Need Help With Introducting Puppy To My Older Dog....

[Lila&Ruby]

I just got a 10 week old Cocker puppy for my wife, and we are already pulling out our hair.

A little background, my wife and I already have an 11 year old cocker who is very submissive, calm, quiet, etc. The issue is that she runs away from the puppy which is causing the puppy to run after her and try to nibble at legs or ears. I feel protective of the older dog and grab the puppy up, if I dont do this the older dog runs away and jumps on the sofa. I am not worried about the nibbling as I am sure that will go away and she has already started to understand that you can not nibble at fingers, feet, or the other dog. How do I get my 11 year old cocker to stop running and become the "alpha" dog. (I am not sure if this is the right terminology, but I hope everyone understand what I mean.

Thanks. Oh and for the name, Lila is the puppy and Ruby is the older one. :p

[Cosmolo]

Unfortunately you don't get to determine who is the alpha dog between the two. However its unlikely that true hierarchy is really being determined at the moment. You have a puppy who likely wants to interact and play and an older dog who is coming to terms with the new pup on her turf.

You definitely need to control the pup's interaction with the older dog- without punishing friendly interaction and intent from the pup. While its totally understandable that you want to protect the older dog- the way you do this should not send a message to the puppy that 'trying to interact with Ruby gets me in trouble'. Likewise, Ruby shouldn't learn that unning away from the pup and being scared- gets her lots of attention/ pandering.

Put the pup on lead so you can control the interaction, look at a well run puppy school for socialisation for the little one and potentially a one on one session with a qualified trainer to come to the home and give you specific advice on the bext way to start to progress a happy relationship for both dogs.

ETA- problems with pups are normal- so try not to pull your hair out just yet : )

Edited October 16, 2008 by Cosmolo

[Lila&Ruby]

Thank you for the post, do you happen to know where to find a licensed training in my specific area. Do they have a website for license trainers by chance? I will google it, but thought that you may know of a site.

P.S. Last night was not fun with the pup waking every 2 hours and whining in her crib (Crate).

[Cosmolo]

Training is an unregulated industry so the best way to go is by word of mouth. Whereabouts are you located?

[Erny]

I agree with Cosmolo's post. Your older dog is unfamiliar with this pup and the actions of pups who are generally all over the place and everywhere, can be somewhat overwhelming especially if the adult dog has not socialised well and broadly with very young pups. And then of course there are those needle point puppy teeth that hurt!

Keep your puppy calm when the older dog is around. If you are crate training your pup, that is great and would afford your older dog to accustom herself to the sight and smell of your puppy without having to endure being bombarded by it. Or something like a puppy pen will help as well.

You need to allow your older girl the time to 'assess' this new member of the family and to become accustomed to pup's presence.

It will be difficult for the short term as it will be a bit of a juggling act on your part (because you obviously can't keep puppy in a crate or pen for the whole duration) but subject to your older girl's historical background of experiences, it should be for the short term as before you know it your new pup will be showing signs of learning the rules in the household (provided you have been consistent in teaching them). I'm not suggesting that means your pup will become an immediate 'angel', but that your pup will begin to learn what behaviour is to its best advantage and will be just that bit more under control than is presently the case.

Discouraging play in a certain area (example .... a particular room of the house or whatever) may also assist for the long term. This will avail your older girl a place she can retreat to for quiet time if she wants it.

Remember that YOU must be the leader to both dogs, rather than being concerned with who holds the heirarchy out of the two dogs. As Cosmolo said, it is extremely doubtful and unlikely that heirarchy is being considered at this stage. With YOUR leadership, you earn the 'right' to govern but also must bear the responsibility to protect.

If your pup's interactions begin to appear as though they are getting 'over the top', a bit of 'time-out' can help, or even just a distraction away from that activity can diffuse the excitement that is getting out of control.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Erny

[percyk]

just because the cocker is there first doesnt mean it will be alpha

and that hierarchy can shift as one gets older and the younger ones gain confidence

id certainly give the cocker a chance to chill out and let her eat and toilet by herself too - some older dogs can get really thingy when theyre trying to find a spot to go and a pup is at them to play

id let the pup nip a bit - the older dog will teach her bite inhibition and it's ok if she puts her in her place

later you can walk both of them - maybe someone can help

i walk a new pup on the other side of the older dog usually til they work things out - you dont want to be having a pup mucking around and twisting wildly to get to the old girl- correct her and distract her - reward when she is doingthe right thing even if it's for a microsecond

if you teach her to focus on you then it's much much easier- we do it by saying the dogs name and making sure she looks you in the face not the reward before you give praiseand treat- do this lots - 5- 10 times three times a day in the beginning and at random times - just so that she knows her name means something important

practise walking on lead with her in the hall or in your yard where there are no distractions

often walking them together settles the new one into a behaviour that is more acceptable - she is part of a pack with you as leader but this comes after she has basic control over her impulses inside

have her on a tether or lead preferrably with someone to help you and do some training with both ( of course youll need to train him separately to get her basics going ) but we still do this with our group of dogs - everyone has to sit do a drop and a stay and we have a little circus routine

working with chicken works well because theyre all motivated and its very easy to get their attention but it's also important that they learn to obey without food rewards so we mix it up with the younger ones

if the pup is really getting rough and annoying then put her out or in the laundry or garage - just make sure theres nothing that she can destroy or thats harmful

but only for a few minutes - she has to learn what the alternative is so give her a reward for sitting nicely or doing a trick - anything that isnt annoying your old girl

you dont want her running amok in parks either annoying other dogs so this behaviour youre trying to mould - to 'leave it' is really important in many aspects of her social life

practise calling herfrom different parts of the yard or house with bbq chicken so that she associates hername with something pleasant ( dont call herfor grooming or bathing - just go get her!)this way when shes being rough and you call her away you have more chance of her responding if she thinks theres chicken coming!

you have to be firmthough too so if shes being a monkey do the 'ahh ahh' noise or a' nooooooo' make sure youre lowering your voice and not talking in an excited squeak

they have to know the difference between praise and a reprimand

have her on leash if shes being unpredictable and yank her if shes being rough and not leaving the older girl alone - make her sit and focus on you and give really high value treats toshow her that youre more fun - but time it just right - you dont want her thinking that youre rewarding her for 'hassling'- make her work to get that treat after she has been rough or 'naughty' in other ways

she is a puppy so she will grow out of a lot of behaviours - it's just your job to make sure the older dog has some rights too!

bitches can be unpredictable so do watch that the younger girl doesnt start bossing the older one as she starts to decline in a few years- a young bitch can behave but some start to usurp the throne when they feel the older girl isnt quite with it andthsi can lead to fights over bedding and food

enjoy

hopefully they might end up just fine together

Edited October 18, 2008 by percyk