My senior Newf and a new puppy

[baileysmom]

Bailey is my ten year old Newf and the love of my life. She has been the best pet I could ever ask for. She has always loved other dogs of all ages so when we got a puppy recently I thought she would be fine but she won't go near the pup or let him come near her. She isn't aggressive or mean at all, just gets up and strolls off. I feel horrible now, like I have cruelly disrupted her golden years. Is there something I can do to help her adjust to the new pup? We have only had him for a week.

 

[shellyk]

Just wait a little longer. Our 3 yr old Lab took over 2 weeks before he took an interest in the Newf puppy and another couple of weeks before he realized that she wasn't leaving. Yesterday when I came home from work they were outside playing in the yard with each other- instead of waiting for me at the door - SUCCESS at 4 months! :kgo_027: As Bailey is 10, she may take longer to adjust as she had you to herself longer.

 

[lmfoltyn]

We actually did the reverse and brought home an old newf to a 6 mo old puppy. Dexter our now 12 year old newfie did not at all like the idea of a busy puppy running around and getting near him. He would find the furthest place from the puppy as he could and didn't like him at ALL. It took a good 6 months before he adjusted to the crazy pup and now they are best friends and even share a bed together. It will work as long as you take the puppy away when you see your older dog getting frustrated. They will end up pals!

 

[Bär]

I have a similar situation with Bär and my daughters puppy. Bär seems scarred of the puppy one minute then barks and lunges at the puppy the next minute. He goes completely nuts, even with puppy in a kennel. We have had 3 meetings so far and get the same results each time. At this point we are thinking of consulting a behaviorist after a complete blood panel and thyroid test are done.
He is best friends with me daughters little Pomeranian, who is 10 years old.
Sorry, did not mean to hijack your thread.

 

[baileysmom]

That's okay! It's nice to know other people have the same issues. Bailey has never lunged or shown ANY kind of aggression toward Sully. Just wants as far away from him as she can get!

I really appreciate the replies! Sully is a Shi Tzu and it has been a little stressful for me because I've only ever raised large breed dogs, I've never had to worry about hypoglycemia. Add Bailey being upset about it and it's all a little overwhelming! Bailey seemed much easier as a pup...then again, it has been ten years...maybe I've forgotten!

 

[Leonard and his bud Snuffles]

Snuffles use to shy away from puppies. He once hid behind me when we met like a 4 month old Yorkie. He has gotten better now. Hopefully with daily interaction and if the puppy isn't a pest, things will be just fine in time.

 

[BLCOLE]

INTERESTING! I'm noticing here that the senior Newfs listed here are MALE. I've noticed my Calza is the exact opposite. She LOVES puppies. But she has been bred, so she is very "maternal" with them.

She will be 8 in May.

 

[baileysmom]

She still doesn't want anything to do with the puppy but tonight when Sully had a run in with our Siamese she came from across the house to put herself between them. A little while later when Sully was in the kitchen and the CAT tried to come in the kitchen she put herself between them and woofed at the cat!

All these Newfie quirks are so fun to read about!

 

[Angela]

You have my sympathy!

Never, ever in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would be so difficult intergrating a puppy into a "geriatric" home where the youngest is 8 and the oldest is 13.

Owain was 9 1/2 wks when he came home, they all hated him from Day ONE and Nicholas was terrified of him. He tried to chase them, bite them, etc and so it ended that he didn't have anything to do with them. Meanwhile if he did get near them, he hurt them, they ended up at the chiropractor and everyone was miserable. I had thought they would correct his behaviour but they didn't.

For months it was sheer misery and many times I talked to the breeder who is a very good friend, fortunately, about sending him back as he didn't fit in, not for the lack of trying.

Fast forward to January 11th, that being his 7 month old birthday. That day it was like he woke up, decided to grow up, the others decided he was OK and suddently everyone settled down and became great buddies. It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen.

He still has his moments and I wouldn't leave him alone with any of them unsupervised and I don't know if Gracie the 13 yr old trusts him but life has improved so much.

So, hang in there and I hope things work out between them. It is very hard isn't it having a puppy after all those years!!

