Older Dog Attacking Puppy

[brinks]

I really need your help here. I have done tons of research, also have listened to many peoples advice. I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP.

6 Year old Black lab mix & 8 week old Yellow Lab.

My gf's dog is a lab mix, not sure what the mix but he looks 98% lab. He is a really good dog and loves all other dogs and wants to play with them. So transitioning him into a new puppy seemed like a breeze since he loves all animals. We introduced him to the pup in the back yard and at first he just avoided him. He smelled him, said ok I smelt you I am going away now. Things started off rocky with him letting the pup know hes boss. No bitting just snarling, growling, and nipping, and he'd retreat from the puppy. There has been a couple times he has been rough and one time he drew blood on an ear. The time the puppies ear got bit was because the pup snuck up and grabbed his tail. Surprise attack, so I can understand why the older dog was scared and turned and bit.

Last night he was laying on his dog bed, I was supervising the dog and the puppy. The puppy walked near his dog bed which had a bone in it, but he was not even chewing on the bone, or interested in it. Well next thing you know he has the pup's head is in his mouth and the puppy is crying and screaming. Not sure if he bit hard, or if it just scared the pup. I shouted as loud as I could HEY! NO! and went after them to separate it. At the tone and intensity of my voice, he released the pup and the pup took off running and hid and cried. I grabbed the older dog and rolled him over. He knew he was in the wrong, he was ashamed and wouldn't even look at me.

The puppy was fine and soon forgot about it. I am looking for guidance on what should be done.

I have had people say let them be, they will work it out with fights. But the same people that have said this, have dogs that still fight and draw blood to this day. I do not want this older dog constantly doing this to the pup, as the pup will then be scared of all dogs...

I want to correct the older dog. I want to let him know if he does that again, there are going to be consequences for his actions. A shock collar, A swat on the butt, or a good rough roll over. I am the boss of both those dogs as my gf does not stay consistent with obedience. I have been telling her this for a while, that with his obssessive disorder with his toys they are all (his) even if one isn't to her letting him walk in and out of the door before her. I also told her she needs to make him do stuff, if he brings a toy to play she can take it and make him sit or do a trick then throw it. And when feeding him, maybe him sit or do a trick in order for her to dump his food in the bowl.

I constantly correct her dog, I feel that the dog things he has control over us, well he knows he has control over her.

I am at my wits end here. I need to find a solution otherwise I am afraid my new hunting pup will end up dead because of her dog. If it continues, I will be forced to remove my puppy from the situation which will be the result of me loosing $$$, Time, and my new favorite pal. If it comes down to it, I might remove myself from the relationship as I feel her dog might be ruined because he is use to running the house, not listening to her or I...


HELP ME PLEASE.

Right now I keep the dog separated, but its hard to do. I give them each a toy to play with and they can't play next to each other. However it gets tough because if the older dog sees the puppy having fun with a toy, then he wants that toy. When he does take it from the pup he is nice about it, gently grabs it and walks away.

And of course if the puppy is playing and all the sudden sees the older dog chewing on something, well instinctively he wants to go see what the older dog is doing. At this point I stop the puppy and redirect his attention to the toy he had. If he does it again I will tell him NO stop him and turn him back to where he was.

The only solution I can think of is to correct the old guy everytime he does something snarls, bites, nips ect and give him a pat on the nose or butt.

The other solution is to bring my new puppy with me everywhere I go, and teach him no when he tries to play with the older pup so that eventually he will just leave him alone.

HELP ME

[snips]

Some mature dogs do not handle small puppies well...I would definetly use a crate and separate them for the most part...Older dogs seem to tolerate young dogs much better, 4-5 mo old, as pup learns respect much better at that age...I do not think rolling a dog over is much of a correction, think picking dog off ground by the collar for a bit and him gagging a bit might get his attn.. Right now u hav a pup thats equilivent to a baby, hard to teach them much, but in time the pup will understand to respect older dogs space..

[AzDoggin]

Brinks - bringing your puppy with you everywhere you go is the IDEAL solution for the pup's socialization and training. Think of the number of reps and amount of feedback he would get from you all day long.....if that's doable.

