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May 1st
Most dog owners quickly form a bond with their canine friend. Dogs have a way of finding a special place in our hearts. No wonder, then, that a lot of dog owners want to bring a new puppy home.
But how do you make your older dog love your new Labradoodle puppy as much as they love you? Older dogs often become hostile and territorial whenever a puppy is brought into the home.
However, there are some easy steps that you can take to help speed the bonding process between your older dog and new puppy. Before you know it, your dogs will be best friends.
Here, we’ll walk you through how you can socialize your new Labradoodle puppy.
The older dog is used to getting its way. They’ve been the main dog in the house, and that means that they think it’s their territory. If you bring in a new puppy, they may see this as a threat to their dominance.
That’s because dogs work in pack structures. When you introduce a new member to that pack, the older dog will try to show them who’s boss. This dominance behavior varies widely between dogs, with some showing very little, whereas others may be aggressive, and even attack new dogs.
That’s why it’s crucial that you let your new dog take it’s time when meeting your new puppy. If you try to rush their socialization, you’ll only increase the chances that the older dog reacts aggressively.
And remember, older dogs usually don’t have as much energy as their new puppy companion. The peppy enthusiasm of your Labradoodle puppy may be cute to you, but it might annoy an older dog.
Many dog owners figure that the best strategy is to expose the dogs to one another as much as possible. Although you can understand this reasoning, it’s actually a pretty bad idea. Why? Because the puppy may begin to irritate the older dog, leading to aggressive, dominant behaviors.
That’s why it’s important that you let your older dog slowly adapt to the younger dog’s presence. Give them small doses of puppy energy, and then keep the dogs separated. The best way to do this is to keep the puppy in its crate, or to set up a separate playroom where your puppy can burn off energy as your older dog tries to catch their breath.
And this will also help the puppy learn to respect the older dog’s space. They will learn where they can and can’t go, without getting bullied around by the older dog.
Dogs do a lot with smell. It’s how they introduce one another, and how they distinguish other dogs. Sniffing each others butts may seem cute and kind of weird to us, but it’s a way that dogs can bond.
That’s why you should make the most of the power of smell when introducing your new Labradoodle puppy to an older dog. By getting your older dog used to the scent of the puppy, your smoothing the transition period. The two dogs may even feel like they’ve met before.
The easiest way to do this is to get a blanket that your new Labradoodle puppy has used and give it to the older dog to sleep with. Your older dog won’t know that you’re trying to trick them, but when it comes time to meet the new puppy, they may act less hostile, since they’ve already got to know their scent.
We all want dogs that get along. But it’s important that you don’t try to rush the bonding process. If you do, you’ll only make it harder for the dogs to become friends. You may even risk them never getting along, which can make your life quite the headache.
If you notice that your older dog is getting irritated with the puppy, separate them right away before the older dog tries to dominate the puppy. And always make sure that you respect the older dog’s space.
Still looking for labradoodle puppies for sale to bring home? Head over to our puppy finder page to find your older dog’s dream companion.
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