Would my dog get along better with a puppy?

Of course, each dog will respond differently. However, the norm for chihuahuas is not initially accommodating to new dogs.

As far as the maternal instinct, we have a 6 year-old chihuahua that was starting to act "old" after her brother died last year. We decided to get a new puppy to help her re-find that chihuahua energy. At first, she was terrified of the puppy. After a couple of weeks, she decided that if there must be 2 dogs in the house, she would become the alpha. Now after a month, she is starting to act more "maternal," but she still keeps the new puppy at a comfortable distance. Even so, she is starting to act like an energetic chihuahua again.

This pattern has been confirmed by several of my chihuahua owning friends. Good luck with your decision.

A lot depends on the individual personality of the dog you have now. If she's very dominant, is aggressive with other dogs or particularly fearful she may have difficulty adjusting to another dog, or puppy.

In general, adult dogs are more tolerant of, and less aggressive towards, a puppy than another adult dog. As your dog is a bit older, and has been spayed I wouldn't count on her maternal instincts, but she will recognize a puppy for what it is and be a bit easier on it.

However, you'll have to do a lot of research on different dog breeds and try to find one that's got a laid-back kind of attitude, isn't too high energy or too large. All puppies are playful and can bug the heck out of an older dog, but most often the older dog draws the line when the puppy gets too rambunctious, and most puppies recognize when they're being reprimanded and are submissive to the older dog.

You'll also need to remember that your resident dog must be seen as the number one dog! Always pet, feed, greet etc.her first to ensure she's seen as the top dog, and to help avoid any jealousy issues between her and a new pup.

I'd also suggest that you get a male pup, not a female, as two dogs of the same sex (especially females) are more likely to have 'issues' later on.

You can read the webpage below which has lots of info. advice and tips on adding a new puppy to a household with a resident dog. Best of luck!

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youre home is your dogs domain and it belongs to her only. you can bring another dog into the house but it will take your older dog time to take to it. i have a 10 year old dog and got a puppy and the older dog still isnt too fond of the pup. just dont sho preference for the pup and in time the older dog will accept her after some time of nipping at it....good luck