Need help~ new puppy VS old dog

[Tim66/corns]

Becky congrats on the new puppy first. Your puppy is showing aggression out of fear. And it needs to be handled quickly while she is still smaller than your other dog. As Brett touched on 2 females can be tough sometimes in the same house. Some of the worst fights I have seen in my proffession have been between 2 females. On the other hand most fights are rarely serious. Mostly a little fur missing some saliva everywhere & a lot of noise. You have to establish that you are in charge with no back talk. And this can be done without any kind of force or manhandeling them. I will be glad to help you with your training issues in a PM. I will be able to teach you some behavioral sighns to recognize & how to trouble shoot any problems. Remember it can also take up to 3 weeks for a new pup to settle in. I have helped a lot of people over the years with this kind of problem & I am more than happy to share some advice with you.

 

[Nanci]

There's a forum I really like, http://www.pitbullforum.com It has a section on behavior/training, with about a million stickies dealing with all kinds of problems and scenarios. I bet you could find a lot of helpful information there. When I got Bella, I did the two-week settling in period, as well as NILIF. I think that gave her a clear understanding of what the house rules were.

 

[Slipmattic]

You should never let two dogs meet inside the household, usually the elder dog that had been at the residence gets aggressive. I would look up personal trainers in your area, and go from their. Trainers can be a pretty penny, but its worth it in the long run for both dogs safety. I hope everything works out, and both of the dogs get along in the long run.

 

[bekers71]

Becky congrats on the new puppy first. Your puppy is showing aggression out of fear. And it needs to be handled quickly while she is still smaller than your other dog. As Brett touched on 2 females can be tough sometimes in the same house. Some of the worst fights I have seen in my proffession have been between 2 females. On the other hand most fights are rarely serious. Mostly a little fur missing some saliva everywhere & a lot of noise. You have to establish that you are in charge with no back talk. And this can be done without any kind of force or manhandeling them. I will be glad to help you with your training issues in a PM. I will be able to teach you some behavioral sighns to recognize & how to trouble shoot any problems. Remember it can also take up to 3 weeks for a new pup to settle in. I have helped a lot of people over the years with this kind of problem & I am more than happy to share some advice with you.

Thanks a bunch Tim. You will probably be getting a PM today some time with questions. Be prepared to get carpel tunnel. :sidestep:LOL

You should never let two dogs meet inside the household, usually the elder dog that had been at the residence gets aggressive. I would look up personal trainers in your area, and go from their. Trainers can be a pretty penny, but its worth it in the long run for both dogs safety. I hope everything works out, and both of the dogs get along in the long run.

They were introduced out side in some one elses yard. That way the territory didn't "belong" to either dog, it was more of a neutral ground. I knew that the older dog may be aggressive inside her own domain. But as it turned out, the puppy was the aggressor.

Headed in the right direction. I hope.

This morning they are a whole different set of dogs. Last night I kept them apart for quit some time. They could see each other over the gate but couldn't really reach each other other than touching faces. So last night after a few hours of peeking and snorting at each other, I decided they needed to try meeting one more time. I let them in the kitchen and I stood watching both of them. If either one came to me as if to get away from the other one, I ignored them and went about "working". They had one quick scuffle, 3 seconds tops, then it was just sniffing and following. I separated them again and went to bed. Well, it wasn't long and the puppy was barking and whining at the gate. Then Zoey wanted in with the puppy, guessing mother instinct took over. So I put them together again. Other than still being curious, a little leery and a lot of sniffing, they stayed together all night. Zoey must have told her that she was the alpha girl because when I gave them water this morning, Zoey drank first. When the pup attempted to drink with her, Zoey blocked the bowl and the pup immediatly sat down and waited her turn. I noticed the same thing with the food. They are still a little watchful of each other but have been attempting to play together and the puppy is following Zoey every where now. They both are doing that silly puppy pounce and bark thing at each other. I took them out on leases at the same time and no problems, other than the pup needed to be prodded to move a few times. But that's because she's never been on a leash before. I've been giving Zoey commands in front of the puppy and giving her treats or praise when she does what I say. The puppy has been watching very closly. So a little bit ago I said "come here" and wouldn't you know, both dogs came right away. I'm sure the pup was just following the leader so to speak, but the idea is to get her to figure out that what I say means some thing. Right? LOL

 

[Drizzt80]

Sounds great Becky!

D80

 

[vetusvates]

That's great, Becky. Dogs....gotta love 'em. Sweet story.

 

[bekers71]

Sounds great Becky!

D80

That's great, Becky. Dogs....gotta love 'em. Sweet story.

Thanks you two. I hope this behavior continues in the right direction. The puppy is going to take some time to get used to us and being inside a house. Good thing I don't work outside the home. It leaves more time for me to get her situated.