In situations when they have to be together...they need to be strictly supervised. Pup needs to learn to respect the old dog's space and possessions. I would never, ever leave the two of them together unsupervised, even for 5 minutes or you may realistically come back to a dead pup.

I agree with Snips - they'll work it out over time but they also need time together during which to work on it, so IMO keeping them apart at all times does not give either dog the opportunity to learn how to get along. That said, pup should be in a crate in the house quite a bit anyway in the beginning as he's going through his house training, and learning his place in the pack. Eventually, you might be able to put a collar and drag line line on the pup so you could help guide him and teach him boundaries. You might also consider just being there with both of them, and praising/petting the old dog for calm, non-reactive behavior when pup is in the vicinity.

It's true you want to assert leadership around both of them. Try to think ahead and manage the situation along the way so you don't have to react with extreme actions. Extreme actions increase stress in the older dog, and you don't want MORE adrenaline rushing through his veins associated with the pups presence, you want less. You want calm, but assertive behavior from the older dog, and calm, submissive behavior from the pup.

Oh - make sure there are ZERO bones for either dog to guard when they are together - even if they are not chewing on them. They are still a resource to potentially guard.

Good luck!!

[ultracarry]

If you don't have kids with her, think about how good of a mom (your GF) would be. If that doesn't make you run......

On another note the puppy should call the crate home and get out only when its one on one with you. Also makes it super easy to potty train. I had mine done in a week and no accidents since. But then again its a GSP. Can't help you with the lab.

[brinks]

Thanks for the tips!

I do practice the crate a lot. At work he spends most of his day in the crate. I wake the puppy up about ever hour or so and we go outside come back in drink water and play for 10-15 minutes and he crashes again. Once he is sleeping I wake him up, stand him up and say kennel. 9 times out of 10 he goes in with out a fuss because he is so tired. I try to preach this! At home we have him out of the kennel most of the time trying to keep him awake until he crashes so he sleeps through the night...

I will have to tell her he stays in the crate unless her dog is locked in a room, then she can take the pup out and play with him. When they both are out playing I try to keep the puppy confined to an area on the floor where I can supervise and grab him when needed when he tries to go over to the big dog.

I want to keep them separated at all costs until after 12-14 weeks when I know the puppies brain is working in full force. Then when the old dog growls barks or nips at him he will get the picture more.

I also do not want playing in the house. They can play outside, and as soon as the old dog starts to become rough I break it up. Usually they will play chase and have fun for a good 10 minutes. Then the old dog just decides hes going to mess with the puppy take his stick or toy, and then get the puppy to chase him then he will turn on the puppy and roll him over.

I think my avoidance method will work, and by then the older dog might get the picture that the dog is here to stay and hes gotta live with it.

I would have loved to pick the dog up by the collar, but someone doesn't see that a fit way of teaching a dog. She already thinks I am to hard on the pup when I give him a tug after saying sit. hes at weeks old and can sit and stay and already knows not to bite me. Dogs aren't dummies, even when they are puppies. Repetition and correction are the way for a smart loving and well trained dog.

I am open to more and more suggestions.

I think I got the basis. I need to show the old dog that his behavior is bad. I thought about next time it happens to jump on the old dog and actually bite him so he can see how it feels.

I know in past dogs I have owned, one bit me when being corrected, I layed the dog down grabbed an ear and bit the ear. The dog NEVER ever bit me again.

A lot of people think you should not smack a dog unless you have to, but a whack on the nose or butt to snap them out of their rampage is sometimes just what is needed.

[ultracarry]

If the girlfriend isn't around then it is ok to do a boot on the backside or pick up by the collar... Ever hear of a "come to Jesus meeting"?

Also I might know someone who uses the bite method, on birdwork also.

[AzDoggin]

Also I might know someone who uses the bite method, on birdwork also.

Pics?

[cjj]

I have a VERY agressive boxer 5 years old that DOES NOT like other dogs at all I also had a brittany that was 12 years old and he was the only dog the boxer got along with , well my brittany passed away back in september 2011, I got a 10 week old brittany pup in march 2012 they are now best friends If you want give me a call maybe i can help 610-323-7306 Chet