Dog Adjusting To The New Puppy

[Lollipup]

We have a two year old female cocker spaniel cross mini foxy named Lola. We recently got a male boder collie puppy and named him Chester. He is now four months old, we've had him for 2 months. They get on well most of the time, they play and wrestle and play tug o war. But Lola has some issues she just can't seem to get over. Its jealousy and she gets the sulks really bad. I try to give them each an even amount of attention and have never favoured the new pup. I try to give each of them their "special time" but every time Chester gets attention Lola gets the sulks for hours after. She gets so territorial, possessive and obsessive. For example, I'll be giving them both treats and she will leap at him snapping because she is jealous of him getting food. Or, I will be petting Lola and Chester will come up for some attention and she lunges at him to stay away from me. Then theres the spare room, where Lola will go in and sit under the chair where my husband or I usually sit, and she won't let chester step over the line at the doorway entrance. She will growl to ward him off and attack him if he comes too close. Similiar issues happen over their bed areas, poor pup ends up sleeping on the hard cold concrete because Lola won't let him anywhere near the bedding, even though their bed is huge.

Its to the point that Chester is wary of her in every situation and I don't want him getting a complex over this. If he ever sticks up for himself they get into a pretty vicious looking fight, but no broken skin yet. Will Lola settle down with more time? Is there anything I can do to help the process? I feel bad for her being jealous but she needs to accept Chester so that I can love them both as much as I want to.

[poodlefan]

You've got yourself a serious resource guarder by the sound of it.

You need professional in home help to deal with this or you may end up with a larger dog who decides one day he's had enough.

In the meantime, don't allow her to guard you and don't give treats or feed in a situatiion that triggers competition. Frankly crate training both dogs could make everyone's lives a lot less stressful. She will also find it difficult to resource guard you if you move away from her every time she starts the guarding behaviour.

ETA: Provide separate beds, I suggest in crates.

Edited August 4, 2010 by poodlefan

[Tilly]

Agree with poodlefan - getting professional is the best option.

We had similar issues with our dogs when we got a last GSD pup. I could only have them together under close supervision. The older one would attack the younger one when he came too close to me, he would growl at the pup when he tried to eat his own food (they are fed near each other but the pup is in his pen), he was constantly bullying and would just go for him for no reason.

I found I had to be extremely strict and re-inforce my pack leadership. It was one thing for the older dog to correct the younger boy for being annoying etc but I wouldn't tolerate any nasty behaviour.

I can now leave my boys together during the day but I still put the younger boy in his pen at night with the older dog sleeping on his bed beside him (fence between) - otherwise they tend to get into mischief rather then sleeping.

[Guest belgian.blue]

My older Belgian was a little like that when my puppy arrived, I knew she would be as she can be a bitch at the best of times. The only reason I added a male dog to the pack.

I turned into major pack leader right away and Ivy soon learnt but she will still try it sometimes and I put my foot down and she knows.

It helped a lot having my pup crate trained at night and during the day while he was that annoying teething creature. He is now 5 and a half months old and they are fine together but Ivy will still sometimes tell him off but she is above him so I don't blame her .. he can be annoying!

She will come to me now if he's being over the top, instead of taking it into her own paws.

I found watching them very closely and learning the body language of both dogs really helped. When you've watched them like a hawk you know if the older dog is about to "have a go", well that is the case in my house

All the best as having a more than one dog in a household is a lot of fun. But I agree on getting some professional help.

[W Sibs]

You've got yourself a serious resource guarder by the sound of it.

You need professional in home help to deal with this or you may end up with a larger dog who decides one day he's had enough.

In the meantime, don't allow her to guard you and don't give treats or feed in a situatiion that triggers competition. Frankly crate training both dogs could make everyone's lives a lot less stressful. She will also find it difficult to resource guard you if you move away from her every time she starts the guarding behaviour.

ETA: Provide separate beds, I suggest in crates.

x 1

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Do you treat both dogs equally?

Do you take them on walks separetely? Do you train them separately?

[Lollipup]

I train them separately and then together. We walk them together except when I am practicing heeling with them when I do it one at a time and then together. They are fine with all that. They are fine in the yard all day together and they play. It's only when she is "guarding" one of us or her toy (when she is playing with the toy with us) or when one of us gives treats. They eat their main meal next to each other with no problems, puppy sometimes even steals lola's food without a fight. She is really just possessive of us or anything she is doing around us. She's always had a thing like that with larger dogs but not so much with smaller dogs.

There are no professional trainers in my area that do the kind of work you're talking about. I was hoping to become one myself one day. I've applied to do the NDTF course in October and it looks like I will have to work through this with them myself once I have learnt about their behaviour. *sighs* a little disheartened now.

[Lollipup]

I kinda get the idea that my post sounds more serious than it actually is because I wasn't too concerned about it until I read all these replies. Now I wonder if it's worse than I thought?

[poodlefan]

She is really just possessive of us or anything she is doing around us.

Then she needs to learn that you are not resources to be guarded like a bone or toy. If you don't have the skills to teach that then you need to access them somehow.

In the meantime, don't allow her to control access to you. If she starts to guard a doorway when you are in the room, leave the room. If she starts to keep the pup away from you, get up and move away.

I would read up on the triangle of tempation and NILIF here AND crate train both dogs. This pup is going to grow up larger than your older dog and if he decides he's not going to be pushed around anymore, you may have a serious fight on your hands.

Edited August 4, 2010 by poodlefan

[Lollipup]

I would read up on the triangle of tempation and NILIF is free here AND crate train both dogs. This pup is going to grow up larger than your older dog and if he decides he's not going to be pushed around anymore, you may have a serious fight on your hands.

NILIF?

[W Sibs]

I would read up on the triangle of tempation and NILIF is free here AND crate train both dogs. This pup is going to grow up larger than your older dog and if he decides he's not going to be pushed around anymore, you may have a serious fight on your hands.

NILIF?

Nothing In Life Is Free

I do this with Emmy and Charlie too...

Emmy is going to be bigger than Charlie, and Charlie has back issues.. so it was important to teach her not to jump all over him. She is bossy and feisty... so I apply this training method on her.

Edited August 4, 2010 by CW EW

[Lollipup]

I have never got into crate training. In your opinion, how would it be applied to this situation? I have always heard of crate training only being applied to toilet training.

[poodlefan]

I have never got into crate training. In your opinion, how would it be applied to this situation? I have always heard of crate training only being applied to toilet training.

How would it apply?

It would give each dog their own sleeping and safe place and allow both to be near you without conflict. It might also diminish your older girl's perception that the house is hers to control.

[Tilly]

NILIF