older staff not taking to new puppy

Hi everyone so i have a 10 year old staff and she is not taking to the pup at first i thought she was just growling at the pup to put her in her place but she is getting worse i cant have her in the same room she is growling and now moving towards the pup to attack her any advise on how to get the older staff to accept the pup.. i also have a 1 year old pug and the staff didnt have a problem with her at all

Hey,

I guess this could be a number of things....did you introduce the pup gradually before you brought the pup home? Your older girl might not like the fact theres a newbie in town and the pups getting a lot of attention maybe? Is the pup getting in the way of your older staffs food bowls, toys? Its sounds so simple but dogs can dislike dogs the way we can dislike other people. I suggest muzzling your older staff and walking them together or just letting them play around and let them get used to each other. its not gonna help leaving them separate, if anything it will make it worse. Also dogs can sense when the people around them are feeling on edge or nervous etc. so try and relax when theyre together and encourage play time. Be patient, she will come around and will learn to love the pup im sure!

Have moved to chat as you will get more response, I am not experienced in this as never had 2 together

I'm not experienced with two either but what Kita makes perfect sense to me. Make small steps, socialise them and don't favour one over the other. Having said that, your older Staff may need reassurance.

Is there also maybe an element of the pup trying to play puppy games and your older dog not being too keen? Puppies do need to play a lot to learn. It might be worth upping the play time you have with her so she's asking less of the older dog.

Other than that the above sounds sensible - muzzling and walking together, and making sure that your older dog still gets plenty of attention.

KITA90 wrote:Hey,

I guess this could be a number of things....did you introduce the pup gradually before you brought the pup home? Your older girl might not like the fact theres a newbie in town and the pups getting a lot of attention maybe? Is the pup getting in the way of your older staffs food bowls, toys? Its sounds so simple but dogs can dislike dogs the way we can dislike other people. I suggest muzzling your older staff and walking them together or just letting them play around and let them get used to each other. its not gonna help leaving them separate, if anything it will make it worse. Also dogs can sense when the people around them are feeling on edge or nervous etc. so try and relax when theyre together and encourage play time. Be patient, she will come around and will learn to love the pup im sure!

I agree. If the pup is getting more attention it will likely cause jealousy. If you are keeping them seperate place a blanket or something with the pups scent on it with the older dog.

I ahree with kita, I have 4 dogs and my eldest dog is a grump and can growl as he thinks hes the boss but you do have to let dogs learn there boundaries with eachother dont get too involved, introduce them slowly, I wouldnt bring toys into the mix as this will cause confrontation, I would take them for a walk together and then when you come home make a big fuss of your older dog have them come and sit on your knee, also when the your puppy and your older dog are interacting say aww good girl! Make sounds which are pleasing to her

Thanks everyone for the advise gonna try all that and see how we get on will keep you updated with 6 kids in the house I need these dogs to get on

Best of luck and we are always here if you need more ideas

Be sure to keep us posted and let us know if we can help with anything else