some people who know goldens and would know what they are looking at. I don’t know what genetic screens they do for goldens but could find out. The cheapest part of owning a dog is the price of the puppy.

 

[TSAMP]

We have an almost 6yo sweetheart of a WPG and are picking up an 8 week old PP/GWP mix this weekend. I can't imagine that the puppy won't get walloped if she is being a turd and it will probably be beneficial for both. My guess is that the older dog won't pay much attention to the puppy for a few weeks.

An adult or teenage dog might be a different story, but the puppy should learn the rules pretty quick.

That's an interesting crossing there. Was this a purposeful breeding or an accident?

 

[sndmn11]

That's an interesting crossing there. Was this a purposeful breeding or an accident?

An Oops

 

[CMP70306]

Serious question- what do I ask and expect to get a truthful answer from someone selling dogs for a living?

The biggest thing will be pedigree, you can use that to find out all about the history of the family tree to see if there are any prevalent issues. The next thing would be their health certifications, if they have the pedigree then they should also have these as well. No health certificates generally means that the breeder doesn’t care enough about the well being of their animals or they have something to hide. These aren’t guarantees that the puppy will be in perfect health but it does give you significantly better odds.

I got my puppy from a lady who bred the family pet with a stud dog, the father and his parents were all highly successful field trial and hunting dogs. The mother came from similar working lines though the lady wasn’t working her, she just wanted a healthy dog for her family.

Below is the link that the lady set up for the puppies, it shows the pedigree of the parents which includes their health clearances, the puppies living conditions, regular updates on what they were doing as they grew and some other information about them.

I’ve only had my puppy since June but so far she has shown that she is a smart puppy that will do well as a hunting dog.

Red Golden Retriever Puppies - New Jersey - Red Bank Goldens

Red Bank Goldens of Central New Jersey are taking applications for a litter arriving Spring 2024. Our AKC litters are excellent field dogs.

redbankgoldens.com

One other thing to note, there are technically two different kinds of Goldens, field bred and confirmation. The confirmation Goldens are vastly more popular and prevalent, these have the long flowy hair and big heads with a generally stockier physique. They are the typical golden retrievers that you see, great family pets but they have a few drawbacks as dedicated hunting dogs.

The field bred ones are much less common, they are generally reddish in color with a smaller, leaner build and shorter fur. They retain their prey drive which makes them much better for dedicated hunting dogs though that generally means higher energy.

Ours is currently around 50 pounds and around 22.5” at the shoulder at around 9 months old. She can have major bursts of energy if not properly exercised but she does also has the capacity to settle down and chill with us in the evening.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I have always introduce a new dog to our older dog by doing it away from our house, his or hers territory to see how they interact. when we do get home the new dog is always under our control until we see how they get along in older dogs establish territory. The biggest issue has been at feeding time. we separate them at first then gradually we will allow them to eat in same area later on as long as there is no fighting over food. Take them out often, and let them play together and set the pecking order. We have never had any issue we weren't able to correct. We got one GSP and a few months later the breeder still had one of his brother so we were thinking about getting him, Well we found out, they hated each other, not other dogs just each other. I mean all they had to do was get a smell of each other and the dirt went flying. We never had issue with our GSP, and Larry told us his also got along with all other dogs. Sibling rivalry.

 

[98XJRC]

We purchased another Golden last January when our oldest was 7. As stated earlier initially our oldest didn’t want much to do with the younger one, but quickly got used to him and now it’s rare that either aren’t in the same room together. The pup is now over a year old and is also bigger and stronger then our older one which creates some issues at times, but generally they enjoy each other and like to play together. We will regularly see one or the other get a toy and then go harass the one that’s sleeping to get up and play.

My wife and I have said multiple times since getting our second Golden that we don’t see ourselves not having two dogs moving forward.

 

[Dwnw/theAltitudesickness]

On one hand, I'm afraid the pup will aggravate the living snot out of our old girl. The other part of me wonders if it will give new life to our old dog. I think it will also make things easier on the kids when our current dog passes.

Thoughts?

