My friend is adopting a puppy. He already has an adult dog. My friend is a typical pet owner. He wants the very best for his animals, old and new. But he’s inexperienced with the introduction of a new pet into his household. Here’s what he says.
“I’m getting a new addition to our household in 8 or 9 weeks. A lil guy. Should get no bigger than Tuco [a chihuahua mix]. A few tips on integrating him in would be cool. I already will not ignore Tuco. I will try to keep him involved in everything. But babies do need attention. I think I can handle this, but a tip or two would be welcome.”
I think he can handle it, too, but I’m glad to offer some tips!
My friend is a veteran, a grandfather, and an actor—typical pet owner, right? He lives alone. His existing dog is about the size his new puppy will be once it’s fully grown, but he’s already figured that the new puppy will have to be protected and safe before it’s full-grown—as in from the first moment it steps into its new home.
My friend has already done a lot of the actual physical work required for adopting a new pet. Most importantly, he’s secured the area! In his case, that meant more and better back yard fencing, keeping in mind the size his new puppy will be when it arrives—tiny.
I have a five-pound dog myself, and she’s no puppy! Teasel is 13 years old. My friend’s dog will be even smaller than Teasel when it comes home.
I had a very secure back yard, I thought, until Teasel joined the family. The smallest dog who’d ever visited me weighed about 20 pounds, and there’d never been a problem with escape. In fact, the only dog who ever got out of my fully fenced back yard actually climbed the fence, rather than digging out under it. That weakness in fencing security was fixed immediately, and the over-fence escape has never been repeated.
But when Teasel arrived, I found out very quickly that precautions that would stop a 20-pound dog would not stop a five-pound dog. Teasel easily slipped through the offset boards in my neighbors’ wood fence. She visited their back yard out of curiosity, I think, not through any desire to escape. In fact, the neighbors might not have known she’d been there at all, but for the tiny brown deposits that Teasel left behind her.
Oops.
I immediately hauled out some old exercise pens—foldable dog containment—and attached them to the bottom of the fence anywhere I thought Teasel might slip through. It worked. There has not been a “little dog” escape since. (Teasel still insists she was only being neighborly.)
I suggest my friend also do a thorough job of securing the inside of his house, as well as his yard. The dog he has now may not be at all destructive; if he ever was, he’s outgrown it. But puppies have not had a chance to outgrow what we call “destructiveness.” They call it exploring a new environment! Their exploration may well be done with teeth and paws, because . . . they can! Is a box of tissues on the floor safe from the grown dog? You bet. Can we predict if a box of tissues on the floor will be safe from the puppy? Oh, yes. It won’t be!
I wouldn’t expect a great deal of breaking into cupboards or jumping onto off-limits furniture from a baby puppy that’s really tiny . . . but it could happen. Many families find that child-locks on the cupboards work wonders with dogs who like to explore their environments, so that’s something my friend might consider. Can a puppy climb a chair and jump up onto a kitchen counter? My friend’s puppy might simply be too small to accomplish such a task, but it’s possible! Put some forethought into the almost impossible—puppies can surprise you!
With a new pet in the house, my friend may need to adjust some personal habits, too. His current dog may know very well not to attempt contact with human food that’s sitting out—say, on a plate on a coffee table—but a puppy will know only that something smells good up there. Once the puppy has gotten a taste of your pizza or spaghetti, he’s been rewarded for an undesired behavior. The reward was getting to eat the food! It’s best if the puppy is never able to reward himself for undesired behaviors, so be really careful where you put that plate!
The same is true for personal possessions. The funny photos we’ve all seen of young animals dragging underwear into the living room aren’t staged. Your clothing smells like you and, if you leave it on the floor or anywhere accessible to a puppy, expect your puppy to “show his love” for you by chewing on, sleeping on, or even wearing your unmentionables. Especially in front of your friends and family. Again . . . because he can. Don’t make it easy for your pup to embarrass you that way! Pick up your personal possessions, even if you’re usually a slob.
