My older dog runs from new puppy. How do I introduce them safely?

It is very important that you do not bring the new puppy directly into your home with the older dog there, he will become territorial and see the puppy a an intruder. Instead, take them both (separately--you'll need an assistant for this) to a neutral place where neither has ever been. Introduce them there, and after a few minutes of play the older dog should feel that he's bringing his new buddy home. Be sure the puppy has his own crate, toys, bowl, etc. Either breed should be fine; the temperament of the individual dogs is more important than the breed itself.

I would recommend walking your two current dogs for a big long walk (30-60+ minutes) to get them tired out a bit. And then having them meet Pete out in your neighborhood at the end of your walk. One person should have your two older dogs, and one person should be walking Pete. Start out walking parallel on either side of the road and slowly get closer and closer over 10-15 minutes until they are walking next to each other. Don't actually encourage them to interact, just walk and distract them with treats if they seem overly interested in the puppy. End your walk at home and take them all inside. If they show a lot of interest in the pup, use treats to distract them or separate them. Keep allowing them to interact while supervised until you are comfortable with their interactions. Good luck and enjoy your new pup! Let me know if this was helpful information and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Introduce them to one another gradually. First, by allowing them to hear and smell one another through a closed door, then by sight without physical contact, then supervised contact. You will need to progress gradually through each phase. Correct any aggressive behavior immediately and praise good behavior consistently. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may decrease any anxiety or aggression.

Congrats on adding the new puppy to your household. These things can take time and patience but most pets will come around. Here is a helpful link: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-introduce-a-puppy-or-dog-to-your-older-dog/ Other things that will help including walking the dogs together, giving the older dog some alone time and keeping the puppy from getting too rough with the older dog. Also praise the older dog when she approaches the puppy or exhibits positive interest in the puppy. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

You will likely need to separate the new dog from the 2 "older" dogs for a period of time. Spend time with each separately, but make sure that they cannot see the new dog, i.e. keep him in a separate part of the house behind a closed door for at least one to two weeks. Then you can allow them to see each other, but not have contact. Move slowly, from this phase on to allowing them to see and smell each other across a barrier such as a baby gate. Finally, allow them to spend supervised time together. Reward good behavior with high value food treats (i.e. bits of cooked chicken) and go slow.

It may take some time for her to accept him. If she is being aggressive toward him than you should not allow them to be together unsupervised, espeically around feeding time or any toys/bones that she may protect. Give her extra attention, praise, and treats while the puppy is around so she knows he is not there to replace her. You could also try an Adaptil collar or diffuser and see if that helps. If she doesn't start accepting him than you could talk to your vet about trying an anti-anxiety medication, like Prozac or Trazodone and see if that helps.

Poor Merlin! It sounds like he gets very upset around other dogs, which can be a challenging problem to work on in some cases. You will need to take things very slowly when introducing him to the new puppy - this will be hard for both of them, so be patient and stay positive. For now, I would recommend keeping them separated unless you are actively working on training with them - this will help to prevent any setbacks that may occur if they get into a fight. I would try to do several short training sessions each day if you can, no more than 5-10 minutes each. You will need another person to help you, and both dogs should be on-leash. Start with them on opposite sides of the room, and give treats for calm behavior while they are in the same room together. Over the next few days, if things are going well, you can gradually start to allow them to be closer together, still giving treats for calm behavior - if either dog becomes upset and starts to bark or growl, just move them further apart again. It may take several days or even weeks before they can safely be loose together, depending on how severe Merlin's problem is. If you are not seeing any improvement within the first week of starting this plan, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org