 

[CMDRTED]

The first day Tigger came home, we brought her into the House and Oreo and Ethel were; "What the Heck is that!!!!?????!!!!". Ricky was Whoopiee!!!!. Ricky had "Instant Pal" where it took a couple of weeks for them to warm up to her.

 

[DAWNMERIE]

I'm curious about introductions, how did you guys introduce? Does anyone know if that makes a difference? What do breeders/others do if they take on another member?

My two aren't seniors yet but kinda have the same situation here with a 10 month old husky here. My 2 seem to hate her, they've been together since June and neither one of mine wants to loosen up at bit. I've always blamed the situation on the intro but maybe I'm wrong, maybe they just don't want to be bothered with a pup.

 

[AngusMcDubhsMom]

Im in Angela's boat too. My Gracie is going to be 10 in April. She was just 9 when Traveler came into her life. She too would get up and leave the room. He's still trying to get her to interact with him, but she basically ignores him, except when he's chewing on her ears. Lately he's starting to get "Hormonal" and tried to hump her ...wow, did she let him know in no uncertain terms she'd have none of that. I don't think they are ever going to be really close. However there have been times when they are loose to run in the snow and they seem to have a good time then.

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

I hope they are able to work it out!

My Maggie is the opposite. I think she's around 7 now (not entirely sure) but she LOVES puppies and small dogs. She will tell them when they have unacceptable behavior but she tolerates a lot. She has also been bred and goes to daycare once a week so maybe that helps. She is actually in the "puppy and really tiny dogs" group at daycare as she gets upset with the adult/big dogs there. (The puppy parents are often horrified that their babies are with her until they get to know her...haha...)

Hopefully they will get used to each other as the others have said. Good luck!

 

[TerriW]

Ricky was Whoopiee!!!!. Ricky had "Instant Pal" where it took a couple of weeks for them to warm up to her.

This does not surprise me about Ricky! Love Ricky.

I too brought a puppy (Ben) home to an older dog (Morgan age 7). Morgan barely tolerated him. Later they became pals, but it took awhile. So hang in there. Make sure you give the older dog his space when he needs it.

 

[baileysmom]

Thank you all. I'm glad to hear that in time they will probably be friends. Bailey (my newf) has been sniffing him and will wag her tail if he stands still other than that she just leaves the area if he is in it. I'll have to post some pictures here sometime. Your dog's are all so beautiful!

 

[victoria1140]

Jessie my gsd has been so patient with Max and he has been a little **** at times.She was the one we worried about as she had multiple homes before coming to our home.

Merlin our cross plays with him and is patient but took a while and even if they never become best pals he is good with Max .

Sometimes takes a while but we made sure there are plenty of safe zones to retreat to if Max gets too much.Luckily due to his surgeries he has had to stay calm and they have been really careful not to bump him and occasionally have even held him back going into a small area. Weird how they know he isn't ok.

Also another thing we found on walks is how protective of him they are even when he was trying to chew their collars or leads, another dog approached with the wrong signals and he was instantly flanked

Just perservere and wait and see

 

[AngusMcDubhsMom]

Here are mine this weekend in Maine, charging through the woods...together and yet apart. It will happen.

 

[NinaA]

I think time will solve your problem. The fact that she is protecting him from the cat is a really good sign.

 

[rm3knitter]

I am glad to read this thread as on Monday we are bringing home a 14 month old male that was surrendered at our vet's. We have a 7 year old rescue female, Shelby, who has been with us for 2 years. When we got her, we had a 10 year old female, Biscuit, who passed to the Rainbow Bridge last fall. So Shelby has been an only dog for about half a year. She and Biscuit never bonded, just tolerated each other. The thing that worries me is that the new 14 mo. old puppy has had no obedience training and is getting neutered the day we bring him home. He's a really big boy! I really want this to work and am looking for advice. I hope I am not making a mistake by having 2 dogs with such a big age difference and one is wide open and the other just wants to nap on the couch. Thoughts?

 

[Whybu1]

We have two 8 year old Great Danes and then got a Newf pup. She drove the danes nuts. We ended up getting another dane that is 3 months younger than our newf so she has a playmate.