Got a 4 year old spanish water dog bitch, very playful and friendly. Said yes to having a new springer spaniel puppy yesterday, collecting him next saturday.

I’m not concerned about introducing the new pup into the house but is there anything I should be doing/not be doing for the already resident dog to make new pup an easy addition?

No, leave them to it, they’ll be fine. There may be a bit of argueing to start with as nutter #1 lets nutter #2 know where his place is.
Seeing as they’re fairly close in age they’ll probably get on great.
4 months ago we introduced a working cocker pup to our 16 yo working cocker (who has always thought she was the boss) and after a little bit of growling and barking it settled down.
The old girl has now accepted the fact that the youngster is a lune and leaves her to it.
Just make sure you give as much attention to the older dog as you do to the pup – which is tricky.
Well done with taking on a Springer – let us know how you get on 😉

sharkbait, are you implying I’ve got a job ion my hands getting a Springer?? I’m looking forward to the challenge!

Have you not owned a springer before? Oh boy, you’re in for a lot of fun!

They are the best dogs, but can be … a handful.

We did this last year…

Nutter working cocker puppy to a more relaxed 2yo show cocker….

Working cocker was boss dog in very short order

are you implying I’ve got a job ion my hands getting a Springer??

Noooo, of course not 😉
This is Jasmine who is now 6 months. I think that with working cockers you get the same work ethic as a springer but with a slightly more brain mass!
And yes she can now jump onto the table from a standing start 🙁

I think that with working cockers you get the same work ethic as a springer but with a slightly ….

… more energy packaged in a smaller, lighter, more frenetic body

Not sure about more energy…. but of the 3 we’ve had so far Jasmine is the ‘busiest’. Came with a very good working pedigree (dad is a 2 x FTCH) – I’ll give her another 6 months to slow down a bit then it’s time for serious training.

Gorgeous dog.

Ours is liver and white roan, so often gets mistaken for a springer pup. 14 months old now, so has started to become a bit more obedient

Ralph (two year old working cocker with a good five gen pedigree) is only now getting to the level of calmness required to learn the art of working. However, he’s still mental most of the time.

Ted (Four year old Spring, ditto pedigree – Thorncote & Rytex lines) took a year to calm down and is now a good solid worker, but still has mad moments.

Ralph has all the energy of his brother, but in a package that’s about a third of the size. Three times the madness. Well, apart from him liking cuddles and curling up on people. At least Ted can work for his board.

Yes, saw both parents and got to admit the dog looked quite energetic and ‘mad’ but I was expecting this, the mother much more relaxed. Its not going to be big shock though as our Spanish Water Dog is very energetic, can bounce like I’ve never seen a dog bounce before, I just hope that they have a calming effect on each other!

open door..

fling new pup into room with old dog

close door quickly

Retreat to a safe area untill noies level reduces to just a wimpering.

Slowly open door, when no more sounds can be heard, mop up mess and walk survivor.

Jobs a gooden!

‘Looked after a friends Spinger/Setter cross, introduced it to our 18month B terrier at the time, Border was boss, no arguements there. first night, put the dogs out into the garden, walked back into the kitchen to find the springer cross sat looning at me with tail wagging like crazy. repeated the excersise, same result. The dog could clear a four foot window sill, sink worktop piled with drying plates by jumping clear through the window from a standing start!

Mad mad mad dog… was glad to hand him back!

Mad mad mad dog

Not really surprised, crossing something with not much brain (springer) with something with no brain (setter) surely produces a vacuum?

I introduced my Springer Puppy to my 2 year old Cocker.

There was a good telling off within a few minutes and the Springer hid behind the chair, whimpering pitifully.

Bit heartbreaking, but they soon sorted themselves out and everything was fine.

Springers are ace by the way. keep ’em stimulated and there is no problem at all

soon they are doing this 🙂

[video]http://vimeo.com/12204358[/video]

something with not much brain (springer)

Really??

Can’t say I’ve ever thought of spaniels as lacking intelligence – quiet the opposite

Well I suppose which way you look at it…. from a working point of view they are pretty smart, but other than than I think they can be pretty scatty….. not as bad as a red setter though!

All the spaniels I know are generally lovely dogs – but I wouldn’t have one in a city – they strike me more of a country dog than a town one. They’re great, but they are bats! (in a nice way) 🙂

DD, its pretty rural where I live so no problem there, wouldnt consider such a dog if I didnt.

Never thought Id hear myself saying this as not a ‘crazy dog lover’ but I dont want to spoil the bond I’ve got with my present dog……can introducing a puppy do this?

I believe you are supposed to introduce them in a neutral area (ie: not your house) that way the current dog won’t be so worried about another dog in its territory, once they have been introduced it shouldn’t be a problem to then take it home. Might be easiest to pick up the new dog and take it to a park near your home with your other dog, let them play then take them both home.

Other rules are supposed to be based around how pack animals work, so ensure the lowest ranking dog gets attention and food last. If you don’t do this the higher ranking dog will feel it needs to put the other dog in its place, which will cause tension.

Also bear in mind the top dog, sits in the comfiest/best position, and on the highest point so if you let the puppy on the sofa whilst the other is on the floor, the puppy will get a bollocking at somepoint, same as if the puppy tries to nick the seat under the table when you are eating.

As for the bond with your current dog, as long as you keep the pecking order as:

You -> Your Wife -> Your Kids -> Everything else on the Planet -> The dog -> The puppy

it should be fine.

I dunno SiB – no expert in dog psychology. I’d say, try not to attribute too many human feelings like jealousy, etc. and realise that the whole “pack mentality” thing is bollocks really – once they’ve established their relationship, they both have a playmate and companion of their own kind. Obviously you’re not “one man and his dog” anymore – just one man and his dogs.

EDIT: Sorry, not that the pack mentality thing is complete bollocks, but that we attribute too much to it when it comes to training, etc. Your body language and tone of voice around the dogs is far more important.

Sounds fair enough DD, if you act like the boss, sound like the boss then the dog is more likely to treat you like the boss. Well that’s what seems to work with my dog.

Thanks, lots of good points.

Cage….when I got first dog I was advised to lock it in cage overnight when young as this can help stop them weeing at night time when they cant go outside. Now I realise puppies can find it hard to control their toilet habits but it seemed to work keeping her locked in at night (and she liked the cage as she would go in during the day when it was left open.

My next question is therefore is it ok to cage the new pup overnight and let current dog wonder around as normal?
Better to cage them both?
Better to forget about cage for either of them?

Entirely upto you, why not put the cage down with the door open and a blanket over it, that way if he/she wants to go in then he/she can, and then lock both dogs in a space with a hard floor.

I personally would stock up on newspaper and put it in a particular corner, and drag the dog over to it as accidents start to happen (their bladders are tiny, and they get very excited) so he/she know where to go if they cannot get outside fast enough. You will need to bleach the floor underneath regularly though, to remove the pee smell and break the habit as they get older.

I’d think about getting a pen so that old dog can get used to new dog without picking him up and treating him like a rag doll. Crate for new dog to sleep in at night, and will feel safe from older dog.

Lots of playing together – scent transfer etc – treating both at same time…etc etc.