Dog Community

14 Month Old Dog, 10 Week Old Puppy

Posted : 5/21/2008 10:02:16 PM

Just tossing this one out, to see if I have my bases covered, and perhaps my sanity checked. Kazimer is a 13 month old Australian Terrier, male, neutered, well behaved little guy. The whole family has spent the last year making sure he is a well behaved, well trained, well socialized family member. No aggression issues whatsoever towards people or other dogs, still has the puppy brain thing going.

Our home situation is still the same, wife & I work first shift, adult daughter works second shift, adult son works rotating shift. In the last year this has worked better than we had imagined in regards to bringing a pup through puppyhood and well on his way to being an adult. This terrier is really a joy.

Ever since our little Easter adventure, http://forum.dog.com/forums/t/76799.aspx it has been pretty apparent that he would get along with another dog in the house. So, we called the breeder we got Kaz from, she has a litter, and we will be picking up another little guy the last weekend in June.

So, separate crate, Kaz loves his crate. Separate dining areas, the usual limited puppy area, while Kaz get the normal privileges. Same broken sleep pattern with the pup, I'm sure Kaz will get up & go out too. I realize that pups can get annoying for older dogs, while Kaz really isn't old, I'm sure this will occur. Kaz pretty much follows anyone around the house, playing helper, the pup will begin crate training, with limited supervised access to the kitchen. Pretty much the same program with the pup as when Kaz was a pup, with no change in routine, or as little as possible for Kazimer.

So, tell me if I'm on the right track, what I'm missing, I'm sure there are some things, and how to explain to my psychiatrist what part of my brain thinks this is a fun, good idea. I had two dogs many years back, 18 month old Yorkie, 8 week old Westie. Same sort of thing, the Yorkie had the same privileges & schedule, the Westie started out in a crate, kitchen access only, the pup's access & priviledges expand as training progresses. The only difference in the two situations is that the Yorkie was a picky eater, wouldn't bother with the Westie's food, while Kaz will eat any dog food, veggies, you name it.

tiffy

Posted : 5/22/2008 9:16:02 AM

Beware, you may think Kaz is well trained, but with a puppy around he might regress.

FourIsCompany

Posted : 5/22/2008 10:11:53 AM

It sounds to me like you are WELL on the right track! It's a game of observation, experimentation and adjustment.

A couple of ideas: About a week or so before bringing the puppy home, withdraw some of the normal attention from Kaz so that when the puppy arrives, you can SHOWER Kaz with attention, making the relationship in his mind that new puppy = great attention from mom and dad. Also, make sure to spend plenty of one-on-one time with EACH dog so they get their special bond with you (and the other people) as well as their bond to each other.

When you discover what makes grown adults bring puppies into their home to live, let me know. I've done it 4 times (once 2 at a time!) and I haven't yet defined the damaged circuitry that makes me want to do it yet again!

Congratulations!

rwbeagles

Posted : 5/22/2008 10:24:36 AM

Tolak
and we will be picking up another little guy the last weekend in June

Ahh might've gone easier with a little GIRL instead of another male...esp with Terriers. If both are or will be neutered things will go more smoothly, but be aware that male/male Terrier situations sometimes require a bit more work.

eta: Check what's said HERE, about temperament.

Tolak

Posted : 5/23/2008 12:36:43 AM

Thanks for the replies everyone! I thought a little regression might occur, this is something we discussed, and plan on keeping tabs on. I like the idea of backing off attention for a bit before the new arrival, sort of a comparative thing when you jack up the attention level when the new pup arrives. Kaz & I have a good routine, as I have 30 some fish tanks downstairs, breeding setup. His assistance is part of the daily feeding & maintenance routine, it will be quite a few months before the pup is allowed in the basement at all.

Kaz also loves his soap opera watching with my wife, this is part of their evening routine, and a good time for me to work with the pup. We have a sort of switch off thing planned, which I'm sure will have some overlaps. The kids have the same sort of thing planned for during the day, and we are sure going to be winging it with many unexpected & unpredictable situations. I'm sure this is going to be half the fun, this family could sit here at the kitchen table & tell dog stories for hours.

Thanks for the link rw, the ATCA site has been bookmarked on about 3 computers. We researched this breed for nearly 3 years, after seeing them at a show in Chicago. Before Kaz we had a male Cairn, Ozzy, for nearly 16 years. Before him came the Yorkie, Spice, and the Westie, Basil. They made it to 16 & 15 years, passing away exactly one week apart. I spent the rent money on the Yorkie, it was a lean couple of months after that, but we made it. His crate was an actual milk crate, but it did the trick in a 3rd floor apartment.

Kaz was neutered at 5 months, I think this does help with some aggression issues. We do plan on having the new pup neutered at the same age. Ozzy was not neutered, he got along great with dogs his size or smaller, no matter what the sex, but had some issues with larger dogs. Spice & Basil were not neutered, never any aggression issues with them. I think a part of this can be contributed to introducing the pup to the older dog when they are not really that old, they seem to be more accepting of new family members.

For as ornery as Ozzy could be with larger dogs, he was total pals with the neighbor's new kitten, who grew into a really large 20 pound cat, who lives outdoors for the most part, and does not get along with any other animals or most people. That cat would hop the fence into our yard, they would play chase & slap a little, then just hang out. The cat doesn't come into the yard much at all now that he is gone, I think the poor cat is bummed out.