A
female
age
51-59,
*lijo
writes:I have a 10 year old American Bulldog. We recently added a puppy to the family and our older dog is very depressed and angry. Any suggestions on how to make him accept the new addition?
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female
reader, Anonymous 123  +, writes (26 January 2011):
 Its very natural for older dogs to not accept new additions to the family...we had the same problem at our place. We had a very pampered 4 yr old lab, and when my dad got a dalmatian puppy (who, by the way, is now the LIFE of the family!), the older dog just wouldn't accept her! She would sulk, she would be angry, depressed, she had grown cranky, irritable...the behavior was so human!
Whats crucial is that, while everyone would naturally fawn over the new pup, its very, VERY important not to ignore the older dog. Because the older one has gotten used to being the Queen Bee and getting all the undivided attention....so he will not like this attention getting shared. Pamper the older dog the way you used to, before the new one came along, make him feel special(I know many people would find this talk silly, but i LOVE dogs and I know how important it is to treat them like family!).
He will gradually learn to accept the pup...maybe never fully, but with time he'l learn to live with it. Meanwhile, pamper him, dont ever neglect or ignore him in favor of the new pup and things will be fine very soon.
All the best...Enjoy the new addition in your family!!
A
male
reader, Kenj  +, writes (26 January 2011):
 Bring the new puppy in but still make a fuss of your older dog. If you give all attention to the new one the older dog is not going to be happy.
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