Episode #207 Caring for and Validating Your Senior Dog While Teaching a New Puppy

Introducing a new puppy into a household with a senior dog can be a rollercoaster of emotions, but it doesn’t have to be. Imagine finding that needed balance, where your senior dog feels loved and secure even with a new bundle of energy bouncing around. In today’s episode, we give you the insights needed to create a harmonious environment for your seasoned canine companion and your playful new arrival. Drawing from personal experiences, such as Bruno and Baxter's unique adjustment journeys, we unpack the significance of understanding your older dog's changing needs and how to manage the potential stress a lively puppy brings effectively. From creating a safe retreat for your senior pet to maintaining consistent routines, we’ll guide you through essential strategies to ensure both pets thrive.

Support the show

Follow us on social media

Instagram @BAXTERandBella
Facebook @TheOnlinePuppySchool
YouTube @BAXTERandBella

Subscribe to our site for FREE weekly training tips!

Check out our FREE resources!

Join our membership here.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you bringing home a new puppy and you already
have an older dog in your home,there's a few things that you're
going to want to know to makesure that this goes well and
that they start to like eachother.
So today we're talking aboutbringing home a new puppy when
you already have a senior dog inthe home, and how to make that
a smooth, happy transition.
Welcome to the show.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.

(00:23):
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the

(00:45):
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello everybody, welcome to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope you're having a greatChristmas holiday.
We just celebrated Christmasand it's time to think about the
new year next, right, I haven'teven thought that far.
Hopefully you're more on top ofit than I am, but today we are

(01:08):
talking about caring for andvalidating your senior dog while
teaching a new puppy.
So many of you are bringinghome a new puppy or you just
brought one home and you alreadyhave a dog.
Sometimes that can presentchallenges, but it can also be a
good experience as well.
Sometimes that can presentchallenges, but it can also be a
good experience as well.
Older dogs often have specificneeds, like physical limitations

(01:29):
, emotional requirements and aset routine.
As long as we can balance theseneeds while making sure our
puppy receives proper trainingand attention, it will all work
together to maintain harmony inour homes.
So today let's talk about theimportance of validating and
caring for our senior dog whileteaching a new puppy, and we're
going to focus on three ways tosupport our older dog during

(01:51):
this transition.
First off, understanding oursenior dog's perspective is
important.
They often experience changesin mobility, hearing, vision and
energy levels as they age.
They may start to feelthreatened or anxious with the
arrival of a new, lively puppy.
Puppies have a lot of energyand it doesn't always match the
energy of our senior dog.

(02:12):
A senior dog's life is built onroutine and sudden disruptions
can create stress, so it'sessential to acknowledge their
feelings and adapt your approachto make sure that your older
dog feels secure and valued.
There will be times when yourolder dog likes being around the
new puppy and other times whenthey will need their own space.
So let's start there.
Number one is to create a safespace for your older dog.

(02:34):
Senior dogs need a quiet,comfortable place where they can
retreat if the puppy becomestoo energetic.
We are not going to treat ourolder dogs like the puppy sitter
.
Okay, this space should beoff-limits to the puppy and
stocked with your senior dog'sfavorite bed toys, perhaps even
an item with your scent, foradded comfort.
Giving your senior dog asanctuary reinforces their sense

(02:55):
of security and provides themwith a much-needed reprieve from
the puppy's antics At our house.
Bruno is our senior dog in ourhome.
He's 12 and he doesn't move aseasily as he once did.
His knees are not doing sogreat, but he still loves to be
out by us.
He just prefers to be layingsomewhere out of the way of the
excitement and chaos of Baxterand Bella, who love to play and
wrestle.
We created a pen area for himto retreat to whenever he wishes

(03:18):
, so he has his bed, his chews,food and water bowls are in
there for him and it has alittle doggy door so he can come
and go as he pleases and, ifneeded, I can lock that door, so
fun, sweet, spunky Bella can'tgo visit Now.
This gives Bruno that safe,comfortable place where he can't
be bothered by the puppy antics.
Next, it's important that wemaintain consistency for our

