Does an older dog guide a puppy?

[Ella876]

We have a six year old springer spaniel and we are getting a 8 week old springer pup in two weeks. I am just wondering if the puppy would copy off the older one and make it easier for stuff like toilet training etc...

possibly. It might help her realisw what the commands mean

Sometimes but not always. I think it probably depends on the pup and the older dog.

I know someone with a 3-4 month old cocker, who climbs all over her 14 year old lab, then races around puppy-like without really paying attention to what the lab does.

My own puppy (got at 4 months, now 16 months) has picked up a few bad habits from the older dogs owned by family members.

Depends on the dog/s.

I have generally found it does help with toilet training, as they tend to follow the older one when they go outside etc, but it's worth remembering they can also pick up bad habits from or harrass an older dog, so you need to make sure you supervise them at all times.

My pup did toilet train really fast, probably by following my older lad around, but he's a real menace to my poor old boy and pretty much ignores any attempt my older boy makes at telling him off, as he's just too soft a dog to be firm enough with him. The end result of this is that, now one year old, the pup plays nicely with other dogs, having been put in his place properly when he overstepped the mark, but is really rough with my poor old lad, so I have to be really careful to supervise all play and I also made sure I taught a strong 'leave' so that I can interrupt and redirect the pup when he gets too much.

Even if they do to some extent, it's a bad idea to rely on that for training. It's important to build your own bond with pup through play and training and do plenty of things separately from big dog. Otherwise you can end up with a pup that is very bonded to other dog but not so much you, which may have ramifications in the future.

Yes! DDog2 was scared to swim until DDog1 showed him what fun it is. Now he throws himself into rivers and the sea like a loon

IME - no. The puppy just annoys the shit out of the older dog.

Oh and idiotDog 'copies' by peeing up PenisDogs leg every time he pees. So PenisDog has to try and run away to pee while idiotDog runs after him thinking it's a game. All the while we are shouting 'never cross the streams!'

Hi, In my experience not really. The only way to ensure you end up with a well trained dog is to start from scratch and train the puppy properly to ensure that it fits in the way you want it especially if it is to be in a family environment. There is plenty of great information around. Have a look at an experts guide to puppy training on kindle I found this really helpful. Also other sites such as trainmyhound dot com have some useful articles and other ideas for training programs. Good luck!

That happened in our family spicypear. The puppy bonded so fiercely to the older bitch that she never really bonded much with people. They were inseparable, the younger one would only wee if the older one had, she'd walk in between you and the older girl to protect her. When the older one died, the younger one never recovered, she was just bereft.

we have a 14 year old staffie and recently rescued a one year old staff too. Its really calmed the one year old down, and she really picked up what was expected of her quickly, and its really given the old girl a new lease of life.

I wouldnt have got a really young puppy though.