Getting nervous about picking up puppy

[mousepen]

It's been at least 2/3 years since we decided we wanted a 2nd dog. We have a now 10 year old border collie we love love very much tho has always very independent and not a snuggly dog. But still lovely. with covid and life and lots trauma happening we we not able to go ahead.
Now I've found my puppy but I'm starting to get nervous, we have 2 liitle dc, I'm home all the time, we have land so space and exercise shouldn't be a problem.

I'm just worried if my older dog doesn't actually want a dog friend, if the kids get scared when the dog goes through teething, if the dog needs me but the kids need me all at the same time, if my dog teaches the puppy to bark when a plane goes overhead or someone walks past etc. I'm so nervous now, the past few years have been hard and I'm not use to things going well lately but it could be amazing and a Golden retriever has always been my dream dog. I feel if I don't get one soon then it's going to late and not fair on my older dog and it's been deyalyed so much already. I'm aware puppy's are hard work, my husband is on board but it's me who is home and I am the one pushing to get the dog.

I could have written this post myself a few months back! I also have an elderly BC (11 years) and we got a golden retriever puppy in august. I was feeling super nervous as it’s been such a long time since we have had a puppy and also I worried it would be too much for our old girl. However, it’s been fine. Old girl corrected him perfectly in the beginning, but she lets him get away with a lot more nowadays. Having two has made walking off lead easier and i’m sure he learnt ‘settle’ from her very early on. Early wake ups were hard for the first 6 weeks… Although perhaps as you have children you are already used to that
Good luck with your pup, I’m sure he will settle in to your family just fine

Thanks so much for your reply, has your dog starting teething yet? How's that going

Our GR wasn’t a mini shark at all. We don’t have a dog but we do have old cats and I was really worried about them. One settled in to him quickly, and the other took a lot longer, and now tolerates him. Herbie adores the cats. If they want to eat his breakfast before he can, he waits and lets them. He still tries to get them to play with him in the garden. Also, I think we were lucky, but toilet training was really easy, and his recall was great as a puppy (a bit less immediate as a teenager!). They are amazing family dogs.

Puppies are arseholes, it’s why they are cute and it’s good that you are considering all the “what ifs” and going in with your eyes open.
I have a GR and have had 3 previously and they really are the best

Teething is going fine so far, he is nearly 6 months and he seems to have lost most of his puppy teeth. I know lots of people say they are like land sharks but I can’t say he has ever nipped me, he has an incredibly soft mouth! We haven’t lost any furniture to teething.. yet! Ostrich bones, yak chews and antlers as recommended on here are a godsend. Our biggest struggle is jumping up, he doesn’t do it to me, but he so badly wants to jump at everyone else. I think this was encouraged by my DP in the early days, so I reckon with the right direction early on this shouldn’t be an issue.

Jumping up is also an issue in our house, and same thing - encouraged by DP and now set behaviour. That is bad human training rather than the puppy though.