OT- Seeking Advice from Dog Owners
This weekend my wife and I picked a second dog. We already had a year-old American Bulldog, and the new one is another bulldog puppy. However, the two are off to a bit of a rough start. Our older dog, Gus, has always been extremely gentle with other dogs, including puppies. He's been playing with her, and has generally tolerated her presence. However, he has already growled at her several times, and has been extremely protective of his food.
My question to the MGoCommunity is: have you tried to introduce new dogs to your homes, and do you have any suggestions? Is this a situation where they just need to work things out amongst themselves, or are there any ways to ease the transition?
(P.S. I missed the last few days; Bouje, what the hell did you do?)
August 9th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
I would give it time. It's a huge amount of stress on both dogs -- they will eventually get used to each other, most likely. If they don't, I would start doing some research on ways to introduce themselves.
August 9th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
August 9th, 2010 at 10:37 AM ^
There will always be a bit of back and forth between two dogs, usually one being a little higher on the pecking order.
But if the older dog shows agression and you don't do anything about it it will only get worse. He can't think it's okay.
August 9th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
So, this here thread no longer appears on the Board, and I'm wondering why. If we're shifting into pre-season mode, and OT threads are no longer kosher, that's fine. I'm just curious.
My Everlasting Love and Affection,
BISB
August 9th, 2010 at 10:29 AM ^
August 9th, 2010 at 11:15 AM ^
Thanks.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
i thought it was a good topic!
August 9th, 2010 at 10:35 AM ^
Dogs are pack animals and need to set their pecking order. And they'll reassess it from time to time. I had a longer response typed out, but the thread disappeared.
I agree, let them work out who is the alpha, praise good behavior, "Neg" bad behavior. Pet them both together, don't let either get jealous. give them both treats at the same time... etc.
August 9th, 2010 at 12:13 PM ^
As stated above dogs are pack animals. You never want to let them confuse who is alpha. (you I'm assuming) Next though is what order the new dog is in. The dogs will figure this out for themselves but depending on temperment and age of both dogs it could get bloody. You can easily force the order by making it a point of feeding the older dog first. Doesn't have to be hours before the other one just make sure the older one is eating then feed the puppy. Same with all treats/walks, etcthe older dog is first ALWAYS. This will help them both out and take away any nervousness the older dog has.
I have a 5 year old german short haired pointer and picked up a 1.5 year old mastiff/great dane mix. Using this technique I've had no more than a couple growls and the pointer takes whatever he wants from the mastiff. Hope it helps good luck
August 9th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^
August 9th, 2010 at 10:44 AM ^
Growling and showing a little teeth is normal and helps establish the pecking order. If the larger dog actually bites the puppy, then you will have to delve deeper into some dog training/behavioral modification excercises. But the proper order with a puppy and an adult will usually work itself out naturally as the pack instinct takes over i.e. puppy wil start waiting for oloder dog to finish eating before approaching bowl.
I have a video of my older dog "attacking" our puppy over a chew toy and it looked vicious "live" but when I re-watched it, it was more barking and pushing with mouth than biting. They know how to put a puppy in its place without hurting them.
I hope that helps
August 9th, 2010 at 10:52 AM ^
Give the puppy a bath in the warm juices of of a fresh pot roast and he will become quite popular with the older dog.
-Mike Vick-
August 9th, 2010 at 10:53 AM ^
The puppy will probably have to be "Told" from time to time (but not attacked) by the older dog.
Often they don't realize when they're getting bigger and stronger. Biting with any force with puppy teeth hurts. From what i've seen the puppy usually is the one who plays too rough, as they're getting stronger/don't know their own strength/what's ok. The older dogs are usually gentler unless they've had enough (when they "Tell" the puppy)
They'll figure it out
August 9th, 2010 at 11:23 AM ^
But if the one dog gets Told and dances back, then It's On... and then they have to have a dance-off. And that's where things get out of hand.
August 9th, 2010 at 10:46 AM ^
....
