New puppy

Hi, I am just looking for a bit of reassurance. I have a staffy called Blue has a brilliant temperament and wouldn't hurt a fly! I got another puppy (Jack Russell Terrier) 3 weeks ago and they get on better than I could ever have hoped for. I took them for a walk the other day and they were chasing each other and Blue knocked the puppy over as she loves to do! But Blue pinned her down and seemed to growl and and nip a bit more than she usually does. Just wondering if this was Blue just being a very playful staffy or if she was showing sines of aggression. Thanks.

Hi and welcome to the forum!

It's really unlikely to be aggression. Most dog 'aggression' is in fact because of worry/fear, because of the way we handle them (e.g. tight leads), pain, etc. It very, very rarely genuinely comes out of nowhere.

You might find that Blue was being restrained for the first weeks - dogs are amazing in their ability to judge play with puppies - and that it does get a little rougher. Unless your pup shows signs of worry, such as trying to hide and not wanting to play, I'd leave them to it and enjoy your dogs being so great together.

That's reassuring to know! Thank you for your help

I tend to agree with Liz above. If you think it's getting over boisterous then separate them and give a five min time out to calm down. Welcome to the forum

Hi from me & Katy, I have to agree with Liz it does sound like Blue was being good & gentle with the new pup. Staffies are very boisterous & vocal when playing. Look forward to seeing some pics

hi and welcome from me and mia

yes agree with the other comments,staffies do play hard as pups and as they grow up and can be very vocal with it too!!if you think its getting a bit much for the other dog give them a bit of time out

Great posts above as others have mentioned, I think it depends on how the pup reacted to this incident, but also what Blue did immediately after? Did they continue to play or give each other a wide berth? There were multiple times when I thought Bug was being too hard on our foster pup, but he bounced straight back and didn't seem phased in the slightest. If he seemed scared I would step in with an "enough" and encourage them to take a break.

Pup always goes back for more! Have started putting the puppy in her crate when I think it is getting too much, hopefully that will teach them both to calm it down a bit

Sounds like you're on the right track