topic Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him in Community Chat

Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

little daisy — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 21:50:39 GMT

I got my older dog when she was a year and a half. She was not very active, vet say she is fine. I felt she was lonely so got a 6 month old puppy.i pay a lot of atention to the older dog so/she would not be jealous but she is very possessive of her toys and chew bones. When the puppy comes near she growls at him..now she is growling at people on our walks I don't know how to correct this situation. Both dogs are from the shelter

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

lolakimono — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:59:47 GMT

How did you introduce them when you brought the puppy home?

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

little daisy — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 01:55:28 GMT

Had a member of the family, bring the older dog to meet us at the park

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

Snowpuppy — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 02:10:35 GMT

How long have you had your new puppy? Enough time for them to get to know each other?

Give it some adjustment time. I'd only be concerned with signs of aggression, being too protective of food, etc.

Make sure they have their own separate toys, food dishes, water, etc.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

CrazyDaisy — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:14:00 GMT

Bringing in a new dog often is a process rather than an event. You said your dog was not very active, well bringing in a hyper puppy can be very stressful. I recently got a new puppy and am taking it very slow with my 7 year old dog. It takes time, these are a few tips;

Keep food, toys, chews etc. picked up. Do not give them anything to snark at each other over. At some point when they start playing together you may be able to introduce them back.

Always make sure your older dog can get away from the puppy. Puppies can be very annoying and try the patience of a saint. Allow your dogs to have their own spots. You can use x-pens, baby gates or crates. In time these may not be necessary, but for now they each need a safe place away from each other.

Take lots of walks together. My dogs are more comfortable outside and spending time with me doing things together outside has really helped them get use to each other. Kind of like finally realizing he is not going anywhere and accept him.

Enjoy your new puppy and give your older one some time to get use to him.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

little daisy — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 13:15:58 GMT

Thanks for the advice

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

lolakimono — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 13:27:15 GMT

I have done this with my kitties- not sure about how it works with dogs.

I take a damp towel and wipe down one of them, and then wipe it over the other one. It lets them smell the other animal so they are less likely to attack when they remember the scent.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

NChgOfMyAttitude — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 15:17:36 GMT

lolakimono - that sounds like a good idea. I've never tried that while introducing new dogs. Might work.

Another suggestion - never feed them close to each other. I always keep them on opposite sides of the kitchen at feeding time. Sometimes that could be a problem. And never gave them bones together, that errupted into a big fight one time.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

Jeremiah 2911 — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 16:53:07 GMT

Sounds like your older dog is doing a somewhat normal "resource guarding" behavior. This is kind of like the human emotion of jealousy, but in dog language it is more like protecting his own resources, which can also include the resource of attention -- from you.

I'm not a professional dog trainer but I've trained dogs and have some tips that might help you get the older dog out of this behavior.

If you have a large crate available, I would isolate the older dog for a couple of minutes every time he growls at the puppy. Don't scold him or raise your voice at him, just tell him a monotone, "No - no" in a normal pitch of voice. Then walk him over to the crate and put him in it for about one or two minutes. Or, if he goes outside, put him outside for a couple of minutes. This is a purposeful negative consequence that he will not like but is not punishment per se as you are using the crate (or outside) for a time out. This is not abusive in any manner either. Older dog will eventually get the message that when he growls at puppy, he is either in the crate or outside, alone. You want him to associate the negative behavior of growling at puppy with a negative consequence (being alone). Remember to only separate older dog for a couple of minutes. But be consistent and do it every time he growls at puppy. If you are tired of separating older dog, put puppy in a bedroom so you and older dog can have a break.

You should also give puppy his own toys and chew toys to play with and do not require the older dog to share his toys. Make sure there are plenty of toys for the puppy to play with. For the time being (temporarily) put the older dogs toys in a place (a basket or bin) where puppy cannot disturb them. Later on, when older dog is more accustomed to the puppy (and no longer feels that the need to guard his toys) you can leave the older dogs toys out for puppy to play with as well.

Buy some tasty treats that both dogs can eat. Or give them some homemade treats like cheese. Feed both of them the treat while they are together. Sweet talk to both of the dogs, praising them while they are eating the treats together and being polite to one another.

When you walk with them on leash, take treats with you, have them sit/stay and feed them both a treat. Praise both of the dogs and resume your walk with them.

The idea is to reinforce the friendly behavior while they are together. When they are together and you are giving treats, praise & affection to both of them, older dog while begin to understand that when he is in the presence of the puppy, it is a happy time.

Of course, if the behavior continues, consult with a professional dog trainer. You may need to take your older dog to a Positive Reinforcement training class. There are also books and videos available online that teach Positive Reinforcement training.

You didn't indicate how long you've had the puppy -- know that introducing a new pet to the household does take time and patience. I think that if you give it time and work with these two, they will become friends.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

lolakimono — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:15:46 GMT

On 8/12/2014 NChgOfMyAttitude said:
lolakimono - that sounds like a good idea. I've never tried that while introducing new dogs. Might work.

