my female puppy is bullying my dog?

Question

My 2 year old male pointer NEUTERED was pining for his friend so we got a FEMALE puppy ridgeback who is now 11 weeks old.She is sometimes aggressive towards him, bites and claims authority She draws blood and he never puts her in her place.Is this usual for a female to dominate a male and should i stop her, is it a puppy thing that he will sort when she is bigger.He is very obedient and placid and she is bullying.They get on great the rest of the time and dont fight over toys, food or beds but she is dominating.Will she settle down or will they end up having to be seperated.I do not allow her to bully him or bite and she stops when i say no or clap, then she sits and gives paw.

Answer 1

Females tend to be more dominant than males in general. However, your dog may just be putting up with your puppy's bullying because she's so young. The fact that she's drawing blood, although not acceptable, may just be because puppies have needle-sharp teeth so its not so hard for them to puncture skin, unlike an adult dog's teeth which are fairly blunt in comparison. My puppy used to bite us when he was a baby but we soon stopped it. I think nipping is just a puppy's way of initiating play, but because they're still learning the rules of good manners and behaviour, they don't realise that biting is not the right way to do things. With firm perseverence she'll hopefully grow out of it.
Try to discourage her when you see her being a bully and as she gets older, an equillibrium between the 2 dogs will probably be reached.

Answer 2

I am not a huge expert on dog behaviour, but I have been struggling with this for the last year or so. I have 2 Corgis; older male not neutered, female younger by 2 years-similar behaviour problem. In my case, the younger female ACTS dominant, but is really doing so partly out of fear and faulty socialization when very young (I believe), but there's a lot of rough and tumble play. However, she doesn't behave well with other dogs on first encounter, and we have been working on this.

It is not unnatural or unusual for a female to be dominant, though most of what you describe sounds like puppy rough play. The reason I say that is that you say they don't fight over food, which is primal....

Have you done an assessment of your puppy's personality? (This would tell you whether she is really dominant, or if she is like my little one.) There are good tests outlined in books like "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the monks of New Skete.

I don't know what "putting her in her place" would be. It is part of the programming of a good male to be protective of the puppies in his pack. My male Corgi allows a lot of rough play; rolls over on his back and allows himself to be used as a chewy toy, but he does have limits. Try this-take her food bowl away while she is eating. If she reacts strongly, this could mean she thinks she is dominant over you. You can help establish some measure of dominance and hierarchy in your family through feeding routines: You are dominant, therefore you eat first. Then you feed the older dog if that's the one you want to be "dominant" , and when he is done the new puppy gets to eat.

Don't panic-your vet should be able to provide some advice; certainly the breeder who sold you the puppy can help; and most likely time and maturity will sort things out.

Answer 3

At 11 weeks she still probably has her "puppy imunity" intact. A sane dog will not injure a pup and will put up with much more from a pup than an adult (just as a human will put up with things from a 2 yr old they wouldn't from an adult) eventually he'll get a tad tougher and show her manners. However since most males (neutered or not) look at females as future mother of their pups they tend to be reluctant to quarrel with them so females frequently to end up dominant.

Answer 4

i have the same problem,my older dog is a 9yr old male and my younger 1 is a 4yr old female,she has bullied him from day 1,he is very laid back and docile where as she seems highly strung all the time,she gets most aggressive with him when it is time to go out and will constantly bite at his ears she has actually taken bits out ,my older dog is petrified when this happens,i have tried holding her and letting him out 1st,correcting her with a sharp no,putting her in another room until she calms down but none of this makes any difference as she still does it,if i play with the older dog she will bark excessively and try biting him,so for his own safety i have to stop playing with him,i think it is a dominance thing but don,t know how to stop it with her,my older dog is becoming a nervous wreck around her.at all other times they are great together so i don,t understand why she kicks off like this,so i hope you have luck in correcting yours and stopping her behaviour,keep doing what you are doing and hopefully it will work out fine,good luck.

Answer 5

female puppy bullying dog

Answer 6

You need to sort this out now whilst she is a baby. When she is older she may do a lot of damage to him. She is just finding her feet at the moment and is trying to be dominant. Get a water pistol or something on those lines and try and get her out of the habit. My boss owns 8 ridgebacks and they are a lovely breed to have. They are clever dogs and will take advantage if it suits them. While she is young you need to take control. My boss recently had to re home one of hers as she got to much and nearly killed another one. Remember ridgeback were originally bred to hunt lions in Africa, you need to be top dog.

Answer 7

Usually an older dog will not tolerate the antics of a pup & will eventually put the pup in it's place. If this is not happening it is up to you to stop it.

It sounds like the pup will be the dominate dog but if the older dog will not accept the alpha role you have to be alpha.

In my wolf studies the Alpha of the pack will break up fights & put the younger pups in their place. He is to be obeyed ! ! ! Now you have to take on that roll. After all you ARE the leader of the pack.

Answer 8

Don't allow her to bully him. Correct her when she gets tough. She'll learn that it's not allowed. She is a baby, she is learning how to interact with other dogs.. You want to teach her the being bossy isn't acceptable.

Answer 9

Dog eat Dog world, they are finding out who is boss.