My old dog avoids us and won't be touched. Is it the new puppy?

It sounds as if Coco may be a bit stressed out by the new puppy. Giving her some time on her own to relax and settle in with the changes is best. You can try spending some more one on one time together by offering a favorite treat, playing with a favorite toy, or just petting and grooming her without your other dogs present. Making sure each dog has some personal time as well as places they can rest such as their own bed, room, etc as well as making sure there are extra food and water bowls can help reduce stress and prevent tension between all three dogs.

IT can be common that when a new puppy enters the house the older dog might have a change in behavior. Most of the time this is corrected with just time. Molly will get use to the puppy being a around and will start to become more social again. I recommend making sure Molly does have an area she can go with out the puppy to relax and paying her some one on one time to make sure she is getting attention. hope that helps

Congratulations on your puppy Coco. It sounds like she may be dealing with stress and maybe even separation anxiety following the departure of her siblings. This should calm down over time, over the next month I would expect her to feel more and more settled. I will suggest a few ways to help her cope below. I am very sorry that you are experiencing these issues with Coco. I will suggest a few tactics to help you both have some peace. The key is to helping Coco feel safe and secure at home, increasing exercise to help with anxiety and also increasing mental stimulation. Allowing her to stay with her mother as much as you can while she adjusts Increased exercise (think fetch indoors) Chew toys Puzzle toys Interactive games like fetch and hide and go seek Leaving the TV, a fan or a White House generating machine on DAP- dog appeasing pheromone releasing diffusers Thunder coats Here are some further resources to help you, but also feel free to ask me any for their questions here on the forum. https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-ways-to-stimulate-your-dog-s-brain/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-ways-to-make-sure-your-dog-feels-safe-in-your-home/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-signs-your-dog-is-stressed/

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. Canine cognitive dysfunction is common in older animals. It is somewhat similar to Alzheimer's disease in people. It is characterized by anxiety (especially at night), panting, pacing, becoming stuck in corners (due to disorientation) and accidents in the house. If these signs sound familiar, it would be best for her to see her veterinarian. There are prescription medications that can be used in some cases. At home though, you could transitioning her to Purina ProPlan Bright Minds. It really does seem to help these patients. I hope this information helps!

Lulu would not be aware of any contagious disease risks and many older dogs are unwilling and unsure of socializing with active, energetic puppies and take to time, up to a month, to fully adjust. Be sure to make time with Lulu on her own as you did before the puppy and try to introduce them after active play session when the puppy is more tired. Keep the puppy away from Lulus bed, toys and food bowls and keep him in separate room unless directly supervised to prevent friction and conflict

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I understand your concern. The symptoms Maya are displaying are very non-specific and there could be many reasons. She could simply be moping because of the new puppy. But there could be a medical reason: lyme disease, metabolic diseases (liver/kidney), viral infections, fever, foreign body ingestion or cancer. Watch her closely for any changes like vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, limping, etc. Try adding boiled chicken or hamburger to her dog food to tempt her to eat. Try taking her outside for her favorite activity with out the puppy-a nice walk, swim in the creek, dog park or play ball. See if that cheers her up! I hope this helps and good luck!

Puppies can sometimes be A LOT for senior dogs and it can take some time for them to get use to one another. If there were any food, treats, toys or special people near by Buddy could have just been acting protective over these. Also, with Buddy being older, if they puppy is always playing, jumping on him, or nipping at him, he may have been just trying to tell the puppy to leave him alone or trying to set some boundaries. Also, if he is arthritic and he knows the puppy jumping on him hurts, he could have reacted to prevent this. I would continue to keep them separate until you know they can be left alone together. I would definitely feed them separately as well. I would be sure you are still spending plenty of alone time with Buddy as he may be feeling frustrated that his home life has changed with the new addition. I would continue to have short but frequent times of them being together. You could also start Buddy on an anti-anxiety chew like composure or composure pro and get him a calming collar like sentry or adaptil. If these don't help, talk to your vet about anti-anxiety medicine like fluoxetine or trazadone. I hope this helps!