Our older dog went after the puppy last night...

[Kim and Kashi]

We have had our new puppy for just over 2 weeks now.  Kashi is 10 weeks old.  Sadie is our older dog, she is 11.  The initial meeting went fine between the 2 of them.  We continue to keep an eye on them anyway because the puppy is very nippy and always following Sadie around.  I can tell she is annoyed by it, but she never does anything to him.   She has growled at him a couple times, only to be corrected by someone nearby.  However, last night I went into the laundry room and was not in there for 20 seconds before I heard Sadie go after him.  Then I heard him yelping and he ran to me.  He was OK, and she didn't really hurt him, she just scared him, and me and everyone else in the house.  My daughter even came running down from upstairs.  Sadie knew she had done something wrong, and held her head low and wanted to go outside (away from him I am guessing).  My problem is this...

I realize that at some point Sadie has to establish to him that she is the boss.  At this point, I don't think he realizes that because he is basically getting away with nipping at her and chasing her around, because she will not do anything to him in front of any of us.  But, as we learned from last night, she is going to do it, and we can't watch them every second of the day.  So, does anyone have any ideas how to let him know where he stands in the pack without chancing him getting hurt?  I know that Sadie did not intend to hurt him, only to "put him in his place".  But, I can't risk her hurting him...  I want Kashi to know his place so that he will stop when she is aggravated.  He follows her everywhere she goes, and most of the time they are fine.  They play out in the yard and get along well.  I am just scared something is going to happen if he doesn't shape up! 

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks, Kim

[Linda and Murphy]

My son's 13 week old Weimeranar was visiting this past week. Murphy growled and scared him several times. My son initially wanted to scold Murphy. I explained that Murphy was setting boundaries and had not hurt the puppy. The cat also got in on the action and bowed up, hissed and swatted the pup across the nose (cat has no claws).

Oddly, Murphy did not think this was appropriate cat behavior and marched up  got in her face like "Just what the he## was that all about!! Is there something wrong with you???" The cat stomped off upstairs. 

Outside is much better because Murphy can get away.

I think it will take a long time for this puppy to learn appropriate behavior, but I do not fear that Murphy will hurt her.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Kim, It sounds to me like Sadie has had her world turned upside down and has been handling it very well. The age difference is a lot and Sadie has a right to tell the puppy to stop. Her growling, etc. is how she is setting the boundaries and I would try not to interfere. The dogs have to establish their place in the pack and sometimes it doesn't always turn out like we, the humans, want it too. Fudge is our oldest dog and she defers to Vern on bones, eating, etc. They worked that out between each other. Personally, I bet Sadie scared Kashi more with her voice and the sounds she made, rather than inflicting any pain on him. I would continue to give each dog time alone with you and I would not hestitate to give Kashi a time out if things start to escalate, but for the most part, I would let them work it out.(supervised, of course)  Maybe when you can't be in the room, you could crate Kashi with a bully stick or kong to keep him occupied or even use toys, etc. to distract him when he is starting to get on Sadie's nerves. In my opinion, Sadie is not doing anything wrong when she growls or lets the pup know she has had enough. He will learn. Good luck!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Come join us in the Multiple Doodles (or dogs) group!  Wealth of information - I bet you can find lots of discussions on this.http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/multipledoodlesordogs

 

I would not worry too much yet!

 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

There was a similar discussion recently although the puppy was a visitor and not a new family member. But you may find some helpful information in the responses:

 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/hersheys-puppy-friend

 

I agree with Laurie that Kashi was probably just frightened by Sadie's correction! Many puppies tend to scream and make hideous noises when they are scared. Tara was a screamer!!   Along with using the crate, another thing you can do to keep Kashi with you so you can monitor the situation between them is to keep her tethered to you.  That way she is always within your range of sight.

