holy crap that's a cutie!!

no tips, but MAN! that is the cutest puppy i have ever seen! unfortunately i can't have a dog in my apartment, but my dream (when i own a house) is to have a "snow dog"....husky, samoyed, eskimo dog, etc. so i am in love with your little guys :)

That is one cute puppy! It is hard - we added a second dog in July (our first was also 3..) And it just took time and lots of reinforcing that the first dog was Alpha Dog. Feeding her first, petting her first, allowing her to go first outside, etc.. We also left each with a towel that smelled like the other. And for nighttime - it's just hard. Try shorter, smaller stints in the crate when you are home and awake. Put an old t-shirt that you don't mind getting ruined, that smells like you, in the crate with the pup.
And there's a great book about a multi-dog household - I'll try to find it tonight and repost the link!

Good luck and congrats on your home expansion!

Yay good luck with the new addition! I really want to bring in a fella for my female Malinois mix, but my Brooklyn apt is tight enough for just me and her.

On crate training - don't just put her in there when you want her in there. Let her enjoy her crate by throwing treats in there, maybe even feeding her in there. When you are there and she doesn't have to be in the crate, leave the door open and everytime she ventures to the crate, toss a treat in there. Eventually, and it won't take long, she will come to view the crate as her safe place, even a place where her bully big bro can't get to her. Crates should always be comfortable and safe - kind of like a wolf den.

But remember, she is still a baby and will need to be let out to use the bathroom every couple of hours. I believe the rule of thumb is the number of months they are is the number of hours they can hold it (within reason, that is... I never expect any dog to hold it for any longer than 9 or 10 hrs... not to say they can't, but i imagine it's not much fun...)

Good luck with the cutie! Your pups are gorgeous!

Give Herbie plenty of time and space to get used to the new pup. Don't try to rush him or he may resent the newcomer.

You can stash treats around and give Herbie a treat when the pup enters the room, it builds a positive association to the appearance of the pup.

When/if the puppy is ready for walks take them out together.

cute chair too :)

It might be a little late for this considering the peeing incident, but you should always introduce dogs in a "neutral" location. It doesn't have to be remote or unfamiliar, just somewhere that Herbie doesn't necessarily feel ownership of, like a local park or even your front yard if he doesn't spend a lot of time there. Herbie might have felt threatened by you bringing someone new into "his" territory. Take them out of the home setting and let them get to know each other elsewhere first (although nix the park idea if your new little girl hasn't had all her shots - parvo is rampant).

Also, the attention that you're (understandably) most likely giving to the new puppy can be isolating to an older dog who previously felt secure by his place in the pack. Try to be as fair as possible to avoid resentment. I hate to go all "dog whisperer" on you, but there really is something to be said for maintaining a smooth hierarchy, with you in charge.

Also, it looks like your new baby is purebred, which breaks my heart a little considering all the dogs who need rescuing, but it can be an advantage since you know more about your pets' background. Talk to the breeder about the temperaments of your puppy's parents and see if they can provide insight into helping them get along. If you got her from a shelter, see if they have any tips for introducing dogs, since they deal with it constantly. A great organization with info on socializing pets is the rescue group New Leash on Life: http://www.nlol.org/resources.asp

Hope that helps - your post made me so jealous that my building doesn't allow pets! Best of luck with the new family.

Congrats on the new addition! The Dog Whisperer guy would second the idea to take them on walks together--they get to meet each other without feeling territorial or threatened by confined space and all that.

When i was younger we added a rat terrier to the family and had a really tough time with crate training. i dont think you mentioned what type of crate your using but at first Slick, the terrier was in a simple wire frame type crate and would howl for hours on end for what was probably about a month, on a whim my mother bought a crate that was a little more heavy duty, like the ones you use when flying with your pets, it only had the opening in the front and small slits in the sides, as soon as Slick spent his first night he stopped howling. In addition the the t-shirts and blankets i think the more intamite crate helped him feel more comfortable! - just my two cents good luck!

We got a second dog a year and a half ago. Our first dog, Woody, was an absolute angel to house and crate train.

The little girl, Mabel, was not so easy. She cried all night, every night during our first attempt at crate training. Then we moved the crate so that she could see us, which means it's in the bedroom but at least we're sleeping. For a few nights, we even slept with our heads at the foot of the bed so she could see our faces. It worked like a dream. I remember the first night she woke us twice to go out to the bathroom and then immediately settled right down and went back to sleep.

She still sleeps in the crate because she prefers it. And honestly, she sleeps better than anyone else in the house.

