spiritdogs
Posted : 7/16/2006 5:50:17 AM
Well, for starters, this is a question that you should have asked before you brought the pup home, since we would have told you to introduce them on neutral territory. If you just brought it home, they have already been "introduced", and your older dog is wondering when this little thing will leave LOL. The best thing to do now is to make sure that you don't favor the pup in front of your older dog - and make sure good things happen (like treats) for the 3 year old when puppy is present. Just be careful not to let food drop where the older dog might want to grab it away from the baby - feed the treats to both, by hand, and carefully, within sight of one another.
The good news is that older dogs generally tolerate very young puppies well. At about 6-9 months, the adults will tell the youngster they are obnoxious, and when puppy is about a year and a half old is when the real pack order between the dogs is re-established. Those stages of development are when it is most important for all the dogs to perceive that you are in charge, so it's a great time for refresher classes, or an increase in your training activity and NILIF.