puppy and older dog fighting yes or no

Hi guys I have a new puppy willow she is 7 weeks old and my 7 year old Ronnie . Introduced them and they get on great but they have started some pretty loud fighting. She is very aggressive towards him but im sure she is playing and he is definitely playing as if he wanted to hurt her he easily could.
Question is do I allow it to continue is it OK or will it encourage aggressive behavior in willow as she gets older????

Thanks in advance Paul

Hi ya Paul, puppies don't know aggression at that age so it will be all play right now. Willow is a little young to have left the litter so will still be learning what the boundaries are and hopefully Ronnie will be gentle enough to set the play rules.

If you think Ronnie is having enough simply separate them until Willow has calmed down. As you'll be aware, Staffies learn quickly

Echo Ian, and don't worry about the loud fighting - it's normal. Just invest in ear plugs!

So would I be right to let them fight it won't promote bad behaviour towards other dogs as she gets older ?

As long as Willow is well socialised and responds when you say stop or quit you should be fine

It's really important to remember that this isn't 'fighting'. 'Play fighting' has no intent to threaten, injure or confront. It is all about learning each other so that they don't later feel they have to fight. Each will learn the other's strenghts and weaknesses and, although it may at the moment seem as if your older (tolerant) dog is being a push over and teaching Willow to fight, he will also be teaching her how far she can go before she has gone too far. It's that limitation that will keep them steady in times to come.

So no, this won't teach Willow to fight. One thing to be aware of, though, is that when they learn to play rough with each other like this, they may not learn that other, less robust dogs have lesser threshholds. It's really worth socialising Willow with as many other dogs of different breeds as you can, although being a staffy she may always tend to play rough.

Really, relax and enjoy

Take a look for yourselves

Definitely playing Ronnie is great with willow, very patient & quite gentle. When she crosses the line he will let her know, enjoy the antics

can only echo above advice willow is a sweetheart remember introduce willow to as much as possible socialise socislise socialise .

I have the same in my house have diesel 2years old and sky 9weeks that nothing wouldn't worry it's like a wrestling during when these two play

Ah that video of them is adorable.

I hate to tell you this, but that's NOTHING compared to what's to come when Willow gets older. You have a few weeks to make sure all your breakables are out of knocking over range, you house will never be the same again

Ronnie is a complete and utter star, trust him, he'll make sure things stay within their boundaries. You'll be fine.

Thanks guys your comments are very reassuring and have relieved a lot of tension I was feeling. X

That's a great clip, Ronnie is very good with Willow

I bet they will have a blast when you're able to walk them together.

LizP wrote:It's really important to remember that this isn't 'fighting'. 'Play fighting' has no intent to threaten, injure or confront. It is all about learning each other so that they don't later feel they have to fight. Each will learn the other's strenghts and weaknesses and, although it may at the moment seem as if your older (tolerant) dog is being a push over and teaching Willow to fight, he will also be teaching her how far she can go before she has gone too far. It's that limitation that will keep them steady in times to come.

So no, this won't teach Willow to fight. One thing to be aware of, though, is that when they learn to play rough with each other like this, they may not learn that other, less robust dogs have lesser threshholds. It's really worth socialising Willow with as many other dogs of different breeds as you can, although being a staffy she may always tend to play rough.

Really, relax and enjoy

Agree completely.