We got a second dog in December and things are going really well. Gus is 2 and a half, Ollie is now 6 months. They are both Cairn Terriers and adorable. Gus was really sad when we first brought Ollie home. He often looked at us as if to say, "why is he still here!?!" and even had some digestive problems that I think were meant to punish us for bringing Ollie home. But after about 2 months of that they truly became BFFs. They each have their own bed, but prefer to snuggle together in one and they wrestle and play all day, every day. It was a big turning point in their friendship when Ollie got big enough that we just let them have at it and play without worrying that Ollie'd get crushed. Now if they are awake, they are playing together.
The best advice we got was to really favor the older dog, a lot. Give him more treats, give him more attention, take him for walks without the puppy. They are not children, you do not have to be fair. in fact, they are pack animals and there will be a pecking order no matter what you do. We had a hard time following that advice because the puppy is so cute and he had a bladder the size of a walnut, but i think even just making sure to pay a lot of attention to the older dog helps.
As for crate training, our second dog took awhile to get the hang of it so for the first couple nights put my hand inside his crate until he fell asleep. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it only took a couple days.
Good luck!

sorry--dont have much to contribute about the puppies (so cute!) but I LOVE THAT CHAIR--did you do the art yourself???

You should check out DogPublic.com http://dogpublic.com
it's a great resource. Good luck!

Super cute!

I honestly don't have much to offer, except to say that with the crate, don't make it "punishment," make it part of a routine. And, if you are using a large one, put some cardboard or something in it to make it smaller--it won't feel as safe to the puppy. My brother's dog got used to it pretty quickly for daytime and nighttime. They put a cushy bed in there with some towels and toys and things. Though, he could never be in there when they were home--he'd cry. He still occasionally goes in there, though they leave him do whatever he wants now that he's past his trying to chew and make a mess stage (he's over 2).

I have two dogs- bulldog & greyhound. Good luck! Stock up on wee wee pads (for long days out and just in case moments) and double the treats and toys. They always want what the other has.

We just got a puppy, and our two older dogs aren't happy about it either. The big thing is making sure you don't yell at the older dog when he disciplines the puppy. And I mean snapping, growling, barking, etc. To people, these behaviors are considered inappropriate, but for dogs this is how they assert dominance. If you yell at your older dog, you're telling the puppy that he can get away with whatever. Also, we crate the puppy at night, but not the older dogs. The puppy sleeps in a room where we can close the door, and we make sure not to put her in until lights go out. Also, it helps if you cover three sides of the crate with a sheet. Not aesthetically pleasing, but puppies like to feel like they're in a cave. And like the other people said, make sure to feed the older dog first, and greet him first. I'm sure snow dogs are a little more territorial and touchy than ours, but we do have a border collie and he's coping. Good luck!

Oh, and the peeing is HYSTERICAL. Sorry. And the puppy looks like trouble on four legs. Our puppy has an affinity for shoes, if it makes you feel better. The count is at 4 pairs in 2 months.

"he peed on her during their introduction" this is actually pretty normal and "healthy" dog behaviour. It was his way of saying right of the smash that he is the boss, he has the seniority and that she is coming into his territory. It is also a way for him to "claim" her as his.

Congratulations, your dog has a dog.

Seriously beautiful animals, both of them. Enjoy!

Oh, one last thing, I'm sure it was just for the picture, but you have her in the dominant position. Think of wild dogs, she is on the rock outcropping scanning the horizon for danger. That makes her the lead or alpha dog. Kind of an insult to Herbie.

I second enclosing the crate. Sheet, towel whatever if the material is thin enough I drape it over the whole crate at night for total dark.

I gave my little guy one of my dirty (important) shirts for comfort and plugged in an old clock next to his crate. We put him in the bedroom and after three nights was sleeping like a lamb. He still loves it.

Hot water bottles or clocks are old tricks feels like body heat/ sounds like heartbeat.

We also followed the hour/month formula for potty breaks with sucess.

Lastly I second what people are stressing about pack order and "favoring" your older dog. If you re-enforce this your older dog will actually help you train the puppy (for good and bad).

Lastly, we bought some spare wine just in case a neighboor complained. Didn't have to use it but thought it was genius.

Grace, that is a ridiculously cute puppy. I am jealous. Like Herbie.

i put an IKEA sheepskin in my dog's crate when I was training her...she was a 2 year old rescue, so i didnt have to deal with puppy issues, but she had major separation anxiety...

no other advice that hasn't been given! good luck :)

OMG! So cute she is. You should send that pic to cuteoverload.com. Sorry I don't have any advice...