[Kim and Kashi]

Thanks for the replies! I am going to just have to let them figure it out. I will still be keeping a close eye on the situation for both of their sakes. I too think that Sadie just scared himm. But she scared us too! Lol. I just wish she would correct him when I am in the room so I can make sure things don't get out of hand. As of yet, she won't do anything at all when I'm around. I think she thinks she will get in trouble. I don't want to encourage it either, I just want it to happen naturally. I am going to go look at some of the links you guys posted as well. I love this site, everyone is so helpful. 8). Thanks so much!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Rooney's trainer says that the dogs will work it out.  Sadie should not be corrected when she sets some limits by growling - she is telling Kashi that she has had enough and to back off.  The pup will learn from her what the rules are.  I agree that if you can't be there to keep an eye out then that would be a great time to put Kashi in the ex-pen or crate.  And I would be sure to give some alone time to Sadie - with that age difference this must be hard for her and it sounds like she is doing very well in trying to adjust.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You have gotten some good advice here.

The most important thing is that your older dog should never ever be corrected for setting limits with the puppy. This is exactly what his mother would be doing. If you correct Sadie in front of the puppy, you will make the problem worse. Sadie is also doing you a huge favor, as she is helping your pup learn bite inhibition, and that will transfer over to the pup's understanding that she cannot use her teeth on anyone, including you.

She will not hurt him, and he will learn very quickly what his boundaries are.

[Lesley, Wellington & Bingley]

 

I completely agree. The new puppy is clearly pushing the limits and your older dog should not be told off for growling at the pup when he is getting OTT.If he doesn't listen to the growl then the older dog's next step is to snap - which is completely normal behaviour.

 

By telling your older dog off when she growls you may prevent her from giving a warning at all and she may go straight from nothing to SNAP.

 

There is nothing wrong with a growl - it is simply a way of saying 'back off'. The pup must learn to listen and take heed.

 

Try not to upset your relationship with your older dog by taking the puppy's side. This can lead to a mixed message about the puppy's role in your household and can lead to anxiety and jealously from your older dog.

 

Let your older dog set her boundaries and harmony will prevail =)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Does Sadie have a place where she can go to get away from the puppy?  There are times when Guinness (our older Doodle) just doesn't want to deal with Murphy (who just turned one), and he goes and hides.  He's lucky because he can get under our bed, and the "puppy" can't fit there.  Guinness will often go there for his naps where he has peace and quiet.  If you can find a place where Sadie can be alone, that might help.

[Kim and Kashi]

Yes, Sadie will either ask to be let out or she will go up in our bedroom, where the puppy will not follow her.  It is upstairs and far away from the rest of us in the house, which is where Kashi usually stays.  And, we do make sure that Sadie is left alone.  I do not want the puppy to make her miserable!  She is my baby and we love her dearly.  8*)   One of the reasons we got Kashi now, was in hopes that Sadie will help in "training" him.  She is the best dog ever, and I hope he learns from her.  After reading the replies, I am confident that they will be fine.  We will let Sadie work it out.  I really don't think she would hurt him, it just scared the crap outta me!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh, I do understand.  There are times when my guys are "at each other", and it takes a lot for me to stay out of it.  If I think they're just too "wound up" I do separate them for a little while....but this is really rare now.  Keep us posted...it will be just fine.  In another month, I'll bet you'll be writing about what good buddies they've become.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Lots of great advice here, and I know you are probably thinking "Yes, easier said than done".  When we had our fosters, our Lucy took the Alpha roll.  It used to break my heart to see her get so upset with the foster dogs.  She is normally just a very laid back sweet dog that doesn't care about much of anything.   I felt bad for her that she was so unhappy, and I felt bad for the fosters because they were new and probably wondering who in the heck this mean ole dog was.  All the wonderful knowledgeable folks at the DRC told me to just let them work it out.  You would of thought that Lucy was psychotic and was just going to rip these dogs apart from the sound of it, but she never touched them.  She would lunge, growl, snap, bark, you name it, but she never actually even touched them that I saw.  however, if I had been in the next room, I would have thought she was killing them.  It is an automatic response to go after the one doing the snapping, but I had to just learn to let it be.  Be there to intervene if ever needed, but let them work it out.  They were always much better outside.  They would all run and play and have a great time, but come inside it was often a different story!  Hang in there.  hopefully the boundaries will be set soon and life can return to its new normal!