We have a three and a half yr old weimaraner and are in the process of getting a labrador puppy in a month's time. Briar (the weimaraner) currently sleeps downstairs in the living room and I am wondering if it's a good idea for the pup to sleep in the same room as her, or is it better (initially) to keep them seperate? If necessary, we could put a baby gate up between the living room and the kitchen and leave the door open so pup can see and hear Briar without pestering her.

Any advice would be welcome.

Could you not have a puppy crate in the room with Briar so that the puppy could see her and not feel alone and Briar could get used to the puppy without the puppy annoying her. One of my new owners did this with their new arrival and the older dog used to sleep next to the crate.

I think the babygate is a great idea (I'm not a cage fan). I do the same, I took my kitchen door off and have a petgate instead there. New pups stay in the kitchen through the night and when I'm out and the rest of the dogs have the whole house. The new pup stays in the kitchen when I'm not supervising until they are fully house trained and fully accepted into the pack :)

You obviously know your dog better than I do, but my worry would be the older dog jumping the baby gate. At least with a crate the pup would be safe and secure. My current pup sleeps in a crate by my bed, the other 5 dogs are all in their usual places, some on the floor, some on my bed. Same sort of routine when I pop out, pup in her crate, the rest are free to roam.

Far better and taller (and stronger) than baby gates are dog gates -or a wooden door sawn in half to make a stable door. I don't do cages either for big dogs but none of mine have ever jumped the half door.

<none of mine have ever jumped the half door>

Mine have I'm afraid! I guess it depends on the dog and how desperate they are to get to the other side.

Yep!  My male GSP can hop over the large dog gate I have from a standing start.....no sweat! Imagine a Weim could do likewise if suitably motivated.

We had the girls (bernese and GordonSetter) in the same room with the puppy in a huge crate (biggest we could get). They were absolutely fine and within a few weeks they were in the kitchen together and the Gordon will still cuddle in to the Bernese if she is cold :). We were worried about the size difference and as the Bernese is only a year older she was still a really boisterous puppy herself when the mood took her. Once the puppy was up a bit they were fine together and still are, I have a photo of the two of them with Treacle cuddled up to Bramble when she was about 10 weeks old, they were so cute :)

I know of a lady in Rough Collies whose dog jumped a dog gate, got its foot caught on the way over and broke its leg. She was never able to show it again.