Introducing Puppy

I have currently a mutt that I adopted at an animal shelter last year. I suspect she's part German Shepard and possibly part chow or husky...it's hard to tell with shelter mutts. The dog is up to date on all shots, healthy and happy. She was adopted at about the age of 6 months, where before she got along fine with other dogs. Since then she hasn't had much interaction besides playful over the fence encounters with neighboring dogs. She adores attention and she's very hyper and active.

Well, silly (and probably stupid) me accepted a dog from a friend. The story goes that her daughters dog had puppies and she doesn't have the time, patience or space for all of them...knowing I love animals and that the dog would go into a good home, she asked if I wanted to take one of the puppies. I said I would...little did I know she was gonna show up at work the next day with a 6 week old pup. The dog is quite small, smaller than it's sibling which I saw. It's part Chihuahua and part Dachshund...

I've never had to introduce a dog so big with a dog so small...and one so accepting and innocent with one so clumsy and hyper. I let them sniff at each other today, I holding on to the big one's collar, and my boyfriend holding the itty-bitty one. The baby adored the big one and craves approval and attention from her, but I'm not sure the big dog knows what the little guy even is. I mean, we give her squeak toys bigger than this puppy! I think she wants to play with it, but she's so hyper I'm afraid she'll squash him with her paw...and I'm during this first interaction I'm not sure if the big dog was about to snip at him or if she was attempting to lick him...she was so tense under the collar...I was afraid if I let her go she'd change her sweet temperament and swallow him.

I guess I'm wondering, how should I introduce them? Hints, ideas, advice...I'm so scared...and I HATE to have to give this little puppy up to a pound.

Also, something worth noting, I just moved into a new home and both dogs arrived together today...so their on 'uncharted territory'.

Ok, first of all, 6 weeks is really too early to take a puppy away from her litter mates, especially such a small breed. If it's possible, I'd suggest giving the puppy back to your friend for about 4 or 6 more weeks. This way the puppy will learn better social interactions and bite inhibition, which you will be very grateful for! The puppy will also grow a little in size, and will be much bolder - less like a helpless baby and more like a rambunctious toddler.

That said, given the size difference, I'd suggest never leaving the two dogs alone unsupervised, even when the puppy is full grown. For pretty much the rest of both dogs' lives. Even if the bigger dog is being playful and friendly, he could seriously hurt the puppy without even meaning to, with a paw-swipe or a pounce. Many rescue groups I know of will not adopt a dog to a household if there is more than a 20 or 30 pound difference, and given these breeds, you'll probably have, like, 50 pounds difference at least.

We decided to name the little runt Jin-Jin. He's such a doll...

Sana, the German mix, isn't as big as you think. She weighs in at about 30lbs...she's full grown; her height is about knee high on an average human.

I have a friend who brought her dog over to interact with Sana, teach her some manners...this other dog acted like protector towards the puppy and Sana caught on fast. She's so much more mellow now too! I've never seen her so calm before, she's completely changed...for now at least. We've let Sana interact with the puppy and she acts quite motherly towards him.

The owner of little Jin refused to take him back...but he's already becoming quite bold and adventurous. Sana watches over his every move and they've even napped cuddled up together. I NEVER would consider leaving them alone though. ESPECIALLY with the pup so much smaller. They sleep separate at night and if we happen to be away for even a second we separate them then too.

So far so good...now, Jin's previous owner was feeding him cat food...we're feeding him soft puppy food, even though he thinks stealing Sana's hard adult dog food tastes so much better. Should I not yet be feeding him soft food? Or is there something I should be adding to his food for extra nutrition? What's the best food out there that I can purchase at a pet store without spending an arm and a leg for the quality? How many times a day should I give him access to his food? When do you all suggest I get him to a vet or clinic for his first check-up?

I would probably take him to the vets now just for a health checkup. Has the previous owner bothered with vaccinations? You'll need to look into those--I'm not sure at what age they start getting them.

I don't know that I'd let the puppy take food from the other dogs bowl. When my friend got a second dog, that was one of the first things the pup learned---they each have their own food bowl.

He's such a small dog so I wouldn't worry about the cost of quality dog food. I would just go to the pet store and see what they suggest. That's what I've done. I don't find quality dog food to be that expensive.

He hasn't yet had his vaccinations, but I believe that start to get those at about 8 weeks, earliest?

We don't let him steal food from the big dogs bowl btw...he wants too, but we take him away from the dish and show him his when we catch it...even though Sana isn't food aggressive, after the puppy even sniffs at the food Sana turns up her nose to it.

I guess I'd best start looking for a vet. It's about time Sana got her yearly check-up and shots up-to-date in a few months anyway.

Many vets start vaccinating at 6 weeks, I think a lot of it depends on the vet's opinion and the breed of dog.

You can feed your puppy hard food at this point (he certainly has all his teeth). You don't have to add anything (supplements) to the food if it's a decent food. You might want to search some threads about premium foods, or browse through the nutrition page on this forum.