Old Dog, New Dog : Supporting Your Aging Best Friend and Welcoming a New One

From two revered experts, a concise guide to caring for a beloved senior dog and skillfully introducing a puppy to the household in a way that allows both dogs to flourish

It’s a natural impulse: As you watch your canine best friend age, you think about getting a puppy, hoping that the new pup will be influenced by the older dog while softening the inevitable loss. But it’s challenging to fully support a senior while also trying to meet the needs of a puppy. In this first-of-its-kind guide, senior dog expert Helen St. Pierre and puppy expert Kathy Callahan come together to help dog lovers navigate this terrain with joy and compassion. They’ll help you:

• assess your older dog’s well-being and keep them comfortable and safe
• decide whether it’s the right time to add another dog
• prepare yourself with a refresher on the basics (and the intensity) of puppy care
• manage the most difficult aspects of living with both a senior and a puppy

And in perhaps its most critically needed chapter, Old Dog, New Dog covers — with honesty and empathy — the difficult decision of when and how to say goodbye to your beloved old companion while honoring the deep friendship you’ll always keep in your heart.

Kathy Callahan and Helen St. Pierre are certified professional dog trainers and family dog mediators. Kathy is the author of Welcoming Your Puppy from Planet Dog, and her business, PupStart, focuses on helping clients through puppyhood. Helen is the founder of the senior animal rescue and sanctuary Old Dogs Go To Helen and the owner of No Monkey Business Dog Training.