Dilemma about my yorkie puppy
 

Hello,

About a week ago, I had a 7 mo. yorkie puppy join my family of my husband, myself, and my 4 y.o. small rescue mix. A lady was rehoming her puppy and my husband fell in love with the puppy when we went to see him. Our other dog is a male as well and we've had him for about a year.

The puppy absolutely loves the older dog, and follows him everywhere/whines when he doesn't see him/tries to lay with him. However, I am concerned that the older dog is feeling unhappy because of the puppy. He tolerates the puppy but will usually get up and walk away after a few minutes. He doesn't play with his toys as much since we got the puppy and all he wants to do is lay in our laps away from the puppy. He doesn't go near or sniff the puppy, or show any interest in him at all. He always has his head down and rarely greets us when we come home anymore.

I am in a dilemma of whether or not I did the right thing by bringing the puppy home. I know it may be too soon to tell, but I just want them both to be happy...

It takes time for an only fur child to accept a new kid, been there lol. It took my 6 yo and my 3 yo 6 to 8 weeks to actually stay on the floor with the jump in your face puppy. Make sure your older one has a place where he can get away from the puppy. Give him extra attention,spend more, extra play time with your older one, make him first with everything, first to be patted and greeted when you come home, first to eat, first to get his treat. Make a big fuss when the older one does anything right, make him feel he is still # 1. One week the puppy is still new to him, he needs more adjustment time. Do not force the friendship, let the older one go to the puppy on his time, his terms. You will see they will be BFF.

If they are both males,both must be neutered to avoid fights over dominance.

I know exactly how you feel. I had such guilt when we just had Wylie, then added Marcel. Wylie become very anxious and needy and insecure, poor guy. But he adjusted over time.

Your eldest will be okay..just give lots of TLC and give it time...

It just takes sometime. Just make sure that your giving him some alone time.

Thank you everyone!

I am hopeful about this weekend since both my husband and I will be able to be home to give them both some 1 on 1 time.

Also, would it be fair to crate the puppy and not the other when we're at home? (Puppy still not fully housetrained)

@matese They are both neutered and don't seem to be having any dominance issues besides during playtime. The older one is quite gentle with the puppy and often lets him go if he ends up winning the fight, whereas the puppy will tend to pin the older one down for a while, and nip at his legs when he tries to run away.

Exactly how Scottie was when I brought home Casie. It does take a long time. It's always harder for the eldest to accept a new puppy. But, eventually with time, they'll be okay.

I found it helped to train them together, if you older dog is food driven. It helps them bond in the same space. Or at least be more willing to be side by side longer. ;)

I'm in the same exact boat!!! My baby, Romeo (1 yr old neutered male), refuses to acknowledge his new baby sister. He will literally sit in a corner on the floor, facing the wall, and ignoring everyone. Last night, (he sleeps in my bed) he slept all night with his back to me. We've only had the baby for a few days but every day gets worse. Not sure what to do. I feel horrible, his attitude is making me really hard to bond with the new puppy. I feel guilty for even petting her!!!!

My tiny Jilly who weighed only 3 lbs., lost a whole 1/2 lb. after I got Teddy, a Yorkie puppy meant to be a companion for Jilly. She seemed to like Teddy at first, when she was small but once she grew, got Jilly's size or larger, Jilly immediately repaired to the back of the couch where she chewed her ankles raw, pulled her hair out with her teeth and hysterically shrieked anytime the puppy tried to play with her once Teddy got bigger than Jilly. I lasted 9 weeks and was too scared Jilly would die of poor nutrition or depression as the vet, breeder nor I could get her to eat or play with her toys, chew on chewies or do anything as long as Teddy was in the house. She just kept her head on her paws and watched Teddy.

Once Teddy's new parents left with her and I closed the door behind them, crying my eyes out, Jilly jumped down from the couch and resume her life, eating, playing, being a watchdog, etc., all just as if Teddy never happened. When I'd asked her if she missed Teddy, she wouldn't even cock her head or look around for her - just stare at me. I feared she might begin to lose muscle weight that would affect her heart and she was so unhappy, I chickened out and rehomed Teddy B4 anything else happened to Jilly. Most dogs aren't as dramatic as Jilly was and eventually do come around but Jilly was just so tiny and refusing her food, acting so unhappy, I acted in panic and gave into her.

Thank you for all the replies everyone!

I've decided to give them a couple more weeks. Some days it's like one step forward and two steps back, but the puppy (Diesel) is so sweet and the older dog (Bruce) is so very tolerant. Ultimately I did get the puppy so Bruce could have a friend at home, because all his friends in the neighborhood have moved...

Please give it more then "a couple of weeks" I had the sweetest girls, they were very dog friendly, yet, when I bought home the puppy they were afraid of her. They stayed up on the sofa for 6 to 8 weeks before they ventured over to her. Then they became the rat pack, partners in crime. If Bruce was dog friendly he will accept the puppy, he just needs more time.

See, that was Jilly's problem, she was never dog-friendly. Even though she seemed to adore having him over, she would never play or even acknowledge my sister's dog, Tippin, a poodle about twice her size but very gentle. I'd tell her Tippin was coming and she'd dance around, act so excited yet spend most of the visit in my sister's lap or arms, not playing with Tippin. And she seemed very sad when they left, moped around afterward. But she'd show teeth if Tippin got too close, though she would lie close to him, just didn't want him making any moves on her! And she watched his every move with utter fascination, unlike she did with Teddy.

Now Tibbe on the other hand adores all other dogs, cats, you name it, he loves it, wants to play with it! Jilly never did - I was her playmate. Don't know if her tiny size made her super careful of her body or it was just her only-dog nature but she couldn't abide other dogs around whereas Tibbe is the happiest dog in the world when another dog comes over to visit. And he sniffs and sniffs every where that dog was for two days or more afterward, looks at me as if to say, 'mom, please bring him back' and even whines sometimes. How different two dogs can be!!!