11/10/2022
âWe got a puppy for our senior dogâ
This was the title of the video this screenshot was taken from. The first few scenes of the video were of a senior poodle mix bouncing around, enjoying life, and then the tone of the video changed abruptly when they introduced a young puppy, and every scene after that showed the poodle baring his teeth, snarling, growling, and snapping at the puppy.
I think the video was meant to be funny? But I am disheartened at how distressed this little dog looked around the puppy (who was already bigger than him) and the fact that the puppyâs only experience of this other dog was him behaving aggressively.
If you have senior dogs in your household, I beg you to think twice before bringing home a new dog or puppy. If your senior dog has a long, rich history of being social (even if they became more selective as they got older), has had multiple dog friends, and has never injured another dog (non-injurious scuffles and noisy tiffs are not abnormal, but if your dog has put holes in another dog or been the reason that another dog ended up at the vet, thatâs something to be concerned about), you MIGHT consider bringing a new dog or puppy home. Be forewarned though that your dog sharing their home with another new dog is a way different ball game than just being social for brief periods of time out on walks.
But if your senior dog has never had much interest in other dogs, if they have a history of being fearful or aggressive towards other dogs with no interest in âmaking friendsâ, or if theyâve ever injured another dog, please, I beg of you, do not bring a new dog or puppy into your home. Your senior dog wants to live the remainder of their years in peace, not feeling like they have to defend themselves from a new intruder.
I understand that this often means putting your desires and wants on a back burner; your dog may live another 3, 5, 7 years, which means you may have to wait a long time to bring home that puppy you have in your mind. But if your senior dog has been with you their whole life, theyâve given you everything, theyâve been at the door to greet you every day and been there to cuddle you when youâre feeling down: your senior dog deserves to enjoy their senior years with you, in peace.
And if youâre not willing to wait, then youâre going to have to become a management expert. Your senior dog should not have to deal with a puppy constantly getting in his space; you need to use gates and crates for months, possibly years, to manage the interactions between your senior dog and your puppy. And it will be a LOT of work. And you might be okay with that arrangement, thatâs fine. But what youâre NOT going to do is give your new puppy unlimited access to your senior dog and destroy any chance of them having a positive relationship. And youâre not going to neglect your senior dog for your new puppy.
Is it true that some senior dogs love being around puppies? Yes, some senior dogs do benefit from the addition of a puppy or another dog. This can be evaluated on a case by case basis. But this is not always what happens, and itâs not fair to expect the senior dog to âjust dealâ with the choice we forced on them.
