Our 5 year old Dog's reaction to the new puppy

by Joni
(Washington)

My husband and I have a 5 year old female German Shepherd. We recently made the decision to add another male German Shepherd puppy to our family to give her a companion.

We made sure to introduce them for the first time in a neutral area, we took them for a walk together and then brought them in our home. Our Shepherd seems to enjoy playing with the pup half the time and then is very agitated with the pup the rest. She is extremely aggressive when it comes to her food and her toys but otherwise is gentle when playing. We make sure to always give her equal attention (sometimes even a little extra) however we do scold her if she acts aggressively to the pup in any way.

Just the other day she began throwing up (something she never does) and I am very worried she is stressed by our new family member. I want to know if there is anything else I can do to help them bond and make this new pup a pleasurable experience and life long companion for our German Shepherd.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Joni







Hi Joni
It sounds as though you've done everything right so far, and I think it may just be a matter of time and patience now. Your older dog needs to adjust to, and accept, the new pup in her own time and on her own terms.

The fact that she is generally gentle when playing and allows the pup to be around her is good. Being territorial with her food and possessions is normal.

Definitely continue to give her the 'alpha' role in your home, (by petting, feeding, greeting her first) as this will reinforce her superiority in the eyes of the pup, hopefully reducing jealousy issues etc.

I would recommend that you check out my Introducing A New Puppy page for more tips and advice on handling this situation.

best of luck with both your dogs.