Bookends – Getting a new puppy with an old dog

“I’m not getting another dog until Buffy dies and it would be better if Mitch retires first,” is what I’ve said for the past three years. But my cocker spaniel, Buffy, who I inherited from my mom, is a trooper at 15.5 years old, longer lived than any of my previous dogs. She lost her eyes from glaucoma in 2018  and has to be carried up and down the stairs multiple times each day. The vet tech compares her densely packed body to a bowling ball.

I thought it would be too cruel to Buffy to bring home a puppy. But that’s exactly what we did the day after my husband retired. My last springer spaniel, Cassie,  died in 2015 and I’ve been longing for a puppy ever since. We basically are a one dog household because  we take the dog hiking, camping, and canoeing. Buffy does not like any of these activities, although she has tolerated camping and canoeing, but she stopped walking further than the driveway a few years ago due to weakness in her back legs.

A few times a year I’d check the English Springer Spaniel Rescue website or google local springer puppies for sale even though I had no intention of getting a dog yet. Little did I know that my husband was checking the want ads in the newspaper and online. In late June my husband happened to seean ad for springer spaniel puppies in a paper which was delivered despite the fact that we don’t subscribe.  The puppies were located in the town where I grew up, about an hour away. The tiny photo in the paper showed several very cute puppies, most of which were males. I usually prefer females due to their smaller size. The next day the breeder texted that his female puppy was returned since the buyer decided he was too old for a puppy. He attached photos and videos. We were hooked and soon came home with Marcy, who resembles Cassie.

Marcy loves grandma Buffy, but Buffy does not like her.

Unfortunately, Marcy quickly figured out that Buffy can’t bite her due to her blindness. Buffy also falls easily because of her weak back end. Unfortunately, at only 3 months of age, Marcy has become a bully knocking Buffy down, pushing her away from her water dish, nipping her ears, and just making it hard for Buffy.

I asked my vet, and did some research, but unfortunately, most sites don’t mention blind dogs. Older dogs often put a young pup in its place, but Buffy can’t do that. Marcy isn’t fully vaccinated, so the vet said not to take her for walks or meet other dogs.

Helpful ideas to train your new puppy:

1. Crate train the puppy and have designated nap times. Marcy has a morning nap when I leave to go to the gym or to work from roughly 8 – 10 and an after lunch nap from around 12:30 – 3. This gives Buffy time to be alone. NPR on the radio acts as a noise blocker.
2. Teach the leave-it command. I do this to re-direct Marcy away from Buffy.
3. Teach the wait command. Marcy has to wait for Buffy to finish her dinner before she can clean up the crumbs. It also helps to make Marcy wait to enter until I let Buffy into the house.
4. Work on obedience with the puppy. Obedience training teaches the puppy to focus on you and also exercises their mind. It also allows you to better control situations between the puppy and the older dog.
   1. Our first puppy class starts next week and I think Marcy already knows most of what they will teach us, but of course she probably won’t focus on me with the other puppies in the room.
5. Give the puppy lots of exercise. This is a bit challenging now since Marcy cannot go for walks until she receives her vaccines. But I have taught her how to play fetch in the yard. She loves to chew sticks, which I have an abundance of with all the trees in my yard.
6. I toss out several small treats for Marcy to search for while I give Buffy her pills. This provides a distraction for Marcy.
   1. Buffy always gave me a hard time taking her pills. I’ve tried all sorts of techniques and what works one day doesn’t necessarily work the next. I would never have thought that canned puppy food works wonders at covering the pills and Buffy gobbles them up.
7. I try to keep Marcy in the room with me when I am working on the computer while Buffy stays in the kitchen. Marcy’s potty spot is farther from the back door to help keep her distance from Buffy.
8. Marcy is an early riser while Buffy sleeps late, so an hour later when Buffy needs to get up, I use a leash to prevent Marcy from jumping into Buffy’s bed. This way Marcy gets to greet Buffy in a more controlled setting.

I’m still learning new methods all the time – it’s an ongoing challenge.

The key takeaways are separation and control. Keep the puppy and the old dog separate as much as possible and try to prevent the puppy from hurting or annoying the old dog.

These websites may give you additional ideas:

• How to Train a Puppy to Respect an Older Dog
• Help! Puppy bullying older dog and not taking the hint
• Help! My Older Dog is Stressed by a New Puppy