Adding#3

[alessandra]

We have an 11 year old German Shepherd and a 1 year old beagle - both neutered males
We are considering adding a female golden retriever puppy.
Our Shepard is in general good health but we can see some weakness starting in his hind legs. He loves to play along with the beagle but it is mostly initiated by the younger. I can see it might be getting too much for him to keep up with as well. I know 3 dogs is a bit much but I also think adding a younger dog might give him some rest as well
I also don’t want him to feel like he’s already being replaced
Thoughts

 

[bledwards1]

@alessandra Just keep in mind that adding a puppy will give your younger dog a playmate, but they're also going to be very energetic and active with your older dog too. You're adding a puppy to the house, so there's not really a way to avoid the pup playing hard with your older dog too, unless you plan on keeping them completely separate with gates/doors/crates that sort of thing. Puppies also don't automatically know how hard is too hard to play, so if you're thinking your GSD is starting to have some mobility issues and might not want to be body-slammed by a ball of fluff with needle teeth, maybe consider a slightly older dog who would be more gentle with your senior pup?