New puppy and older dog

Tess&Coco · 01-16-2007, 06:44 AM

Hello, I am new to the forum and would appreciate some advice: we have a new puppy, Coco, a 10-week-old chocolate lab/pointer cross, and an older dog, black lab cross, Tess, who's around 8 years (rescued by us 7 years ago). Generally things are going very well with the new addition, she is great at eliminiating in the garden and we're teaching her to do so on command. Since we got the pup at 8 weeks she has slept in our room in a box, and whines once or twice during the night to go out, where she eliminates and then settles straight back to sleep. She also has a crate where she goes of her own accord during the day to sleep, and will happily be shut in for 1-2 hours while we're busy or out.
Issue 1: The crate is sited in the room where Tess sleeps. I want them both to sleep in there eventually, but do we shut Coco in the crate for the whole night and either let her try to wait (for many hours longer than she does presently) or eliminate in her crate, or leave it open and let her use paper (she was paper-trained before we got her but is so good at asking to go out that she rarely has an "accident" on the paper) or set the alarm to get up to let her out once in the night? Also, even though Tess is not aggressive I am cautious about them being together with no barrier for the whole night.
Issue 2: Tess seems to have accepted Coco very well, but is by nature very submissive. Coco is an outgoing pup. Coco tries to climb on Tess's bed and around half the time Tess growls and the little one backs down. The rest of the time, Tess just submits to Coco being in her bed. We have been getting her off as I don't want Tess to be dominated by a 10-week-old puppy. We feed Tess first and try to ensure that she goes through doorways first but should we be fighting Tess's corner for her if she doesn't seem to mind? Tess hates being confined and would never go into Coco's crate. Also, if we let Coco onto Tess's bed I fear that she would then prefer to be there than in the crate...
All thoughts and advice gratefully received.

MagicToller · 01-16-2007, 10:55 AM

I think it would be better for Coco (and for your sanity) to stick to one crate routine. Try to eliminate the other box that she has been spending time in. Reintroduce the crate as a really nice positive thing (Giving treats/feeding inside, climing inside and giving affection, throwing toys, etc.) and get her used to sleeping their all night. This is a necessary ritual, and will also help in potty training because a crate of the appropriate size (not to large, not too small) will tap into the dog's natural den behaviour and will deter soiling it (Although with puppies this is bound to happen, just be on hand to wipe the pup down and clean the crate.)

Naturally, the pup will fight anything new, but it's your job to ignore the whining and crying. If you let her out while she is exhibiting this behaviour, you are fueling her dislike for the crate. She will eventually get used to her new bedding area. The sooner you crate train her, the better. Here are some additional crate training tips:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/ou..._training.html

Tess&Coco · 01-17-2007, 04:25 AM

Thank you for these thoughts and for the excellent article. I will certainly put it into practice. We are already giving her meals in the crate and she will stay in there for a couple of hours. Sometimes she does whine and even howl when we first shut the door, but she quiets down within 10 minutes (not quite long enough for the neighbours to complain...). As for night time, she sorted that one out herself last night by climbing out of the box (isn't it astonishing how FAST they grow!) so we got the crate up into our room, a bit laborious but worth it as she only wanted to go out once at 5.30am. I hope by the weekend she will be able to contain herself the extra hour until our getting up time. Anyway, thanks again!

DogAdvocat · 01-17-2007, 05:11 AM

She's still just a baby, and so I'd recommend that you make the sacrifice and get up early, or in the middle of the night, to take her outside, thereby preventing her from making a mess in the crate. Prevention is a lot easier than retraining. As she ages, she will be able to hold it longer. I would no more rush her than I would expect a human infant to fast through the night simply because when it grows up, it will only have two meals a day. Getting up in the middle of the night is just the price we pay for having human infants and puppies.

As for the interaction between the two dogs - let them work it out, but be prepared to separate if it gets out of hand. Be sure your older dog gets even more attention than she did before, and gets the first food, treats, toys, etc. Just as you wouldn't let the puppy run free when you can't be vigilant, keep the two dogs separate when you can't be vigilant, until you feel more secure about their interaction.

Tess&Coco · 01-17-2007, 05:15 AM

DogAdvocat - thanks for this. Any ideas (ballpark) on when she might be able to go all night? I am entirely happy to get up for her in the night, and lug her crate up and downstairs if nec, as I am just so delighted that she "asks" to go out rather than mess in the house or crate.

We are trying to ensure that Tess gets lots of extra attention and privileges, and of course she gets to go out for walks on her own because Coco hasn't had her second vaccine yet. And we're home much more with them both, which Tessy loves!

DogAdvocat · 01-17-2007, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tess&Coco

DogAdvocat - thanks for this. Any ideas (ballpark) on when she might be able to go all night? I am entirely happy to get up for her in the night, and lug her crate up and downstairs if nec, as I am just so delighted that she "asks" to go out rather than mess in the house or crate.

What about getting a second crate so you don't have to carry that one so much?

As for when she can go all night, dogs are individuals, and you need to learn your own dog's schedule, but I've seen Curbside Prophet post several times that as a general rule of thumb, your dog should be able to hold it's bladder for as many hours as his age in months plus one. He may be able to elucidate further on that when he sees these posts, but if you're only having to get up once during the night, consider yourself lucky.

Tess&Coco · 01-18-2007, 09:00 AM

I do think we're very lucky with our new baby, especially reading some other posts about puppies. Last night Coco slept from midnight until 5.30am.