“I’m going to be taking Tuco down to meet the new guy. Let them sniff around and such. The new guy, Gus, is 8 weeks from moving in. I think a few visits will soften the adoption. My new fence, and reinforcing my neighbor’s fence, gives some security. I’ll get the new guy chipped immediately. Do you have any more advice for me? I want them to be best buddies, with me as dad.”
While my friend’s new family member is still with his mother and litter mates (YAY!), a visit with the puppy’s new “brother” Tuco is probably a very good idea. However, it may not be a good idea to include the puppy’s mother and litter mates in that visit. Mother dogs, like most moms, tend to be very protective of their offspring when the offspring are very young. I would fully expect the puppy’s mother to be confused and possibly threatened by a visit from an adult dog that she does not know. Perhaps the puppy and Tuco could meet somewhere outside—maybe in the yard—where the mother dog and litter mates would not be involved.
It’s always good for new dog friends (or family) to meet in a neutral place—somewhere that neither of them “owns”—as opposed to an unfamiliar dog being brought into another dog’s territory. Adults dogs meeting for the first time often do very well on walks together, if the owners understand that it is up to the dogs themselves whether or not they even come close to each other. Walking helps because it gives the dogs something to do. It’s a familiar activity, one that involves absolutely no competition for resources and no “ownership” of territory.
But taking a baby puppy out for a “walk” will simply not work for my friend, so I’m suggesting he concentrate on keeping the visit as stress free as possible. I would start with the puppy free (in a safely fenced yard, of course) and the older dog on leash. Make the visit relatively short; in other words, leave while both dogs are wanting more. Let the puppy make the approaches, if it wishes. Do not let the older dog “mug” or “roll” the puppy until you see how the puppy reacts. Should the puppy seem at all uncomfortable with the advances of the older dog, don’t let the older dog advance! You want the puppy to feel safe.
Several visits before the puppy is ready to leave its birth home would be great—more than several would be even better. My friend’s goal on these visits should be an unstressed older dog and a puppy who feels safe. Beyond that, my friend will have to let things develop as they do. I strongly urge that the puppy be accompanied by an adult human, too, during these visits. My friend will have more than enough to do dealing with his grown dog!
Beyond puppy-proofing his house and back yard, and visiting the new puppy with his adult dog, what else can my friend do to prepare to welcome his new family member home?
• Be sure the older dog is healthy and up-to-date on vaccinations.
• Make an appointment for a well-puppy visit to the veterinarian the day the puppy comes home, even if the puppy has already had some shots. Bring the vaccination record.
• Get the puppy microchipped at that first vet visit.
• Find out what the puppy is being fed now—or will be fed when he is old enough—and research what you will feed him. Food for the puppy will likely be different from what my friend feeds his adult dog. Shop at locally owned pet supply store where the staff is knowledgeable about what foods might be best during puppyhood.
• Acquire what you need for the puppy. Lots of clean-up equipment, a food bowl of his own, and—absolutely mandatory—a crate, which will be used to transport him safely to his new home. Don’t invest in special bedding yet; old towels work fine. Puppy chew toys, in moderation, are also good “puppy-warming” presents, but don’t overdo! My friend will also need a leash and a collar that work for the puppy at its current size (those can be borrowed).
• Research pet insurance and decide if it’s for you. For the best coverage, the time to sign up a dog is before he comes home with you.
• Sign up for puppy class now. By the time the youngster is ready to go, the class you want may be full! Puppy class will be a very important part of the puppy’s learning and development. Don’t miss it because you waited too long to register. Register today!
My friend knows that everything he does with his new puppy—and his adult dog—will be setting precedent for both of them, so I’m sure he will spend a great deal of time considering how he’d like his new puppy to turn out. That’s more than good—it’s wonderful.
Next week, we’ll talk about how to handle those first few days at home!
NEXT WEEK: WHEN BABY PUP COMES HOME
