Those with puppies & older dogs

[nijinsky]

Just interested to see how you manage things.

I think we're all pretty much aware that we shouldn't let young dogs tear around the place, running & jumping which is easier said than done as I am finding out - again!!

So I thought I'd ask how everyone else managed their pups first year, maybe I could pick up some tips.

I have just made a puppy pen in the garden for the little one so she's not going mad with the other 2 when they're out. Obviously I want her to socialise with the other 2 but I think she's too delicate to be running & getting knocked flying in the thick of things. She has now taken to flinging herself at Blue, my staffie & literally hangs off his neck, he's being very kind about it but he does play quite rough. Xara is very gentle with him in terms of play biting but she herds her a lot.

In her puppy pen she'll cry & try and get out, I end up feeling sorry for her but should I be cruel to be kind and ignore her? At the end of the day she's outside in the garden, she has loads of toys, she can see everything around her, dogs, horses, us, etc.

Sorry this has turned out so long, just wondered how everyone else dealt with things.

 

[carthorse]

My puppy is so small and that is quite a problem as she won't leave me .It is dangerous at the stables and she has to be locked in at times and she cries. My older dogs [ shih tzus] do not like him but our stable dog[ retired drugs dog] loves him and Claire's puppy also loves him.Good luck with yours

 

[Tia]

I have 5 dogs; they are 7 yrs old, 4yrs old, almost 2yrs old, 1 year old and the last is 8 months old. All my dogs have free run all day and all night, so they can come into their dogroom or they can go outside and run around or laze about, whatever they wish. My older dogs keep my young dogs out of mischief and they play with them but once the older dogs settle down for a nap, so do the puppies.

I try to bring my dogs up in a canine-family type environment and it works perfectly. When the puppies are tired, they sleep, when they are hungry, they eat (I feed ad-lib), when they want to play, they play. I've always brought my dogs up like this and they have all been well adjusted dogs capable of figuring out for themselves when they have had enough.

I personally would never lock any of my puppies up whilst they could see the other dogs are running around and having fun, as I do not agree with that. If you feel the need to restrict your puppy's play time, then take him inside so he cannot be taunted by the others running around.

Dogs are generally not as stupid as some people believe. If you give your dogs the option of thinking for themselves, they often do a pretty good job of it

.

 

[Lucy_Nottingham]

I havnt ever shut my puppy away (ok I dont have other dogs, but at uni he lives with 2 spaniels!)

He runs around like a nutter at some points, but he is a collie, no chance of stopping it all together! Sometimes he gets bowled over when playing (Either with the spaniels or his mate who is a staffie lab x!) but he just bounces back and goes back for more!
if it gets too rough I always call him away to try to just calm it down a bit, and if it doesnt work, he goes on a lead to stay by me till we calm down!

Sure your older dogs will put the puppy in its place if it gets too much!

 

[nijinsky]

Ok - I think I ought to explain further as I'm probably making myself look like the "jail keeper" here which is not what it's all about.

First & foremost I totally want my dogs to be dogs, have fun, have as much freedom as they can which generally they do.

My 3 yo staffie was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia at around 18 months. He was on & off lame from 8 months. My GSD is 20 months and at 12 months was hip scored. The scores were not good, although she isn't showing any signs of having any problems.

I could easily blame the breeders but I do believe to a certain extent environment has a lot to do with it. Had these 2 dogs not been allowed the freedom to "run free", tear around the place at break neck speed sometimes. Had I been a bit more strict in their first year while their wee bones are still very soft & growing would my staffie have ED now & would my GSD's hip scores been different? I'll never know the answer to that.

What I don't want to do with this puppy who is also a GSD and knowing that HD is a common problem (or can be) in this breed is for the same thing to happen because I wasn't strict enough.

Eg my neighbour has a labrador, same age as Xara, that dog never had the freedom to run about in his first year, did pretty much everything on the lead, he was hip scored at 12 months, a good score came back.

So for the sake of keeping a tighter rein on their first year could make all the difference to the rest of their life IMO. After their first year, their bones are stronger, set, they can run & jump to their hearts content.

I just think that a lot of damage can be done to a puppy by bigger dogs, being knocked over etc, damage that you won't necessarily see now but possibly later on in life.

 

[MurphysMinder]

I totally understand where you ae coming from Nijinsky. I think the totally over the top fad of caging pups, not letting them jump up etc to protect hips was ridiculous, however I have restricted Evie from "playing rough" with the older bitches, and even taking hips out of the equation I would not let a young pup run around with an adult unless under very close supervision. I think restricting a dog to just lead exercise for 12 months is wrong, they need to run and play, and on their own will usually self limit, the problem is when they are playing with another dog. Instead of keeping her in a playpen whilst the others are playing, which will maybe wind her up, why don't you either have her with you in the house (use the time for a bit of training), or time it so they are having their outside playing time when she is sleeping.
You are going to be paranoid about hips after Xaras score, but don't let it spoil yours or Darbys fun. I am firmly convinced Evie is going to have bad hips (she always sits flopped to one side, and is quite cow hocked

), but there is nothing I can do about it. Only another 6 weeks or so before she is old enough to be scored, and if they come back bad she will just have to go

 

[nijinsky]

Thanks MM - I was beginning to think I must be living on a different planet!!

The original post was about how you manage a pup with adult dogs, just wanted to see how other people managed.

There's no way I'd keep a pup locked up constantly but I do see the point where her being in a run with the others outside the run could wind her up.

Sounds like a plan then to have them outside at different times or as you say totally supervise them all out together.

I'm sure Evie will be fine, if she does have to go though, let me know & you can collect Xara on the way

 

[CAYLA]

You are right to be cautious, we see alot of puppies at work with injuries from rough play with bigger dogs, I usually just supervise puppy play with other dogs and then bring puppy in for a break/feed/sleep time, I never really leave a pup as young as yours unsupervised with bigger dogs, a playful clout from my rott, would prob send her into oblivion