We had a similar scenario, old dog was about 10 years, she was showing some age. Thought would would get a pup to liven her up a bit. Golden doodle pup annoyed the ever-living crap out of the old dog. Last few months the old dog was alive, the now ~ 2 year old pup would keep knocking her down. Making mobility issues really bad. If I had a do over, I wouldn't of got the pup. Also, make a plan for the older dog. If you want to be sad the rest of your day go read :

Mans best friend - shooting vs euthanasia​

 

[CMP70306]

We had a similar scenario, old dog was about 10 years, she was showing some age. Thought would would get a pup to liven her up a bit. Golden doodle pup annoyed the ever-living crap out of the old dog. Last few months the old dog was alive, the now ~ 2 year old pup would keep knocking her down. Making mobility issues really bad. If I had a do over, I wouldn't of got the pup. Also, make a plan for the older dog. If you want to be sad the rest of your day go read :

Mans best friend - shooting vs euthanasia​

As someone who had to put our collie down last year at 5 just after our honeymoon due to a neurological disorder that gave us false hope of treatment as she was constantly getting sick and lost over 30% of her weight in the month leading up to our wedding I’m not sure I want to start off 2024 that sad by clicking that link. Hell I’m getting teared up just typing this post.

I do know without clicking it that I could never shoot my dog, I’ve had to finish off deer before and I don’t want the last living memories of my friend to be the immediate aftermath of me pulling the trigger.

 

[Dwnw/theAltitudesickness]

that link is probably the saddest thing on the Slide. I struggled for so long telling my story on there. My biggest take away is make sure you have a plan in place for your beloved pets.

 

[Crete]

To introduce your puppy to the dog you’ll need to begin with an enclosed neutral area, with plenty of supervision. Be ready to move on to a walk or other joint activity if things go well and stop the session if either dog becomes stressed or unhappy. Plan ahead and remove sources of conflict such as food or toys.

 

[mi650]

We had a similar scenario, old dog was about 10 years, she was showing some age. Thought would would get a pup to liven her up a bit. Golden doodle pup annoyed the ever-living crap out of the old dog. Last few months the old dog was alive, the now ~ 2 year old pup would keep knocking her down. Making mobility issues really bad. If I had a do over, I wouldn't of got the pup. Also, make a plan for the older dog. If you want to be sad the rest of your day go read :

Mans best friend - shooting vs euthanasia​

I've avoided that thread for just that reason.


Back on topic, we've always just brought the new pup home, but it hasn't happened with an 'old' dog. The oldest dog we've introduced a new pup to was a 9 y.o. lab who lived to 14 1/2.

 

[Snyd]

Get the pup. Don't worry about it. Dogs are pack animals, they work it out. We have a 12 yo female Dachsund and added a brand new puppy last year. We've always had 2 or 3 dogs. No biggie. Enjoy your new pup!

 

[lhbackcountry]

Ask for a list of people who bought dogs from previous litters and then contact those people. A reputable breeder should not be surprised by that request.

great advice. will find out quickly if there is anything up with the litter or breeder

 

[sndmn11]

I haven't read these yet, but our obedience trainer sent them to me.

Introductions — Horsetooth Whippets - est. 2007

www.horsetoothwhippets.com

 

[sndmn11]

That's an interesting crossing there. Was this a purposeful breeding or an accident?

 

[Sizthediz]

They have to learn from someone how to live in a pack and the pecking order of the pack. I have a couple of older pups in the early teens and just adopted a puppy. My older puppy still is top dog and I treat him as such. He gets first hugs when I come home, fed first and takes the lead when walking. Oh and he was the little one when my first 2 were in their teens

 

[FatCampzWife]

We got our (now) oldest dog when my last dog was 16. Brought home a 12 week old pup, & they eventually became friends. I'm absolutely convinced the old dog trying to keep up with the new pup helped extend her life (we lost her last year when she was 19 years old).
That "new pup" is now 4, & we got him a friend for his birthday in October: a young mixed breed from rescue that loves to run & play. They hike & camp well together, but the younger one does annoy the crud out of the older one sometimes. Picture of current dog pack: tan dog is 4, black dog is 1 (?). Cat is 7. Lol.