(03:39):
older dogs, especially duringsignificant changes like
bringing a new puppy home.
We want to keep feeding times,walks and play schedules as
close to their usual routine aspossible.
If our older dog enjoys slow,peaceful strolls, we want to
ensure that these outings remainpart of their day.
By preserving familiar patternsto them, we show our older dog
that their needs are still apriority and it helps them adapt

(04:02):
more easily to the new familydynamic.
So when changes are starting tohappen, we want to keep as many
things that are familiar to ourdog in play as possible.
When Bella arrived, she joinedour daily routine.
Baxter really loves his walksat the park, so we took Bella
along, just put her in a puppystroller and she got to come for
the walk.
Now sometimes she would benapping and that's when Baxter

(04:24):
and I would head out on hisdaily adventure.
So we got some one-on-one timetogether.
To Baxter the schedule didn'tchange much.
We still did our same favoritethings together and that helped
him adjust to having this newpuppy in the home.
Now take note that Baxter isthree, bruno is 12.
So each of them adjusted alittle bit differently to
bringing Bella home.
Baxter's a little younger, he'smore playful, he's more

(04:46):
interested in the puppy playstyle.
Bruno is much older, not asagile, has some knee problems,
and so we treated each a littledifferently, right?
Baxter wanted to be near thepuppy more often.
We treated each a littledifferently, right?
Baxter wanted to be near thepuppy more often, bruno was a
little more like yeah, I'm goodjust to watch from a distance
most of the time.
Okay, so take into account theage of your senior dog, as that

(05:09):
will definitely play into thetime that you need to structure
the behavior of the puppy andmanage their interactions with
your older dog.
Number three is to provide extraattention and affection to your
current dog.
So the arrival of a puppy oftendraws much of our family's
attention away, which can makean older dog feel somewhat

(05:30):
neglected.
We want to counteract this bysetting aside dedicated
one-on-one time with your seniordog, whether it's gentle
grooming, a relaxing cuddlesession or simply just sitting
with them while they are resting.
These moments of undividedattention can reaffirm their
importance in our life.
All right.
So training the puppy with asenior dog in mind is very
important.

(05:50):
When teaching our puppy, it'sreally important that we
establish boundaries and wepromote respectful behavior
towards the older dog.
Now, puppies don't always comewith this knowledge of how to
interact with an older dog.
Older dogs generally are prettygood at teaching them.
But we want to make sure thatwe are monitoring this and if
our puppy's not getting themessage that, we can simply help

(06:11):
them out and show them what todo.
So we can encourage our puppyto play gently and recognize
when the older dog is like, hey,I've had enough, then that's
where management is key in thebeginning and we prevent our
puppy from going back to ourolder dog over and over again
when it's not appreciated.
So baby gates, exercise pens,crates and tethers will all be
helpful in teaching our puppyappropriate manners around other

(06:33):
dogs and giving our older dogsbreaks when they need one.
So we also add the training aswell.
So this takes time.
We manage as we train.
We do not expect our youngpuppies to know what to do.
It's our job to teach themappropriate behavior.
So I like to teach cues likeleave it or settle, which can be
super helpful in managinginteractions between our dogs.

(06:54):
Additionally, we use positivereinforcement for both dogs to
create cooperation and a goodenvironment.
We want to reward our olderdogs for tolerating the puppy's
presence and the puppy forbehaving appropriately around
the senior dog.
This dual approach reinforcesgood behavior and it helps
prevent any jealousy.
Older dogs tend to love thefact that puppies mean more food

(07:15):
rewards.
Let those dogs join in on thetraining sessions.
It's great review for them andthey have fun doing it.
They also love, as I mentioned,the fact that food is involved.
While our new puppy requiresextensive training and attention
, it's important to strike abalance that ensures both dogs
feel loved and cared for.
By addressing the unique needsof our senior dogs and fostering

(07:36):
mutual respect between both, wecan create an environment where
both animals can thrive.
It really is fun to see themplay together, bond and get to
know each other and, as Imentioned, age will play a lot
into this.
So if you have any questionsabout your senior dog and need
help coaching through how tohelp your puppy join the
household, please reach out tous.

(07:57):
We'd love to do a coachingsession with you and help you
through the entire process.
Have a great week and happytraining.
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to

(08:19):
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.