Bad First Day

yeah that happened to me! i got a second dog and i felt almost resentful towards the new puppy cause i was so worried about my first dog getting less attention or being angry towards me. they fought the first 3 days and it was complete hell. involved me constantly crying and it was hard to watch the first dog bully the new puppy but now they are best buddies and love each other!! its hard but if i can do it anyone can! dont worry! you will learn to love them both equally and thats good!

Thank you Katil I appreciate hear that! 

Just make sure your resident doggy gets as much love and attention as he did before. Dont let the new puppy come in and try to push him around and take it slow. A friend of mine just went through this and after a week it got better. She also said she noticed a huge improvement when she started taking them on walks together. Does.......
 
the puppy have its own food bowls?
bed?
toys?
sleeping area?
 
 
Human kids are the same way, it just takes some adjusting but as long as your resident doggy has great obediance, is 100% house trained, dosnt get kicked off the couch or bed for the new dog, and is secure in his enviroment and realtionship with you then it will work out!

Hi,
Yes, the puppy is being crate trained, just as Lucy was when she was young.  We also got him (Toby the puppy) a bed for the family room.  His food bowls are in his crate.  He has one toy at this time , it's little and he'll tear it apart soon enough.  We got Lucy a bone when he came.  The puppy is a terror to her.  He's actually mean and she doesn't chastise him.  I suppose this is good.  I think my big fear is that he won't be as good mannered as her, but we did it with her (i.e. trained her) I always assumed we could do the same again.  She is actually helping too.  If the puppy tried to get on the couch, for example, she blocks him, or takes her snout and pushes him off.  That is super cute!! 
I feel better this evening now that DH is home.  I'm sure it will be all better as soon as we get in a new routine. 
 

We thought it was a mistake too.  In a few weeks you'll think it's the best thing you ever did.

In the first two weeks that we got Gracie last year, I debated taking her back to the shelter a dozen times or more (they have a two-week trial period). She chewed up so much stuff! Our house was cordoned off with gates and crates so much that we looked like a prison. But we stuck it out and now I can't imagine our family without her. She still chews things up on occasion (especially Barbie dolls, she's a Barbie serial killer, about 6 so far!) and harasses our older, smaller dog a lot. She wants to play but he doesn't. I still feel a little guilty about that for him. I'm sure he would have rather spent his senior years as the only dog, but those are the sacrifices you make as part of a family.

I only have one dog, but I was so SO excited to get her. I'd wanted a dog for years. Then she arrived and the first two weeks were horrible. I think I cried every day and thought I'd made this biggest mistake of my life. I think it was the fact that puppies are hard work, I realized it actually does change your whole life, I was scared I was being awful to my cat by getting another pet and I was so worried about screwing things up and not being a good caretaker for her. I grew up with dogs, so it wasn't like I didn't know about living with dogs, but having a tiny puppy was a shock. So I completely understand what you're feeling! But it got so much better and Louise is one of the greatest things in my life. I wish I had relaxed and enjoyed those first few weeks.

I hope things get better for you.

When we got Izzy last year I felt the exact same way for the first few weeks.  Harley was an absolute angel compared to her.  When we crate trained her she spent the first few nights SCREAMING at the top of her lungs the entire night.  She finally lost her voice for a few days and we got into a routine and she got more comfortable and it helped tremendously.  I felt like she had disrupted the peaceful household we had though for a little while too.  It really helped that she was so dang cute.  After about a week she and Harley started actually playing together, instead of her pestering him and bossing him around.  That was another big turning point and then it just kept getting better after that.  Now he LOVES having a sister to play with and we love the dynamics of our 2 dog household.  I figure it will be a little bit the same when we bring a baby home for the first time and it crys all night and everything is so overwhelming and we are exhausted until we get used to it and get into a routine.  Just know you are not alone!  And better yet, it does get better! 

ORIGINAL: vega1star

Hi,
Yes, the puppy is being crate trained, just as Lucy was when she was young.  We also got him (Toby the puppy) a bed for the family room.  His food bowls are in his crate.  He has one toy at this time , it's little and he'll tear it apart soon enough.  We got Lucy a bone when he came.  The puppy is a terror to her.  He's actually mean and she doesn't chastise him.  I suppose this is good.  I think my big fear is that he won't be as good mannered as her, but we did it with her (i.e. trained her) I always assumed we could do the same again.  She is actually helping too.  If the puppy tried to get on the couch, for example, she blocks him, or takes her snout and pushes him off.  That is super cute!! 
I feel better this evening now that DH is home.  I'm sure it will be all better as soon as we get in a new routine. 

 
 
Yes, I went through it too.
Does puppy have his own crate?  I made the mistake of putting Draico into Peanut's crate for 2 nights, she was MAD at me!!
 
I bought him a crate, his own bedding, bowls, toys, etc. and started training.  No regrets, we all love him now.
 
I found that training was a bit quicker with Draico because Peanut knew the commands.  She'd respond and he mimicked her, and she did help keep him in line.  The "rough" play was quite common here too Peanut did not chastise Draico either.  I don't know how she put up with it?
 
BTW, I found that a Baby Ben (wind up) alarm clock helped a lot at night.  I guess the constant tick-tick-tick was soothing to the dogs.
 
 
 

When I first got Shippo, that was the first time I had experienced owning more than one dog at the same time. I was depressed and exhausted for a few weeks afterward. I think it's normal because if you've never had to two before, it's kindof a shock.

Been there. When I first got my second dog, Bree, after about 2 days I was thinking, "What have I done??". That passed (after a while). The third dog was stressful (for other reasons) but #4 and #5 I didn't even blink. This too shall pass! I remember the panic and anxiety, and it does get better.

Getting Marlowe was my first experience with multi-dogs and the first full day I had him, I broke down crying at the vet (he was being treated for worms) becuase I thought I'd made a horrible, horrible mistake.  I even looked up a breed rescue to see what their policies were for rehoming.
 
In a couple weeks we'd totally bonded and even though it didn't start to get easy with him for a few more months, after that I was just more committed to working with him and never again thought of giving him up.

I just really want to say thank you to all of you who shared your stories with me.  Today has been much better.  I decided to let the puppy sit in my arms on the couch, as opposed to me being on the floor with him and that has help with bonding.  He does have his own crate, it's Lucy old small one, from when she was a puppy.  Lucy doesn't care at all about that. 
I think it was just the shock and worry for Lucy.  But Toby is very cute, and that does help.  I know I just need to give it time.  The routine will help for sure. 
Thanks again everyone!

You'll feel better.  The first few days with Jack home with us were "what the hell did we get ourselves into" days.  Things will settle down and you can get down to the real fun of owning a puppy....the explosive diarrea that comes with the eating and then pooping out of an entire sock, the getting up in the night to take the puppy out, the gripping panic when you suspect he's eaten a penny....