August 9th, 2010 at 10:52 AM ^
We just went through the same thing in the fall. We had a seven year old hound and brought in a new one in November. It was a rough start. From my personal experience, it's always better to let them just work it out between themselves, with you present, of course. No matter how rough or aggressive it aappears it get. It's highly unlikely that one of them will actually hurt the other one. As jbrose said, it almost always appears to be worse than it really is when you are standing there watching. If you always step in and try to break it up there will be, I guarantee it, a time when it starts and you're not around to break it up and you won't like the results. Just let your pre-existing dog get it out of his/her system and things should be fine.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
and had similar problems. I was told to praise the older dog when he growled at the puppy (seemed weird advice, but we tried it) and it seemed to work well. I think it has something to do with confirming that the older dog is higher in the pecking order so he doesn't have to worry about that. We did this with his food as well, and he no longer growls at the puppy over the food. Good luck, it is definately hard at first, but our dogs really get a long most of the time and have a lot of fun. I would also recommend looking up tips on the web. There are a lot of places that offer a lot of advice for this.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
You didn't mention how old the puppy is and what canine socialization she has. I've had 3 rescues and here's what I've learned or noticed:
Don't try to make the puppy feel welcome, it will make the older dog unstable and anxious and possibly jealous. Treat the two dogs equally although you can take the older dog out to play or walk by himself so he knows you still love him. (One on one time will be very important for leash and obedience training for the puppy too.)
Be aware that preferential treatment can escalate the older dog's insecurity and may result in a fight with possibly damage to the puppy. (This is particularly true if she hasn't learned to get passive with an assertive older dog. That means going into a submissive crouch or rolling over.)
An American bull dog to me is a pit bull. So be protective of the puppy without inserting yourself unless she's in danger and supervise their play for awhile. Don't encourage tug of war or any game that could become competitive such as retrieving the same toy.
If he isn't neutered, get it done IMMEDIATELY.
If you're not free-feeding, feed them in separate bowls on different ends of the room. Make sure that he respects her puppy chow. If she is a slow eater, feed her in her crate or keep him away from her food.
A way to offset the food aggression, is to take him aside, let him start eating and call him over for a treat of really tasty chicken or hot dog. Let him return to his bowl and repeat. He'll look forward to the distraction and be less protective of the bowl. Don't let her come in to eat out of his if he is eating!
Generally, the males will eventually defer to the female. Just be watchful as their relationship develops.
Crate the pup when you are unable to be home until you are assured that they are good friends.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:20 AM ^
Thanks. We're definitely crating her for now, just to avoid any potential problems.
FWIW, American Bulldogs are distinct from American Pits. They share some lineage, but they are different breeds with very different temperments. They are much less aggressive, and are much better with other dogs and kids. I highly recommend the breed.
August 9th, 2010 at 12:44 PM ^
Don't neuter your animals--that is cruel and likely will not fix the problem. My dog is not neutered and he is the gentlest, sweetest dog I have ever encountered. It's all about training. If you don't train your dog properly then he will act inappropriate regardless of being neutered or not. I've seen a lot of neutered dogs that have worse psychological and behavioral issues than many natural dogs.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:17 AM ^
What? No questions about canine anal leakage?
August 9th, 2010 at 11:38 AM ^
I appreciate the input.
Just so no one loses any sleep, the big dog isn't actually being aggressive, and hasn't attempted to harm the little pup. It's more "our reaction to stupid MSU troll on the board" behavior than "MSU fan on streets of East Lansing" behavior.
started any fires
August 9th, 2010 at 11:57 AM ^
According to Victoria Stilwell of Animal Planet's "It's the dog or me", you're dog's aggression is caused by it's lack of confidence. Your dog is unsure of itself or it's situation.
......or something along those lines. I wasn't really paying attention. I just kept thinking how thrilling a romp in the bedroom with a pretty woman with an english accent would be.
"Oh.......that's BRILLIANT!"
August 9th, 2010 at 12:09 PM ^
August 9th, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^
We had a similar situation in getting our dog acclimated to our cat. I would introduce the older dog to the puppy on a leash, making sure that both are as calm as possible. Give both animals plenty of treats and praise and don't rush their interactions. If they can only behave well around each other for 30 seconds, take the older dog out of the room and praise him as well as the puppy. The puppy is curious and will want to smell and lick the older dog, which isn't taken positively by a lot of animals. The dogs will bond together if you get a positive association between them (food). While you're at work or whatever your older bulldog will likely assert his dominance on the pup, but once the pup submits they should be able to get along.
My situation was a little different because my dog, Moses is a very gentle Weimaraner. The cat always used to hiss and spit at him regardless of his demeanor, and we had to be very patient.
I would reccommend taking both dogs together to a dog park or other place where they can socialize with other dogs.
Have the older dog chase after two tennis balls, one marked Tate and one marked Denard. See what happens.
Denard, though, is clearly a Kong Wubba:
I have an American Bulldog mix also, and he growled at my little pit/chow mix during one of their first meals together. I gave him a little Caesar Millan kick, a NO, and I stood over him until he retreated to his corner. They haven't had a problem since then, probably more due to them working out themselves, but I think my alpha move helped speed up the process. They are now best buds, and eat comfortably a few feet from each other. Hand feeding them some kibble together might not be a bad idea either. I love the bullies, good luck and have fun.