Introducing the 2nd dog

[karen488]

As you may have noticed we are getting our 2nd dog soon ( ) Things have gone really well through Darcey's puppydom but do think she has been a particularly easy dog and not expecting the same twice. Have read the usual puppy books but can anyone rec a book that covers getting a 2nd dog.
Things I am worried about...

1st nights in our bedroom.   We did this with Darcey and she settled well but will Darcey get jealous of him?
Food guarding.     Darcey has never done this but how do you feed 2 dogs. Him in his crate? What about the chews lying about??
Walking.    Thought I'd do 3. 1 with him. 1 with Darce and 1 together (him in a rucksack after short walk)
Barking. Again not a prob for Darce but he sounds a bit more gobby. Is he going to set her off?
Any top tips would be appreciated. Have never done this before. Thanks all. x

[elaine.e]

I've done it twice, so can give you a few helpful hints. I'm sure other people will come up with more advice too.

First introduction - make sure there's at least 2 people around, one to supervise Darcey and remove her if necessary and one to do the same for the puppy. If they want to play then let them but not to the point where one or both gets over excited or the puppy becomes tired or the play becomes too rough. If Darcey is afraid or grumpy don't tell her off, but give them some time apart. They may take to each other straightaway but it could take days or even weeks.

Make sure Darcey has places where she can get away from the puppy if that's what she needs. William didn't take to Louis at all and his getaways were the sofa (until Louis got big enough to jump up) and upstairs.

The puppy will need safe places too. Sounds like you've got that organised already with his crate.

Feeding - I fed them seperately at first, Louis in his playpen, William nearby and within sight of each other so they could get used to being fed near each other. I always gave William a small treat when Louis was having his extra meals. This has never been an issue with them and from fairly early on I was able to feed them both in the same room.

Chews - William isn't a guarder but I didn't take any chances when Louis first arrived and made sure that chews were never left laying around. I don't leave dogs with chews if I'm out or at night anyway, so they only have them when I'm with them.  Louis can be a bit of a guarder of high value chews and raw bones now but wasn't when he was a puppy. 

Walking - Before Louis was allowed out I shut him in his pen while I walked William twice a day. I took Louis to places where I could carry him round to help his socialization. Once Louis was vaccinated I took him and William for a short walk together every morning, then William for a long walk on his own later in the day and Louis for a short walk on his own.

Barking - unfortunately William, who rarely barked, now likes to join in when Louis barks at the doorbell, fireworks etc . I haven't yet found a solution.

My top tip is make sure that Darcey still gets some special time with you, especially if she feels put out or worried by the new arrival.

My other top tip is make sure that the puppy has some time, training and activities away from Darcey so he doesn't become too dependent on her.

Hope it all goes well

[black taz]

Not sure of the "official" advise, but this is what we did,

1. 1st night in room - as pups ours have always slept downstairs, moved upstairs at about 6 months so cannot really advise on this
2. Food guarding - we have always fed our dogs next to each other without any problems.  however, when i had Kira she had a tendency to eat all hers, then try and get what Taz had left.  To slow her down, i started just putting a few pieces of kibble in her dish at a time so that i controlled the speed - now she chews her kibble (a  bit of an achievement with a labrador!).  You will have to play this by ear though, never leave them unattended with food until you know you can trust them, and if necessary move them further apart if one seems to be bothered by the other.
3. Chews - i don't leave chews lying around as a) they usually get eaten straight away, and b) they are one thing they will argue about, so they are always supervised with chews.
4. Barking - Taz is quite gobby since i lost my collie cross, but Kira rarely barks (but that might be a lab thing, a cocker may behave differently).

try not to get too stressed about it.  You know Darcey well, and i suspect you already know how she will react to most things.  I have always found that the pup will tend to take the older dogs lead and be part trained by them (the bad and the good ).  

Good luck