Dear Bif, I hope you can give me some advice on this subject. I have a four year old female Dalmatian that we raised from a puppy. Fancy was raised with a 10 year old miniature dachshund and an indoor cat. Schnappie died about a year ago and we *really* want to get another miniature dachshund puppy . We have had a few people (including one vet) try to discourage us from bringing a dog that small to live with us. They are afraid Fancy will hurt or kill it inadvertantly. Fancy never hurt Schnappie or Flossie the cat, even while playing with them, although she can be a little rough. Fancy is not aggressive or territorial and our boys roll around with her 'rasslin' all the time. I am not concerned that she will purposely hurt a puppy and she did live with a small dog for 2 years and never hurt it. Do you think we should be concerned about this or just go ahead and get the puppy? Do you have any suggestions to prevent an accident from occurring?
Thanks!
-Angie

Hi Angie, I think your Dalmation was well aware that she was to be careful while playing with Schnappie. This careful attitude should carry over to the new puppy once it is an established member of the family. At first the puppy will be scared and defenseless. You should go ahead and get the puppy, but be prepared to spend lots of time supervising their time together. Encourage "gentle" interaction and keep them separated when you can't be there to watch, especially at first. After that initial period it can be helpful to make a "safe zone" for the smaller dog to seek refuge in when playtime gets too rough. A friend (with a very active Irish Setter and a Lhasa Apso) used a wooden box under her chair with a door cut out of one side. When the Setter would get "puppy spurtz" and tear around the house at full speed, the Lhasa would seek cover until things calmed down a bit. I think with some early supervision the new puppy and the Dal should ajust fine. Good luck.

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