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Need advice on two young BCs


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Ha!

 

Don't get a new puppy when your other dog's still so young?

 

My almost 2 yr. old and my 8 year old still play like puppies. . . . and the younger one thinks the couch is meant for her to bank off of in the game. :rolleyes:

 

When it starts getting wild, I put them outside in the fenced yard so they can run and play till they've settled down enough to be in the house. Actually, I make sure they get enough yard time so that they don't have to use the house as their primary play area.

 

Then, when they're in the house, you can establish and enforce house rules.

 

If you don't have a fenced yard, I'd suggest you get one . . .

 

ETA: Indoor zoomies and banking off the couch are not permitted in my house. I tell them to settle down and they do. Then I let them outside to get their energy out in an appropriate place. :)

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Why not let them play for a certain amount of time to tire them out? You could always confine to to a room to play if you don't have a yard. Ten week old puppies don't last that long. Mine can only play for so long before he needs a nap. We play for thirty minutes to an hour with little training sessions breaking it up when he gets too rowdy then he sleeps for a couple hours(He's about 13 weeks now). And it was even less than that when he was younger. I can definitely tell that the mental stimulation, like trick training makes him think and tires him out.

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I agree with giving them exercise outside to diminish their energy level a bit. Trick training is also great for tiring. I ask that my dogs do not play inside - which can involve management (as you are doing) plus training them to be calm in the house (which you are not doing).

 

Management is the easiest, but doesn't teach them how to behave in the house. You might try training them both at the same time and also training one at a time while the other is in the crate. (Training being defined as teaching them sits, stays, wave hello, stupid pet tricks, etc. ) Each dog, regardless of age, enjoys one-on-one time with their owner.

 

If they are both outside the crates at the same time and are behaving well, reinforce their calmness.

 

Give them some chew toys while they are outside their crates. This may help them understand that they can be outside the crate and NOT have to play with the other one.

 

I would definitely try to reduce the dog-with-dog interaction and increase the dog-with-human interactions. I have been advised that if you allow a pup to play with and bond to another, older dog, they may be less bonded to you. I would try to establish the bond with your new pup as much as possible - at least until the pup is 6-7 months old. This means limiting (but not totally excluding) play time with your other dog.

 

Jovi

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Thanks for the advice. I have been letting them in the yard to play especially when they start to get wound up in the house and so far every time we get to the yard, they stop playing and want to eat the yard or dig holes :rolleyes:. Guess it will just take some more time.

 

My boy gets a ton of exercise. He is my walking and running buddy- daily. And is starting agility. I love the bond I have with him so I am concerned about getting that bond with the new puppy.

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Thanks for the advice. I have been letting them in the yard to play especially when they start to get wound up in the house and so far every time we get to the yard, they stop playing and want to eat the yard or dig holes :rolleyes:. Guess it will just take some more time.

 

My boy gets a ton of exercise. He is my walking and running buddy- daily. And is starting agility. I love the bond I have with him so I am concerned about getting that bond with the new puppy.

If they are just into eating dirt and digging holes outside, you should step in and play with them. It's a lot of work to keep them busy playing/interacting with you, but it will pay off in the long run. The goal should be to make yourself much more interesting than other stuff they find to do. Of course, they should be allowed to investigate and play a bit on their own, but you should be able to call them back to you for playtime. Make it fun! Run away from them while dragging a toy. Make weird sounds. Jump around like a demented chicken. Throw a ball and try and beat them to it. (of course, you are not going to beat them, but that's not the goal - you just want to get them to interact with you while having great fun.)

 

Good Luck,

Jovi

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I would definitely try to reduce the dog-with-dog interaction and increase the dog-with-human interactions. I have been advised that if you allow a pup to play with and bond to another, older dog, they may be less bonded to you. I would try to establish the bond with your new pup as much as possible - at least until the pup is 6-7 months old. This means limiting (but not totally excluding) play time with your other dog.

 

This. I kept my puppy pretty much away from my adult dog until the puppy was four months old. (The older dog didn't want to have anything to do with the puppy before that point, which made it easier). Even after that point, I work on finding time to work with the puppy on obedience training away from the adult dog. The puppy LOVES other dogs and this may be something that will stay with him for life (his grandma ran right up to him on Sunday after the National Sheepdog Finals ended). But he needs to know that people come first.

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When my pup was pretty young I had her in an x-pen in the living room whenever I wasn't watching her and let her out for a while to play with the older dog. Its hard to tell a puppy to be calm in the house and have them just settle down. I let them play when/if they wanted to in the house until she was older and would listen. She was probably 10-12 months. Now if they start playing in the house and I dont' want them to, all I have to do is say Hey, knock it off, or no, or go lie down and they will listen. She also knows "quit pestering Turbo". She didn't start playing with him outside until way later...too much distraction and she was a little nervous of how fast etc he was outside. Inside was safer.

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Well the two of them were playing in the yard this AM! I put a couple toys out and off they went.

 

It's hard to carve in just time with the new pup without my older dog wanting to be in the middle. He is such a Velcro dog! I am going to start short training play sessions with her while he has to have a little crate time.

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Dear Doggers,

I don't care if my dogs play or not. Most quit as they mature. They don't play in the house because it's my quiet snug house and I tell them they can't.

 

Donald McCaig

I completely agree. My house is my quiet snug house. My older dog knows the house rules. The younger one will learn them!!!!! Nothing like unwinding at the end of a long day in a peaceful home as opposed to the dogs running laps around the couch!

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Oh and my last dogs were 11 and 13 and they played to the very end.

 

I have 2 at those ages and they still love to play with each other too. And I love to see them still acting like pups even if it is in the house, but they do stop if I decide it's getting too much or too loud.

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