Puppy or not to puppy? - Page 1

Well here is my question and a little bit about the situation....  My female(an only dog for the last 6 months, due to change in lines) is now 28 months old, I have a puppy another female that is to arrive today, she is 10 weeks old, however my oldest suprised me this morning with drops of blood, almost 2 months early.  Should I still bring home my new female pup or should I foster her with family with short visits with my older female, until the cycle is over??  Being that my female is VERY well socialized and has never shown so much as a growl to any other dog, I wonder if adding the pup during the cycle is a good thing to do?? 

Thanks for any advice.

K

I don't think it would be an issue.  I don't know what you do when your female is in heat as far as inside the house, but if your oldest isn't aggressive towards other dogs, then she might like playing with a puppy.  At 10 weeks old, I personally wouldn't want my new puppy fostered for several weeks until a full heat cycle is done.  You have the puppy to socialize with your own dog as well and how she will react and how their personalities will mesh.

It would be a pain to deal with housebreaking, plus a female in heat, but I always like handling my own dogs as much as possible as early as possible to get that bond as well as establish a routine.   Just my opinion.  We have three females who are pretty close in age (oldest will be 2 this fall) and while they get testy now with one another that they're a bit older and they've all had their own heat cycles, when a puppy was brought in, everyone always liked playing with them and there weren't any aggression issues.

I have brought a female puppy into the house with an unspayed female who went into heat shortly thereafter. The older female was properly socialized and had no problem with other dogs or puppies, but you do have to be careful the first few weeks or months. Don't let them interact freely at first. If you are planning to crate train the puppy, it shouldn't be a problem. Just remember it's your job to protect your puppy from your older dog and vice versa if need be. I wouldn't foster since I wouldn't want to miss the puppy's early weeks.  Not only are they a lot of fun at that age, they are also very easy to  housetrain and to teach basic manners. Have a friend with you when you bring the puppy home the first time and let the friend handle the puppy while you handle your adult on a leash. Keep the two dogs apart until you see how your female is going to react. Then you'll have a better idea of what to do.