My dads dog hates my puppy !!?

Question

hi, i have a 17 week old cavalier king charles called oliver ,he met my parents dog at the weekend ,they met the right way away from each others houses ,my little doggy who has met lots of other dogs wanted to play with him ,he is not scared at all but my dads dog just kept running away from oliver ,my dads dog is also a cavalier and is 3 ,do you think its because gizmo wasnt socialised enough when he was little ,oliver is tiny compared to him and i wanted them to be friends ,giz didnt growl at oliver just didnt like him one bit ,but i noticed if someone was holding oliver then giz would sniff him ,i really want them to be friends ,we were all cuddling and stroking giz so it wasnt as though the new little one got all the attention ,my parents got giz when he was 2 so it wasnt there fault giz didnt meet many other dogs ,,it was soo funny i offered gizmo one of olivers biscuits and he wouldnt take it he turned his nose up and gizmo is a very greedy dog ,thankyou xxx

Answer 1

Giz is used to you meeting your parents without some irritating little interloper in tow! Give him a bit of time to get used to the idea, maybe your puppy is just a bit to bouncy, hold him still a bit longer so Giz can have a good sniff. Be prepared to accept the possibility that Gizmo may just be one of those dogs that prefers people, but give him a chance to come round in his own time.

Answer 2

It does sound like Giz wasn't socialized enough as a puppy. Give them time...they'll become friends as long as Giz doesn't feel threatened. Make sure Giz feels loved and not threatened when Oliver is around.
Always give them both a biscuit at the same time, a toy to play with at the same time etc., so Giz never feels that he's being left out.
You don't know what Giz's past was like but imagine having your "humans" all to yourself and then they (via you) bring home a "brother" you never asked for. You didn't ask for company or to share.
They'll be fine over time...just watch them together for the next while.

Answer 3

Just be patient. It sounds like you have introduced them properly but sometimes it takes a while for dogs to accept another animal in their territory. Even though you have given lots of attention to the older animal, he may still feel like the new little guy is his "replacement." Please don't leave them unsupervised together until you get a good feeling that the adult has accepted Oliver's presence as something permanent. Keep Oliver away from Giz when Giz is eating ANYTHING. The puppy may think food is for sharing but based on your description of Giz ----- HE WON'T! Best of luck to all of you. Patience will pay off in the end.

Answer 4

your dads dog doesn't seem to be showing he hates your puppy, he is just unsure of how to act, or is being fearful of the new member of the pack. do not enhance this behavior by showing Gizmo attention. just walk away from both dogs. let them work things out. do not show attention to either dog unless you are getting the behavior you want this goes for your parents, too. what I suggest that you do is take the puppy to Gizmo's house, this may give Gizmo more confidence, then sit down and talk to your parents about anything, or play cards, a game etc. just let the dogs go.

Many people think that a dog running from a puppy is showing that the dog does not like the puppy, but this is a human feeling and the truth is the basic fight and flight response has been triggered by the new experience. there really is not a choice like or dislike at this time just a feeling of fear or anxiety being triggered by the new experience.

another consideration is the temperment of both dogs if Gizmo is a subordinate dog and oliver is a more dominant dog then gizmo may have enhanced anxiety or fear. socialization can be a factor, but there is more to it than what meets your eye. for more information consult with your veterinarian for a referal to a good trainer or animal behavior specialist in your area.

Answer 5

Adult dogs have an aversion towards tiny pups mainly due to :

1) The pup’s tiny size & its hyper-activeness (generally puppies are hyperactive & enjoy or fearless of coming across anything & everything)

2) The color of the pups which mostly brings in a feeling of fear in adult dogs

3) The Adult dog hadn’t been socialized enough as you say (remember, socialization could be done not just when a dog had been a puppy, it could be started even at the age of three)

4) Feeling of insecurity & fear that the pup might be dangerous


Following are some of the tips to bring both of them together (Pls note I had a dog & cat of same age who would always eat together, sleep together & always play together!!):

1) Initially a person who is familiar to the adult dog should be clinging onto the pup, just to make the adult dog become sure that the pup is a friendly addition to the family

2) Then whatever the reactions of the adult dog be, leave both of them together in the same room – just don’t bother that the big one might harm the tiny one… after the first 3 or 4 days of being left together all alone, the big one will start understanding the pup and they would get closer or at least start sitting near each other

3) After they start sitting together, serve both their food plates near near & seeing one another, they start eating together and slowly their intimacy will improve

I am sure these tips will help… wish you good luck !!

Answer 6

The dominant dog will not play too enthusiastically with a lesser dog. If you want Gizmo to be more comfortable with Oliver, make it clear that Gizmo is still the alpha dog - they really do function better when there is a clear hierarchy.

Answer 7

I agree with some of the other answers, leave them alone to be around each other (where you can keep an eye on them though) Dogs can become nervous or aggressive when they are next to their owners or on a lead, so just try letting them out together in a garden or something and give them some time.

Answer 8

Here's a thought.
Try putting a blanket into the basket of your Dad's dog, allow his dog to sleep on it, and put his scent onto the blanket. Remove this blanket and either wrap your pup into it, or find a way of transferring the scent to your puppy before visiting with Dad's dog. The transferring of this scent onto your pup, may help to create a sense of belonging, that might just help.
Let me know how this works, as I believe this has been used when getting orphaned pups to be adopted by new mum's for milk.

Answer 9

I think it's normal.
Their is a hierarchy in the animal nature, you can say in a way.
All the old or bigger animals, and dogs too, have to sow to the new members that they r the first.
They r the strongest, it's their "house", they came first, so the new "members" have to learn to respect this.
This is nature.
Give them same time.
You puppy needs to understand that he is the second.
As he grows up, this will slowly stop.

Answer 10

just persevere he will get better with time. My dog is very friendly so we took him to the in-laws and there dog kept growling at him. We kept taking them and now they are best buds.