Introducing a second dog - Night time routine. Split or together?

[youthnovels]

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So after much thought we are planning on bringing a puppy home in April/May to live with our existing six year old.

Our current dog is allowed to sleep in our beds and has a little "den" under my bed which is akin to what his crate was like when he was younger.

The second puppy will also be allowed to sleep in beds and have free reign of the house but I am a bit confused of how to approach this in the first days/weeks/months.

The main reason is that at eight weeks old, the breed we will bringing home will not be able to get up/downstairs.

Would it be advisable to set up a crate in my bedroom for the puppy of a night (should they be locked in or out) or should we stick what we did for our first dog and leave pup downstairs in a crate for the initial period? I can see how that can be confusing and upsetting for both dogs.

Would it be a good idea to have a crate in the bedroom upstairs which pup goes in at night and also have one in our kitchen so he has a "time-out" space in both areas? Then our existing dog can initially have "time-out" by choosing to go upstairs/downstairs away from pup?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm not sure if I'm over thinking it or not as this has been on the cards for so many months!

 

[JoanneF]

Would it be a good idea to have a crate in the bedroom upstairs which pup goes in at night and also have one in our kitchen so he has a "time-out" space in both areas? Then our existing dog can initially have "time-out" by choosing to go upstairs/downstairs away from pup?

This is what I would do. It allows your pup to be close by at night - remember he will have just been taken from mum and littermates so he will be confused and lonely anyway - so this will let you comfort him if he gets anxious. Also it will let you hear him when he stirs and needs to go out - for anyone new to dogs who may be reading this in the future, a puppy's little bladder and bowel are too small and underdeveloped to last all night so it will be back to middle of the night garden visits! And a downstairs crate is always handy for a little down time. What breed or cross are you getting?

 

[youthnovels]

This is what I would do. It allows your pup to be close by at night - remember he will have just been taken from mum and littermates so he will be confused and lonely anyway - so this will let you comfort him if he gets anxious. Also it will let you hear him when he stirs and needs to go out - for anyone new to dogs who may be reading this in the future, a puppy's little bladder and bowel are too small and underdeveloped to last all night so it will be back to middle of the night garden visits! And a downstairs crate is always handy for a little down time. What breed or cross are you getting?

Thank you for your response!

A poodle king Charles cross like we currently have. Absolutely stole my heart!