Would we be insane to get a puppy right now?

[Anonymous]

DD is 4.5, DS is 16 months. I’m a stay at home mom and DH travels occasionally. We have a 14 year old border collie who is the live of our lives. We have been trying to adopt a Golden for months (approved by the local rescue just waiting on a dog). There is a Golden puppy nearby who is available NOW. We adopted the 14 year old as a rescue when she was a little over a year old and have never actually had a true puppy as adults. Is this crazy? We’ve been talking about another dog for a long time just a little guy shy I guess. I’m worried about how our older dog will handle. I don’t want to overshadow her as she gets older but also think another dog may be helpful to her and the kids

[Anonymous]

Totally crazy but there is nothing better than a puppy. Just block off your Christmas tree if you have one.

[Anonymous]

Wait for the older dog to die. If it has been an only dog, it will likely hate having a puppy. It’s unkind to make that change to an old dog.

[Anonymous]

So mean to the older dog. Why would you do this?

[Anonymous]

Yes. That’s crazy. I have a hard enough time making sure my 4 year old gets along well with our puppy. A 4 year old plus 16 month old would be nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is 4.5, DS is 16 months. I’m a stay at home mom and DH travels occasionally. We have a 14 year old border collie who is the live of our lives. We have been trying to adopt a Golden for months (approved by the local rescue just waiting on a dog). There is a Golden puppy nearby who is available NOW. We adopted the 14 year old as a rescue when she was a little over a year old and have never actually had a true puppy as adults. Is this crazy? We’ve been talking about another dog for a long time just a little guy shy I guess. I’m worried about how our older dog will handle. I don’t want to overshadow her as she gets older but also think another dog may be helpful to her and the kids

Is it a rescue or breeder? Asking because is it harder to get a rescue?

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Thanks everyone. We are so torn. We talked to our vet about this recently because the older dog is our priority- she’s slowing down but still in good health. She jumps on the couch multiple times a day but can’t jump on the bed, etc. She said that with some older dogs having a puppy around is actually good for them and gives them a little burst of energy.

Does anyone have actual experience with introducing a puppy to an older dog and how it affected both? We are interested in the puppy but would never do anything to harm our current dog- she’s our first child.

[Anonymous]

Puppies are a LOT of work. If you are getting one from a breeder check if personally is mellow. A high energy puppy with your situation doesn’t sound fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is 4.5, DS is 16 months. I’m a stay at home mom and DH travels occasionally. We have a 14 year old border collie who is the live of our lives. We have been trying to adopt a Golden for months (approved by the local rescue just waiting on a dog). There is a Golden puppy nearby who is available NOW. We adopted the 14 year old as a rescue when she was a little over a year old and have never actually had a true puppy as adults. Is this crazy? We’ve been talking about another dog for a long time just a little guy shy I guess. I’m worried about how our older dog will handle. I don’t want to overshadow her as she gets older but also think another dog may be helpful to her and the kids

Is it a rescue or breeder? Asking because is it harder to get a rescue?

A breeder. The rescue has been great but we’ve been trying for over 8 months. The plan was to get another dog while our older dog was still active but I’m worried that window is closing

[Anonymous]

Does your older dog like playing with younger dogs? Is she a mothering type. Make sure you get a male puppy if you do it. We did this and our older dog HATED the puppy and it caused us a lot of guilt during his last couple years of life. I do think it gave him more energy but more because he felt like he had to keep up with the puppy and compete for our attention.

[Anonymous]

Do it!

I added a giant breed puppy to my household with my 7-year-old established senior dog. (7-years is senior—they are short-lived.)

They love each other. It took a few months, but my older dog definitely has more energy now. Watching them play is truly the sweetest thing.

They are both female.

[Anonymous]

I would wait

[Anonymous]

The puppy is available today?

[Anonymous]

Puppies are soooo much work. And if you get one that nips a lot, it could be hard on your older kid. If it were me I would wait a year or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do it!

I added a giant breed puppy to my household with my 7-year-old established senior dog. (7-years is senior—they are short-lived.)

They love each other. It took a few months, but my older dog definitely has more energy now. Watching them play is truly the sweetest thing.

They are both female.

^Me again….

I meant to mention that the puppy is obsessed with her older sister, and the older dog is the boss. Puppy does what the older dog does; she shares all her toys with her older sister.

My only warning is to make sure your older dog is well trained because your younger pup will likely pick up all their habits (good and bad). On the flip side, a well-trained older pup helps immensely with training.