12/27/2025
Letās talk about puppies and adult dogs, especially when it comes to toys and bones.
This is my living room. Raw and unfiltered.
Three dogs, toys out, bones being chewed, and a puppy on a leash.
Emma (the brown dog) is 7 years old. Griff (the grey and white guy) is 5 years old. Jett is 4 MONTHS old. If given the chance, Jett would absolutely try to take whatever the other dogs have. Or he would climb on them. Thatās because heās a puppy and he doesnāt yet know whatās appropriate.
In the dog world, walking up and taking another dogās bone is rude and can lead to conflict. Even if adult dogs tolerate it, that tolerance often disappears over time as the puppy grows.
My job is to protect my adult dogs so they are not forced to correct the puppy, to teach the puppy boundaries before bad habits form, and to prevent conflict while also building positive, respectful relationships.
Thatās why Jett is on a leash. The leash allows me to prevent him from harassing the adult dogs while they are chewing. If I cannot supervise him, he goes in the kennel. Not as punishment, but as management.
The dogs do play together, and they enjoy that. But play has to be mutual. Right now, the adults want to chew, not play, and that choice matters.
When you bring a puppy into a home with existing dogs, management is everything. Adult dogs should never be left to figure it out, and puppies should not be allowed to rehearse disrespectful behavior.
Giving clear rules to my puppy now, sets all of these dogs up to hopefully have the best relationship with the puppy as he grows.
Is it a lot of work? Yes. Is it necessary and worth it? Absolutely.
So set your boundaries. Provide supervision. Teach your young dogs what is and is not okay. And you will be preventing problems versus trying to fix them later.
