[keirasmom]

Hi there, sorry but this might be a little long.....but I’m hoping I can get some advice and words of encouragement from other fur parents out there. I’m just about a loss and can’t stop stressing.

We have a sweet one year old female German Shepherd. We are got her when my husband and I got married and ever since then we consider her as our child. We absolutely adore her and our life together as a family. She’s calm, likes to take naps with us, and overall lives a very good (spoiled) life. Recently, two days ago to be exact, we got another German Shepherd puppy. We’ve always considered getting another dog eventually and thought right now was a good time before we start having children, because we are home way more often since covid is forcing us to work from home, and so our older dog could have a friend...especially when we start having kids in the near future. However....I cannot get over this heavy heart and guilt that comes with this new puppy. The first day we introduced them I started bawling my eyes out because I saw how sad my older dog got when we brought the puppy home. She was so on edge she wasn’t acting like her usual lazy self. I felt like an awful person, and I still do. Did I just betray my older dog? She’s adapting a little more to the puppy since then but I still can’t shake this feeling like I made a mistake? What if this makes my older dogs personality change? What if she doesnt want to cuddle us anymore, or what if she fees left out with this new puppy? What if this new puppy turns out to be destructive and mean (I know, it’s how you train them but it still lingers in the back of my mind). It’s horrible to say but right now, I can’t say that I love this puppy like I did when I first brought home my older dog. Is this my gut telling me this was a mistake?

So I’m reaching out to someone, anyone, who can give me any advice. What was your experience when you introduced a puppy to your older dog? Did you feel guilty? Were you scared? Anything helps. Thank you.

 

[Deacon.dog]

My dog was PISSED when I brought another dog home.

now they are best friends, give your adult some time to adjust.. its only been two days.

 

[LeoRose]

New puppy blues. The initial excitement is over, and the "OMG, what have I done?!" is setting in. I mean, lets face it... puppies are a LOT of work.

For successful integration, you will actually need to keep them separated for the most part. If the older dog is loose, then the puppy is crated. If the puppy is loose, then the older dog can be behind a baby gate or the like, so that the puppy can't pester her. You can take them on walks together with one person for each dog, and have (very) short, (very) supervised play sessions.

I don't expect my dogs to be instant BFFs, but I do expect a peaceful coexistence of some sort. I've done crate and rotate with two different three dog combinations, and it can be a real pain, but it worked, and the two girls I have now get along great 99.9% of the time.

 

[ShilaMila]

Awww I know it's hard. I remember when we brought a puppy home and my then sweet 5 year old was depressed for some time. I don't think they ever bonded closely but eventually they seemed to enjoy each other's company. My older one was still my loving baby.

 

[Lillith]

Puppy Blues are real!

I wouldn't expect your older dog and the new puppy to be friends right away. Many dogs really aren't that impressed with those annoying little puppies. As others have said, keep them separate for a while so they can see/smell each other to some degree, but can't really interact. Let them have supervised play sessions in a week or so, but make sure the puppy doesn't get obnoxious, and that the older dog is correcting the puppy appropriately. As the puppy grows up and learns some manners, your older dog will likely come around.

Give yourself time, too. This is an adjustment, and that can make you feel kind of awful and out of sorts for a while!