A small adult dog and a puppy.

[Ritz459]

Ok, well, as you all probably know, I'm getting a puppy to raise for Leader Dogs for the Blind next year sometime. I was also wrestling with the idea that if my parents allowed it, I might get a small dog. (Instead, I got a Ferret. lol )
Anyways though, ever since we got done watching a freinds Shih Tzu pup, my mom has been having "Buddy withdrawels". (Or at least, that is what she calls them. lol ) In other words, she misses having a little dog in the house that she can just carry around and that she can have sit on her lap. (And even my dad liked Buddy, and that is amazing, since Dad never likes any dog in the house unless they just have to be in the house, and the only dog he will actually stop and pet is Blackie. He liked Buddy's bark and his energy level.)
Well, there is this most handsome guy in at a shelter near us:

who looks like an "Oscar" (which is what Mom wanted to change Buddy's name to), and he kinda looks like Buddy. Mom really likes him, and I think that if it wasn't for this puppy we were going to be getting, we'd have him already.
But anyways, I was talking to my mom, and she said, "I'm just concerned about having a dog in the house along with the puppy."

So just a quick question. Would a smaller, adult dog be a good idea to have in the house along with Golden/Lab/or GSD pup, or is that combanation just not good? Like, would the dog play with the puppy and help keep it amused, or would it just "get in the way"? I know it depends on the dog, but in general?
Since Shih Tzus don't shed, it's not like there will be more dog hair, and since it is an adult, we won't have double the housebreaking accidents, or double the chewed up stuff, and since it is small, it won't cost as much as a big dog will.

So basically in a nutshell: Would having an small, adult, inside dog be "helpful", neutral, or a hinderance when we have a large breed puppy in the house?