Adult Dogs with Pup-Behavior Question

[jenn D]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone can help me with this or offer opinions. Plenty of obedience and agility experience here but can always use input on dog behavior things.  We are t minus one week until Pickles, our new Labradoodle pup comes home. As you all know, originally we really weren't planning on keeping Jake, just rehabilitating him and one thing lead to another and here he is. So we are very soon to be a 3 dood family. Jake and Brisby have established a great routine. They sleep next to each other, eat together and I can even walk them both by myself (a combined 117 lbs of doodleness!).  Jake came in as a 8 month old labradoodle when Brisby was 10 months old. So there was a somewhat comparable size. They love playing and wrestling. While they don't bark when playing, it gets pretty active, they jump on each other paw, etc. with a lot of exuberance. They now know when I say "Take it outside Boys!" and they head to the back door to continue their playing outside.

My concern is with Pickles. He will come here at 10 lbs. Jake is 50-55 lbs, very agile, very active and springy. Brisby is 65-70 lbs of brawn, lots of muscle and very fast. Pickles should grow to be between 40-60 lbs but in the meantime Im worried about the current boys play. I don't want Pickles to get hurt. I know the pack structure will go through an evolution again. Im just trying to figure out how to navigate the new daily structure. Obviously, I don't want to hold Pickles while the boys play. I also don't want him to be isolated from them. Im a pretty structured person and I am home all day so I can work just about any activity schedule. Any advice on how to deal with how to integrate the boys ?

They all will sleep in their own crates and I put them in crates when I am cleaning or if I have to pick the kids up at school.

Thanks, oh and here is a current picture of Mr. Pickles:

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I really think there will not be a problem. Pickles will stay out of the way when the big dogs are getting rough, and the big dogs will understand that they have to be gentle with the new baby. Dogs just seem to "get" this on their own. I would not worry. 

Pickles is adorable. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree especially about the adorable part.

[Carol and Banjo]

Ditto…..and double ditto on the adorable!

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

I agree! 

Bentley is 85lbs, Maserati was 10lbs when he came home and our foster dog Buster was 75lbs. They were very careful around M and we had no problems. Dogs have a great sense about their little buddies and will work out the logistics on their own! 

Puppy belly!! What a cutie! 

[BG and Gavin]

No advice, but boy is he cute!  Look at that chubby belly!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I guess time will tell, but I second what Karen said. Dogs seem to know when they need to be a little less rambunctious. I even noticed this at the Doodle Romps when Enzo was smaller. The larger dogs seemed to know and take extra care not to bowl her over.
And Pickles...OMD......just too cute for words!

[Julie and Max]

Mr. Pickles is adorable! I agree with the others here the big boys will know to be gentle with the adorable Mr. Pickles. 

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Oh my gosh! Pickles is so cute! Looks like he just had a nice, big meal..

I agree with the others, that the bigger boys will know to be gentle with the puppy. It will be interesting to see if Pickles enjoys rough housing right along with them from the start. Oscar held his own at 8 weeks with Lucy, (3 yrs old at the time), and never really seemed intimidated by her size. What really amazed me was how generous and gentle Lucy was with him, allowing him to play with her toys and even offering treats and toys to him. I think she may have had a bit of a maternal instinct going on, with him in the picture. Keep us posted on how the group dynamic develops once Pickles comes home... and congratulations!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I don't think you'll have a problem either.  I think the big guys will get it.  You can always let the big boys out to burn off some steam and then let Pickles out to join them while he's still small. My friend has a 100 lb. doodle and puppy Finn was just about as annoying as a pup can be.  Oscar was playful but gentle with him.  And I haven't seen any issue at romps when there are one or two pups present. They run with the big guns -- and some can more than hold their own :) Just another reason I love doodles!

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

Pickles is a doll !

When Oskar was 8 weeks, he immediately figured out places where only he could fit…he & Baker would be running, one 5# & the other 99#…if Baker started gaining on him, Oskar would dart under a bush or a piece of furniture.

I agree with the others…the older dogs 'get it' & will be gentle with the puppy.  What fun your family has in store :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What a cute puppy!  I agree with everyone that things should work out fine.  My little guy (20 lbs) knows where to "hide" when Murphy gets too rough....he'll run under the bed or a chair...they just kind of figure it out on their own.  I often watch the dogs at Daycare (they stream video into the lobby), and it amazes me how they are able to combine Great Danes with little 10 pound dogs, and they coexist perfectly.  Every now and then one of the Daycare workers will redirect dogs that are getting a bit carried away, but for the most part the "pack" manages it.

[Doris]

I only have one doodle, so I have no advice.  BUT Pickles is just adorable!!  What a cutie!!!