I also do this when one goes to the vet and the other stays home. Then they're both "stinky" and there is less fighting, growling, hissing when they both smell it.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

CrazyDaisy — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:51:52 GMT

On 8/12/2014 Jeremiah 2911 said:
Sounds like your older dog is doing a somewhat normal "resource guarding" behavior. This is kind of like the human emotion of jealousy, but in dog language it is more like protecting his own resources, which can also include the resource of attention -- from you.

I'm not a professional dog trainer but I've trained dogs and have some tips that might help you get the older dog out of this behavior.

If you have a large crate available, I would isolate the older dog for a couple of minutes every time he growls at the puppy. Don't scold him or raise your voice at him, just tell him a monotone, "No - no" in a normal pitch of voice. Then walk him over to the crate and put him in it for about one or two minutes. Or, if he goes outside, put him outside for a couple of minutes. This is a purposeful negative consequence that he will not like but is not punishment per se as you are using the crate (or outside) for a time out. This is not abusive in any manner either. Older dog will eventually get the message that when he growls at puppy, he is either in the crate or outside, alone. You want him to associate the negative behavior of growling at puppy with a negative consequence (being alone). Remember to only separate older dog for a couple of minutes. But be consistent and do it every time he growls at puppy. If you are tired of separating older dog, put puppy in a bedroom so you and older dog can have a break.

You should also give puppy his own toys and chew toys to play with and do not require the older dog to share his toys. Make sure there are plenty of toys for the puppy to play with. For the time being (temporarily) put the older dogs toys in a place (a basket or bin) where puppy cannot disturb them. Later on, when older dog is more accustomed to the puppy (and no longer feels that the need to guard his toys) you can leave the older dogs toys out for puppy to play with as well.

Buy some tasty treats that both dogs can eat. Or give them some homemade treats like cheese. Feed both of them the treat while they are together. Sweet talk to both of the dogs, praising them while they are eating the treats together and being polite to one another.

When you walk with them on leash, take treats with you, have them sit/stay and feed them both a treat. Praise both of the dogs and resume your walk with them.

The idea is to reinforce the friendly behavior while they are together. When they are together and you are giving treats, praise & affection to both of them, older dog while begin to understand that when he is in the presence of the puppy, it is a happy time.

Of course, if the behavior continues, consult with a professional dog trainer. You may need to take your older dog to a Positive Reinforcement training class. There are also books and videos available online that teach Positive Reinforcement training.

You didn't indicate how long you've had the puppy -- know that introducing a new pet to the household does take time and patience. I think that if you give it time and work with these two, they will become friends.

I have to disagree with a couple things you have said. First growling is not a bad thing. To dogs it is a warning. She is giving him an opportunity to stop what he is doing before she needs to take the correction further. To punish her for giving a warning or correction will not defuse, only escalate the problem since the puppy will not learn boundaries. My dog, as well as several other adult dogs, have given my puppy corrections. He is 9 months old and still has lots to learn. Growling lets him know he is crossing a line.

Food and toys are the most common items that dogs fight over. It is much better to remove them from the environment completely rather then treating the dogs together. Let them get to know each other in their own time and in their own way. Train, feed treat and play with them separately for now. Once the dogs have gotten use to each other in most cases they can be introduced back, yet in some cases they cannot. Given enough time they will be great friends, don't force them together before they are ready.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

RainyDayGal — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 19:36:02 GMT

Face it, puppies are obnoxious (I say that lovingly). We have 3 older dogs and recently adopted a 1 year old last December. Sure there was a little growling (not aggressive) but just enough to let her know sometimes she's bugging them. But it's mainly my oldest dog because she is SUCH a mama's girl, and now the youngest is also. So a little possessiveness going on and territorial issues. It all worked out and it's all fine.

I guess I've just been lucky that I've never had serious issues with any dog we've ever brought into our family. There's still some light snapping if one gets too close to the oldest's food dish (it's kept in the bedroom away from the other food). But she's the queen in the house and she's letting them know.

It will all work out. I have no doubt at all.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

shamalamadingdong4 — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 05:14:58 GMT

I have to agree about growling being a warning. I was taught not to punish a dog for growling. The dog may bypass the warning and just bite. Better they should growl first.

Re: Got a new puppy now the three year old dog growls at him

aprilskies — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:01:43 GMT

On 8/12/2014 lolakimono said:
On 8/12/2014 NChgOfMyAttitude said:
lolakimono - that sounds like a good idea. I've never tried that while introducing new dogs. Might work.

I also do this when one goes to the vet and the other stays home. Then they're both "stinky" and there is less fighting, growling, hissing when they both smell it.

I was trying to think what I could use to take the smell of the vet off and that was safe for the kitties and will try this. My kitties are way over due for their shots but last time I took one in at a time, I had problems when I brought them home with hissing. It lasted 3days. I dread the process. I wish I could take them together but it's hard enough taking them one at a time. These two boys are little bears. Thanks for the suggestion.