We have had a male Cocker Spaniel for 11 years...3 days ago.....my daughters boyfriend "surprised" her with a 2 month old cocker pup, male....he is a beautiful puppy and so fun to watch play....the problem, he WILL NOT leave the older dog alone, he wants to play with jump on and bite on him all the time, needless to say the older dog is getting weary he growls at the pup and snaps ( never done this to any other dog).....we watch them very closely so the older dog wont injure the pup....How can I help the older dog to accept the puppy??
2006-06-28 15:30:33 · 23 answers · asked by well_hell_is_this_name_taken 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
It's so hard when a new puppy is introduced to an older dog. I did the same thing to my parents, except I went extreme and came home with a Great Dane puppy. My parents have two dogs. One is 7 and weighs 30 lbs and the other is 4 and weighs about 14 lbs. This makes it hard because my dane is 1 year and 140 lbs. You have to teach the puppy to take it easy on the older boy. I used a can with rocks in it, so that everytime my dane annoyed or became to rambunctious with the two older smaller dogs, I would shake the can and distract him. It would also help a lot if one of the family takes the puppy out and wears him out (walking, playing, running around the yard...) that way the puppy is tired when he is with the older cocker. In reality, it just takes time. Don't stop your older boy from putting the "kid" is his place. Naturally, they will have a little struggle for dominance, and you have to let your older boy show the puppy who is boss. Most likely he won't harm the puppy, just basically tell him off in the language of dog.
Good Luck and enjoy the new addition. Give it time and things will settle in.
2006-06-28 15:40:32 · answer #1 · answered by Shawn K 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Limit the amount of time you allow the puppy to be around the older dog until they become better acquainted. Perhaps a good time would be after the puppy has played a while and is ready to settle down and sleep. This time allows them to bond but should not be long enough to stress the older dog. Make certain to make a fuss over the older dog not only when he behaves nicely to the puppy but at other times as well to reinforce his status in the family. He may see the puppy as a threat. It will take a while but you should see improvement within a week. In trying this with our boxers, after only a week our 5 year old took over the motherly duties for our 8 week old puppy and now a year later, they are inseparable to the point I have to even bath them together. Also, speak with your vet for suggestions. Check out some of the many websites dedicated to your breed as well. or www.akc.org.
2006-06-28 15:49:30 · answer #2 · answered by blgray98@verizon.net 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spend private time with both dogs. The older one can handle the pup - if he nips, the pup will learn a valuable lesson.
The dog will not go out of his way to hurt the pup - just to warn him and let him know who is "alpha". Play with both separately, and perhaps try tiring out the pup a couple of times a day so he lets "the big guy" be.
It may be more beneficial than you know. We have had four dogs and three cats - none of which passed away before the age of 16 years. Whenever a dog or cat got a bit older, we introduced a young one. Kept the older one active! At times we have had 14 year old with 8 year old with 1 year old - it all works out okay!
2006-06-28 15:39:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same issue. We had a 16 year old golden and got a puppy and all she wanted to do was play and jump all over the golden. The golden was a docile dog but he would growel at her when he had enough. In fact, on day he took his giant paw and just smacked her flat down with it. This is normal- your older dog is actually teaching your pup social queues. I have two dogs now and if one crosses the line the other will growl and bear teeth to let the other one know that the game is over. I doubt that your older dog will hurt the pup- in fact the older dog will probably teach the new pup how to be in a pack and pack dynamics!
2006-06-28 15:37:33 · answer #4 · answered by LittleBlackDog 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An older dog is just too tired and weary for a young playful pup. If you can, get another pup and the 2 pups will play together and the older dog will be left alone and can still be friends with the pups.
2006-06-28 15:40:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First Watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel. The guys name is Ceasar Milan or something like that. He had encountered a similar problem with two great danes. Literally all that he had to do was teach the owners to be the pack leaders. Your little pup may be completely out of control because she sees that there is no head of the house type of figure. Ceasar helped the owners develop the right mind set, and in doing this, they were able to train their dog (showed the same traits that yours is) to back down and respect the other older dog of the house.
2006-06-28 15:37:56 · answer #6 · answered by ctnavyrichie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well first off give the older plenty of attention poor thing to him looks like a replacement has come in before he is gone please his heart but give him lots of love just like a child, like soeone else said teach the puppy its the one the older dog is going through enough if he snaps or growls dont punish or tell HIM to stop. when the puppy is bothering the older tell him no and pick him up and give him a toy of his own not one of the others dogs dont make him share okay. im for real. than also what i have done is tooken a blanket or stuffed toy or anything that i could get my hands on that belonged to the older dog and rubbed it all over the new puppies so that they would smell alike. the new smell of a strange animal has alot to do with it then they will smell eachother and be the same. time will tell but two males fighting over domination of territory will occur later if one or the other isnt neutered, good luck ya have your hands full!!!
2006-06-28 15:42:22 · answer #7 · answered by uniquebutsweet 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The puppy is intruding on the older dog's territory - at least that's the way the older dog sees it. When the puppy starts to pester the older dog, try distracting him with a toy, a hissing noise, etc. DON'T use food, or he'll think you're rewarding him for the behavior. And make sure the older dog gets plenty of individual attention from you! I also read somewhere that when you're introducing a new pet, it helps to refer to it as the property of the first pet: "Here's Rover's new puppy, Fido," or something like that. Never tried it myself, so I don't know how well it works. Good luck!
2006-06-28 15:37:18 · answer #8 · answered by Brenda 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you describe is pretty much normal behavior for some dogs. You might try diverting the puppies attention somewhere else. Play with the puppy or give the puppy a toy. After a time your older dog should begin to adjust to the new pup, just try not to let the puppy aggravate him nonstop for too long.
2006-06-28 15:35:10 · answer #9 · answered by papricka w 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well maybe the older one is getting a lil jealous, he might think that the new pup might get more attention than what he is, and then when ever u play with the puppy make sure u give the spaniel more attention. And try to let them do things that u know they both lov e doing
2006-06-28 15:37:40 · answer #10 · answered by *Lil' Daisy* 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