Dear Alecia,
I’m planning on getting a puppy. I want my puppy to play with my parent’s dog, a 3-year-old Maltese. The only problem is the Maltese has poor social skills. He is very fearful around other dogs and will even bite the hind legs of dogs on leashes. I’m worried he will influence my puppy negatively. Should I be worried? At what age can I introduce them without my pup mirroring the Maltese? –Alison
Dear Alison,
Congrats on your plan. Raising a puppy can be such a rewarding experience. In terms of you wanting your pup to play with your parents Maltese I would not anticipate too much ahead of time. You may get a pup that is so happy go lucky that it brings the Maltese out of its shell and you may not. Dogs are very good at teaching each other what is ok and what is not.
Your parents’ Maltese may teach your pup very good manners. So what I am trying to say is don’t project just protect your new pup and allow the dogs to check each other out and you decide what is ok and not.
Paws Up! Alecia
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Alecia Evans is the inventor of The Walk In Sync™ Humane Dog Walking and Training System with her exclusive 5 Minute Manners Makeovers using the Walk In Sync™ Harness and Accu-Grip Leash, along with her Walk In Sync™ 3 Easy Steps to teach any human/dog duos to Walk In Sync in just minutes.
The former host of the award-winning GrassRoots Aspen TV Series, The Whole Animal-An Alternative Approach to Animal Care, Alecia takes a natural approach to dog training and health care. Her work has been featured on Fox and Friends, The Sandra Glosser Show, NY 1, and in Aspen Magazine, DogTipper.com, The New York Daily News and Woof Report.
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