 

[Drizzt80]

Good thing I don't work outside the home. It leaves more time for me to get her situated.

One thing I forgot to add. We've found that crate/kennel training is invaluable when it comes to dogs. Regardless of whether you're in the home all day or not. Might help if you need.

D80

 

[bekers71]

I forgot to insert this picture last time. This was taken this morning after their potty outing.

 

[ceduke]

Awww, they are adorable together. I hope things continue to go smoothly.

 

[Michael823]

Great Becky, I'm glad they're showing signs of a bright future. She sounds just like my dog, who also came to me with similar aggression towards other dogs. The female/female aggression point is a very good one, the alpha bitch can usually be very testy, even at a young age. At this stage though, it is most likely fear out of being under socialized for her first three months. It sounds like the gating, and supervised interactions is the best way to make all of their interactions positive. If the new pup is showing signs of food aggression, this can also be a sign of the alpha bitch mentality. What really helps both dogs learn to cope is feeding them by hand, so that one dog can't choose to eat on their own will, and the other won't be afraid to enter near the feeding dog. If one establishes a fear, it will make it much easier for the puppy to establish control. By making them lye down in front of you, and offering them food by hand, you are establishing that you are in control of when/who eats.
This worked great for my dog, who would scarf down her food very quickly in the presence of the other, and it neutralized her instinct to be in charge. At 4mos I wouldn't be worried, but definitely alert. This can easily become worst, but is also correctable. Your dog might just be funny around other dogs, as it just might be ingrained in her. But you can definitely build a great relationship between the dogs in your family through patience, and lots of positive experiences during their interactions.

Good luck, I love your new puppy!

 

[bekers71]

Thanks Michael.

I guess one good thing is the puppy has absolutely no interest in the cats. She will sit and look at them but no attempts to chase or growl. But the cats have some major hate for the new puppy. They walk around looking like they are doing trying outs for Halloween cats. LMAO

 

[Michael823]

Thanks Michael.

I guess one good thing is the puppy has absolutely no interest in the cats. She will sit and look at them but no attempts to chase or growl. But the cats have some major hate for the new puppy. They walk around looking like they are doing trying outs for Halloween cats. LMAO

Well that's a great sign too, focusing on the good behavior goes a million fold in a situation like this. I spent a lot of time feeling defeated when my dog would have a bad day, but when I focused on the progress a good day brought, I would feel uplifted and ready to take on the problem head on.
If your dog was truly aggressive, cats would most likely draw some sort of negative reaction, at least a chase or bark. Dog aggression is a whole other issue, but I would lean towards your dog just being highly under socialized for her first few months of life. Sometimes breeders do little to no work socializing their puppies in their first three months, other than letting them interact with one another.
You should look into a specific puppy socialization program for large breeds. I started training with Ciana a couple of weeks after getting her, and was unable to do any socializing due to the majority of puppies being toy breeds, and a "danger" to socialize Ciana with. So by the time I found a trainer that individually created a training regiment for us, Ciana was 3mos older, larger, and more dog aggressive.
If I would have had a group of large breed puppies to let Ciana romp with when I got her, most of her dog aggression could have been avoided. I would encourage you to let her romp with as many willing large breed puppies as possible, because you are still well within the stage of correcting these problems early.

 

[Michael823]

I started training *CLASSES* with Ciana a couple of weeks after getting her, and was unable to do any socializing *DURING CLASS* due to the majority of puppies being toy breeds, and a "danger" to socialize Ciana with. So by the time I found a trainer that individually created a training regiment for us, Ciana was 3mos older, larger, and more dog aggressive.

*I meant professional training classes, not just training*

 

[carol]

Looks like I'm late to the party but I'd like to second this....

Four months isn't that young of a pup either. That's 16 weeks, and according to the current material I'm reading (Wolters), she should be well into a pre-school or kindergarten phase where learning is concerned. If this dog hasn't had any interactions or sensitivity training or training in general, that would put him 8 or 9 weeks behind "schedule" so to speak mentally.

I trained for a few years before I got fed up with the people aspect of it. But 4 months old with no training is a big step back with a giant breed. She'll be big enough to push her weight around with every one real soon if she isn't already. I'd get her in a puppy class asap or anything you can do to jumpstart socialization and training. Don't let anyone tell you that the giant breeds need more time either, my Dane was placing in obedience trials when she was 6 months old against all the "smarter" breeds.

 

[animalhouse]

Any Updates with this pup? How she doing?

 

[bekers71]

Any Updates with this pup? How she doing?

She is doing great thanks! Totally house broke and one big cuddle bug or couch potato. LOL