My dog is showing teeth towards the new puppy :(

Hello there,

Ive just got a 9 week old female Staffordshire Bull Terrier (cutest little thing ever, so playful) I also have a 2 and a half year old male Staffy whos so gentle, 1st day went great both playing together and sharing nicely
2nd day, great untill i took my older staffy for a walk/run about, he came back knackered! Female puppy tried to play with him and he gently did a snap at her, no teeth showing but i intervened before she backed off and told him this this is naughty. ((Should i have done this???))
3rd day (today) Playing great all day, went upto my parents where they played with balls, he was teasing the puppy so she would chase him which she happily did lol. But after a while he just laid down chewing the ball and the female puppy came upto him to take the ball and he really showed his teeth! I straight away shouted at him and the female puppy ran to my parent for comfort crying and shaking.

Should i intervene when he is warning her, im scared he will hurt her? I just want them to be bestfriends for life. Advice all welcome

Thanks alot Emma and Luke xx

Sometimes you have to trust them. If your older one isn't showing real aggression just warnings then I would let things be. I'm not sure telling the older one off is perhaps the right thing as this could endorse negative behaviour.

When the pup over steps the mark, remove her. This will give a breather to both and not send negative messages to your older one. The pup will learn the boundaries.

Your eldest is just teaching the pup how to behave, as long as there is no real aggression then it's just a learning curve. Do you feel it's really aggressive ?

Keep a close eye on their play, you've already seen when your fella wants peace so you know what to look out for  

Thankyou for your reply Exactly what i wanted to hear, glad hes just warning her and no deffinitely not aggressive, was just like a back off leave me alone. Will watch out on playtime and tell puppy to back off when i see male looks like hes had enough. Thanks Ian!

Sounds like your on top of things, just trust your instincts and prevent anything that looks to be escalating   

It does sound like he's teaching her boundaries and how to play but keep an eye on them but also let him know you're watching. We introduced our pup to a trusted patterdale and it was as if he was checking with me how far he could go!
I would watch out for toy jealously, that can escalate.
Pete

Sounds like he's just telling her he's had enough. Personally I wouldn't tell him off for growling at her. Growling is a natural way for a dog to communicate he's unhappy, he can't tell her any other way. I wouldn't tell him off for warning her with a growl because the next step is a bite. If he's told he can't growl he may just bite with no warning which is not what you want. So if he growls don't reprimand him but do remove the puppy and let him have his space. Your pup will learn her boundaries but you must let him teach her it's all very natural and normal

Also as said above be careful with treating make sure they both get a treat at the same time, don't leave toys hanging around on the floor as this can cause fights and bones or chews shouldn't be left around supervision is key.

-Ian- wrote:Sometimes you have to trust them. If your older one isn't showing real aggression just warnings then I would let things be. I'm not sure telling the older one off is perhaps the right thing as this could endorse negative behaviour.

When the pup over steps the mark, remove her. This will give a breather to both and not send negative messages to your older one. The pup will learn the boundaries.

Your eldest is just teaching the pup how to behave, as long as there is no real aggression then it's just a learning curve. Do you feel it's really aggressive ?

Keep a close eye on their play, you've already seen when your fella wants peace so you know what to look out for  

I agree. Suki would get told off all the time when she was a pup. We always just removed her from the situation and then after awhile let her interact again. The older dog will teach the pup what is acceptable and what isn't. Just be sure to supervise, learn about body language, and try not to stress out because they will pick up on it.

I have never had two dogs together so cannot really advize rather than do what you are doing and step in when need be. I'm sure he will let her know when he has had enough of playing.