Hi there
I've got a German Shepherd girl, Tess (12), and a Jack Russel boy, Rocky (12 months) and in 4 weeks I'll be bringing home a Basset boy puppy. I'm a bit concerned as to how Rocky Russel will react to the pup.
I have no concerns whatsoever about Tess, she really is as good as gold, a total mother figure to kids and dogs. (In fact we call her our nanny :) ) And when I brought home Rocky Russel, Tess totally mothered him, as expected. Both my dogs have been 'done'. They play together wonderfully, and with her being quite an old girl now, he knows when to take it easy on her, and likewise, she has NEVER EVER gone too far with him, just the ocassional little nip if he won't end play when she's had enough.
My worry is, how will my little Rocky Russel react to the Basset pup boy. I've heard that it is highly unlikely that an adult dog would harm a pup (like how "normal" adults wouldnt harm a child) but will my JR realise he is not the baby anymore? Will he realise the pup is younger than him so has to be more careful? He can be a bit 'edgy' with dogs he meets on walks, is he likely to be edgy with the puppy? My mum until very recently had a beauty of a Bullmastiff, and Rocky loved him...but the Bully would have nothing to do with our Rox. My point there is that he seems to know dogs in the family and is fine, but come to walkie's and he really is the Russel from Hell !! :-( He barks little something you would not believe but if they bark back, he legs it. He's just an edgy coward really.
I know I've gone on a bit, but any advise you could give..even tips on getting him out of his edginess, please????
Here's hoping
Steph xx

Hi Steph, your dogs sound lovely!

I think Rocky might surprise you with the new puppy, although it sounds like he is afraid of most dogs, a puppy wont be much of a threat to him. You could find that if you introduce the dogs on the home territory he might be a little worse, he will have more confidence at home so will know he can defend himself if needed.

Just be very careful when you're introducing them, although Rocky will more likely than not be fine with the pup, if he does bark at the puppy, or even worse bite him, then that will really affect the puppies development and he will grow up to be afraid of dogs as well.

Make sure you're very careful and don't leave them together unattended until Rocky is used to his new family member (I'm sure once they have made friends they will be fine)
Also make sure Rocky isn't pushed out, if you plan on using a crate with your puppy, then pop him in there with a chew toy or something that will occupy him and make a real fuss of Rocky. You don't want to add competition to the list of things that could cause a problem!!

It sounds like Rocky is really playful, so he will love having a new brother to play with now that Tess is getting too old. Once he sees that he's got a permanent playmate he'll love it!

Be very careful that you don't pass on Rocky's fears to the new puppy.
Try to get hold of 'The Perfect Puppy' by Gwen Bailey which will give you lots of useful tips on socialising your new boy so you don't get the same problems. For Rocky, you can also have a look at 'Good Dog Behaviour' which is also by Gwen Bailey, there's a section in the back about fearful dogs and has some advice on how to overcome it, so that might help you. Also if you can get hold of books by John Fisher, that will help you a lot too. Try 'Think Dog' and 'Dogwise' which I think would be best for you.
I know that's quite a lot of books, I would recommend buying the Perfect Puppy because you'll need to refer to it again and again, but the others you could borrow from the library and they could still help you a great deal.

It might be beneficial for you to see a good behaviourist or trainer who could help you deal with Rocky's problems a bit better. If you could see one before you bring home your new puppy they could give you advice about how to introduce them properly, which will be better than anything you can find in a book because they'll be able to meet and assess Rocky first.
For a behaviourist look on www.apbc.org.uk or ask your vet to refer you to someone.
Trainers can be found at www.apdt.co.uk but make sure you check them out yourself and ask around before you go.

Good luck with Rocky and your new puppy, I'm sure you'll be fine,

regards,
Jo

awwww, thanks very much Jo. You were really helpful. :) I've made a note of the books and will look in our main city library2moro. (local not v good).
Will look into behaviourists/trainers also....dunno why I never thought about that sooner for Rocky. :(
And don't worry, neither Tess nor Rocky will be left out when pups comes home..I know the importance of that.
Thanks again Jo
Steph xx