The Most Dog Friendly Community Online
Join Dog Forum to Discuss Breeds, Training, Food and More

Join Now for Free
New posts

Nervous older dog and new puppy

B

BarneyK

New Member
Registered
Messages
2
Reaction score
3
Points
3

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register
Hi we have a 6 year old cross Shih Tzu who is quite nervous and got worse since we lost our other dog a couple of months ago eg picky eating and less interested in play so we decided to bring a Shih Tzu puppy into the house, it’s early days but our resident dog is just avoiding him and not interacting at all, still not really eating , any advise greatly appreciated
 
Adult dogs don't generally like puppies. Imagine if someone had dumped a toddler on you and you were expected to be friends with it and let it eat your food, wreck your possessions, take lots of attention that used to be yours alone.

I'm sure you are doing your best to let your timid oldie know she is still valued, but that's not how she sees it.

The good news is that puppies grow up a lot faster than people, so once pup is out of the irritating attention-grabbing phase, she should come to accept him.

Meantime make sure she can get away from pup any time she wants to.
 
Not the brightest thing to do, all a older dog wants is peace not a loopy puppy going bonkers, sometimes less overthinking and more let’s just get on with it, my black saluki x missed his best pal but he got over it as I treat my dogs as dogs first and not a baby goo goo attitude, sorry to be hard .
 
That's very harsh, Lurcherman. Of course people can get new puppies when they have an older (though in this case not that old) dogs, and the OP hasn't said anything to suggest that the puppy is being allowed to terrorise the older dog, or that they are treating the dog as a baby.

Grieving can take a long time in dogs, and varies between dogs, just as in humans. Just make sure she gets all the peace she needs, as well as all the attention she needs, and let her come out of her shell in her own time.
 
That’s why I said sorry to be hard, just think nowadays too many handbags dog attitude, people forget a dog is firstly a dog, plus it’s not the cleverest thing to do for a old dog, one problem becomes two, right I’m off to take my meds so I will calm down hehe
 
As long as you give your older dog time away from the pup it will be fine ...time is a great healer ...
Our old lurcher was 10 when we got a lurcher pup and she hated her for the first few weeks then they were best friends ;););)
 
Didn’t see the 6 year old I do do apologise, I will take 10 lashes , ouch stop it’s hurting
 
Tinytom said:
As long as you give your older dog time away from the pup it will be fine ...time is a great healer ...
Our old lurcher was 10 when we got a lurcher pup and she hated her for the first few weeks then they were best friends ;););)
Click to expand...
 
I'm heartened to read this experience of your older Lurcher and your pup. A couple of days ago we brought home a cockapoo puppy who is 9 weeks now. We've done all the reading around how to introduce the established older dog to the puppy. Our 8 year old Jug, Bugsy has always been very sociable and good natured but he we hadn't quite anticipated how insecure he might be with a new pup. After initially snapping at the pup (apparently not a bad thing!), Bugsy has been more dismissive of the pup than anything else, which is fine I think. But really nice to know they might well become friends in the weeks and months ahead. The pup is very tiny still and will be a small dog, maybe once she's bigger and more mature Bugsy will feel more at ease.
 
I read on another forum something that might be helpful for your understanding.

Someone has just dumped a toddler in your home. Your possessions are being wrecked, you can't eat or sleep in peace, there is constant noise and disruption, and all the people in your life seem to pay it more attention while giving you less.

Now I'm sure you are doing your best to make your older dog feel good, but - do a bit more. Things will settle in time - sometimes dogs become good friends, sometimes they tolerate each other, sometimes they live in a state of armed truce. You can control treating them well, but you can never control how they feel.
All the best. Most of us have been there too.
 
Well 3 weeks in and our older dog is tolerating the pup, tells him off when he thinks her back is a climbing frame and he takes a liking her her long hair to tug, he gets all submissive for about 10 seconds then has another go. He wants to be near her but don’t think she’s too impressed although in the garden she has actually instigated a game of him chasing her and she’s certainly less withdrawn than before he arrived so that’s positive.
 
Its only been 3 weeks...it will bet better just make sure you older dog can have time out away from pup...:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Welcome to Dog Forum!

Join our vibrant online community dedicated to all things canine. Whether you're a seasoned owner or new to the world of dogs, our forum is your go-to hub for sharing stories, seeking advice, and connecting with fellow dog lovers. From training tips to health concerns, we cover it all. Register now and unleash the full potential of your dog-loving experience!

Login or Register
Back
Top