If I get a new puppy, will my elderly dog be upset for long??

Question

I have a 12 year old female shitzu and she mostly dosent do well with other dogs, although she has not really been around alot of dogs at all. If I get a new male shi tzu puppy, will they get along??? All my old dog really does is sleep and eat because she is very old. She also cannot see very well. Will the new puppy leave my old dog depressed for months? Or will she adjust? If anyone has any information on this subject, please submit it. Thanks!!!!!!

Answer 1

When I got my new puppy, my older dog was very aggressive and foaming at the mouth for about 24 hours but, then she accepted that he was a part of the family. Soon they became buddies. It will take time and probably even more time since you're dog is older. You might want them to meet on neutral territory.

Answer 2

If your old dog doesn't do well with other dogs, you may want to wait before getting a puppy. Maybe have a friend with a dog come over and see how your dog reacts. If she tolerates another dog around, get a puppy.

If you do get a new puppy, make sure you pay a lot of attention to your old dog - do not make her feel left out. Also, puppies have a lot of energy and you should separate them if the puppy gets to be too much for her. Let her have some alone time while you take the puppy for a walk, or play with him outside. Make sure your old dog always gets fed first, you pet her first and she should be ok with it.

My old dog was 10 when I brought in 2 greyhounds and he was thrilled to pieces! He followed them around everywhere, ran with them and had a great time, but he was a dog who had always liked other dogss, so give your girl a trial run with someone else's dog first.

Answer 3

Well since your dog has not been introduced with other dogs often it would be tricky to introduce another dog especially a puppy.Puppies need lots of attention and supervision, and will take up most of your time. So might an older dog, because it can develope so many medical and physical problems. Therefore I am not so sure that these two will get along very well. But if you have a lot of time and a great amount of patience, I am sure that these two dogs just might get aquainted. Just make sure if you do get the little guy make you supervise each meeting with the puppy and the older dog. Good luck!

Answer 4

We have a 4 yr old choc lab, and just got a shitzu/bichon puppy 3 weeks ago...at first, the lab just kept her distance, although wagging her tail all the time..she just didnt bother with the pup in any way....after about a week, the puppy was allowed to share treats with the lab, they played, and shared toys..it just takes a little time..be sure to pay lots of extra attention to your older dog so she knows she is still #1..the puppy will learn its place, and soon they will be buddies. Your dog is older, so you may need to spend a little more time showing her that everything is ok, and then also make sure the puppy doesnt bother her too much, you may need to separate them often so the older dog can have its "relax" time...Im sure all will work out! good luck!

Answer 5

i know u dont' want to hear this but i think a new puppy would aggravate a dog of that age. my mother in law got a 1 y.o. puppy when her other dog was about 5 and it didn't take it well. the puppy would follow him around and try to jump and play with him. she still has both dogs though, i personally think the older dog is depressed though. and ur dog is 12 so it might take it even worse. why not adopt a dog that is a senior also like a 5-7 y.o.? o would recommend taking ur older dog with u to look at new dogs and see how he takes it before actually adopting another dog.

Answer 6

The best way to help an older established dog get used to a younger newer dog, is to make sure your older dog doesn't lose her place in your "pack". A new dog will demand a lot of your attention, and the older dog may get jealous of that. Therefore, make sure that the older dog always gets attention, food, toys and it pick of place to sit near you FIRST all the time. This will teach the puppy that the older dog is an established pack member with a "higher" ranking in the pack, and will help the older dog feel more secure and less "put out" by the younger dog. As long as your older dog isn't stripped of her place in your pack, she should come to accept the new dog more readily.

Answer 7

I introduced a pupply to my older dog about 6 years ago. All my dog did was sleep and eat too! After the puppy came home though she perked up quite a bit and I think she lived longer for it.
Your dog won't be depressed for months I promise you. In fact if you get a puppy now would be the time to do it, pups can learn alot from older dogs. i.e. Monkey see monkey do!

Answer 8

why would you get a puppy when you know it will be hard on her??? if she is old she wont want to play with a puppy and it will be jumping on her and biting her and making a pest of itself...
how will you feed them seperately???

it might work out - it might not.. I would wait till she passes on personally
but if it does work out then thats great.. I wouldnt get a pup I would get an adult if I were gonna get a second dog - adults are much calmer and will be better for your old one to not have a stupid puppy jumping on it...

anyhow what ever you do DO NOT get a puppy from a pet store - this is the WORST thing you can do...

Answer 9

She'll probably just be grumpy around it if she's that old. Old dogs're like old people. She may tolerate the puppy unless it bothers her, at which point she may bite. It will change once the puppy's old enough that it's not an annoying puppy anymore.

Answer 10

Generally after a week, most dogs get along very well. Remember, dogs are naturally pack animals so the more the merrier has been my experience.