I currently own a malemute wolf mix and have owned two other huskies, all male. At one point I had the three dogs at the same time, alas one died and the other stayed in alaska when I moved so now I have just the one. I first introduced a puppy to my original husky with no problem and then an older adult rescue and none of the dogs had a problem. All dogs are pack animals, but what I've read has lead me to believe that northern breeds are the closest domesticated animal to the wolf and therefore thrive when they have company. Your dogs should be just dandy together. I am delighted you also have a love for these talkative, independant, intelligent fur balls. P.S. The best thing I ever did to compete with the spring and fall shedding was buy a 30 gallon shop vac at sears. That double coat can be a little depressing sometimes. Good luck.

Congrats on your "family" addition. Beautiful dogs. We have two dogs - a big (70 lb.) and a little (15 lb.) so pack development was a big issue in our house. My parents also have two dogs that are a few years apart. A few tips from our lessons learned:

(1) Let them work out the alpha role (with supervision in case it goes too far). It's tough to watch them growl at each other but dogs are pack animals. You actually make it worse by picking up the "baby" and "oohh"'ing and "aahh"'ing over her. (If it gets physical, toss a pillow between them to stop any snapping.) Regardless of what you do, they will NOT be equals. There will always be a leader and a follower. The earlier they work it out, the more comfortable you'll feel leaving them alone together.

(2) Separate their eating areas if your space allows it (e.g., one on the right and one on the left of the dining room table). If there is aggression between dogs in the same house, it's usually over food.

(3) Another tense time is jealousy over your attention. Make special time for each one.

Good luck. Again, stunning dogs!

I also meant to second comments from others - they'll work it out and be best of pals in no time. You just have to give them some time to work out whose boss.

The puppies are cute! ...but that chair is cuter!!

Thanks everyone for your tips and comments! The new pup, Nan, is indeed a rascal in a husky suit. She's been raising hell and constantly testing Herbie's patience ;). Her crate training is going, uh, well, it's going somewhere...(Night 2 went a little better than Night 1, that's for sure). Both Herbie and Nan have the hard plastic crates, not the wire ones.

I've been giving lots of love to The Herbo thanks to all your advice, and he's been doing a lot better. The hard part is not intervening when he and Nan are battling--the sound is a lot worse than the actual fighting.

As for the chair, it's an Eames shell with a small crack on the under side. It used to belong to my ex; he and his buddies were drunk one night with a pack of paint markers, and they went to town.

What lovely dogs...

We definitely had a tough transition when we brought a puppy into our home. We found him wandering alone in a busy part of town and brought him home to try to locate the owners. No luck. And then we fell in love...

Our older malamute/Australian Shepherd mix, Sadie, is an incredibly laid-back couch potato - easy to discipline, easy to walk, easy to take places in the car. Introduce Riley, a bouncing, energetic, playful ball of brindle cuteness... It was a challenge, but we always made sure that Sadie got her food first, got to go out first, etc. Now, 6 years later, they have a great relationship and the pecking order is well-established.

One thing to be aware of: We had no idea that Sadie's personality would change after we introduced a second dog. Before Riley, she relied on us for everything - attention, playtime, love, etc. Once a new playmate was available, she became a little less of a "people dog" and started going to Riley when she wanted to play or wanted a cuddle buddy. It's very cute, and I think it makes them both more well-balanced dogs, but it was hard for us people to adjust.

Good luck with your new addition!

Hi!

And congrats on the beautiful new puppy!

I have recently added a new dog to my house and have found these comments very helpful! I second (or is it third) the notion that you have to give the older dog the alpha attention...just remember that the most alpha dogs in the pack are the humans...I forgot that a little the first week, put the dogs first and only when I realized what I was doing did they get comfortable...yes let senior dog do everything first in doggie land...but that still has to come after doing things first for yourself.

Good luck...they are both beautiful!

that chair is beautiful

We don't have two that live together but since we spend a lot of time with my MIL we had to be careful introducing her 2.5 yr old timid English Pointer (F) to our new 3.5 yr old dominant German Pointer (also F) because we wanted to get it right so they enjoyed each other (we spend a lot of time together including holidays), and because it had gone wrong before with my BIL's x-breed who tried to disembowel the EP! We will not be introducing her to our dominant GP, there would be bloodshed I think!

Anyway, we had them in the garden and let them play it out. It was rough at times (our GP likes to push dogs around) and there was a brief point we were worried it wouldn't work but then the EP held her own and they have been BFF's since :-) Thank goodness!