I am waiting on a puppy, but with a little bit of reservation.
My first dog.. was a nightmare as a puppy. He never slept, and was a wilful little bugger to house train and teach recall etc.
2 years on, and he is now an angel. I have blocked out most of the puppy memories, and he is a joy to live with.

The thought of the new puppy does worry me a little bit, in case history repeats itself and I have to go back to that hellish place LOL although I know I can cope, but will my older dog help train the puppy - I'm thinking like where to go to pee, to come when called etc?

> will my older dog help train the puppy

Probably, certainly with recall if you call them together. Also if you take them round together for 'baby walks' your pup will probably walk nicely alongside your older one. (You will have to take your adult out separately for a proper walk too). Not sure about where to pee. Ours all tend to have their own favourite places and mostly the others seem to respect that and not trespass into someone else's space.

Good luck with your new puppy. I always think it's a magical time. Enjoy it while it lasts, they're not babies for long.

Puppies seem to pee every 5 minutes so it's hard to learn that from another dog although having an older dog helps reinforce the routines associated with feeding and toiletting.  If your dog has good recall then that certainly helps the puppy.  Learning to come when called around the house helps when you try it outside and my youngest learnt a reliable fast recall from distance with our older one (age gap 4 years).  Generally he learnt much of what he could see, simply by copying - sit for a treat, on your bed, go away.  More complex things are learnt differently so we taught him those. 

Unfortunately they do learn some of the wrong things too - barking at passers by in my case!  Also, as I have a size and type difference with mine, my gundog has learnt to go mousing.  He has no real concept of what he might be rummaging in the hedge for but, as my terrier type type does it, so does he!!  He has also never learnt to jump, he goes where the terrier goes so they get through styles by diving through the middle and go under, rather than over, fences.  I honestly don't know how the youngest seems to compact and twist his ribcage but he can get through the smallest gap if propelled by enthusiasm...

I think puppies should be spaced out by 2 or 3 years so you have time to forget how hard it was.  When you are standing in the garden, in the rain, in the middle of the night with your PJ's on and waiting for your little darling to perform - you'll remember!! :)

Yes, the puppy will pick up lots from your dog (good and bad stuff). I don't know how people cope with just one puppy, my pack has taught Jesse almost everything he needed to know better than I could ever have done!

Re sleeping: make sure that you teach your puppy to settle. I used to "force" Jesse to have a rest a couple of times a day by putting him in the crate for an hour after eating or when he got too mad - just like you would with a toddler.

Vera

i think we all forget how hard it is with a new puppy but lets not forget it's lots of fun to and this stage doesn't last that long.
you may find having an older dog helps at night, my 2nd and 3rd dogs never cried at night because they had the older dog to curl up with and toilet training did seem very easy compared with the first dog.
Recall is a lot easier as they all follow the leader but don't forget you need to train your puppy to respond on it's own not just because your older dog does.
i would enroll in a puppy class as soon as the pups old enough so that you get one to one time with your new arrival, which the pup will need. this way you can build up a relationship together and learn having fun.
your older dog will need time with you on their own to but seeing as you will need to walk them at different times as the pup can only do very short walks then this will be a great time to fuss over him.
the other thing to remember is to give your dog time out away from the puppy, not all dogs will put up with the constant jumping around and nipping that puppies can do. make sure he can always get away from the pup if he's had enough and make sure you teach the pup that it's not good behavour to jump on the older dog.
the puppy will also need a quiet place to go as in between the naughtiness he will need lots pf sleep but then i expect you know a lot of this.
goodluck and i hope you enjoy your new pup,although it will be hard work for a little while.

My first dog.. was a nightmare as a puppy. He never slept, and was a wilful little bugger to house train

lol sounds like my girl! She sounded like a werewolf in transformation when she was left alone for the first night lol
I had the exact same worries but she grew into a lovely mature adult she has now shown our puppy (he's 16 months now and shes 3 1/2) the ropes and he knows more then she did Im sure! And he knows his place too, under her paw and round her fluffy toe!
She really helped toilet train him actully as he followed her out and see what she did so he copied! Result!

As long as your first dog is well trained and isnt too naughty then he/she should follow suit Ive found! :-)
But theres nothing more fun to me then having a new puppy, all the new expierances you have to show them, trips to shops carrying them, training and puppy classes are the best thing to the dog and to me, such good fun......shame Im not allowed another actully!!

Oh yeah and he's ball mad, just like her lol

Be sure to give a new addition lots of separate training :)  Pups do tend to mimick the behaviour of older residents but IME are more likely to pick up the bad habits than the desired ones LOL.

It's very important to do individual training with a pup otherwise it may become too attached to your older dog at the expense of your bond together.  It's a balancing act of course as your existing dog will need some time for one to one stuff too otherwise he may feel left out.

As far as helping to housetrain your puppy, that's outwith the remit of any canine household members - it's all about you I'm afraid!  Regular toilet trips on waking, after eating, drinking, playing and 100% vigilance are the best tips - any signs of sniffing or circling then get your new puppy out a.s.a.p.  They have no control of bladder or bowels for some time but you can reduce or do away with soiling altogether if you stay on the ball :)

Good luck, Teri