Lambo Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 (edited) As I've mentioned in my other posts lately, my family recently acquired a weim pup (now 9 weeks). We are also currently dog-sitting a mate's corgi/chihuahua cross. This dog is quite old, I think at least 14/15 years old. And yes, he is fully vaccinated. Anways, I've tried introducing the pair several times but each time I've had to cut the session short because our weim keeps running up to the other dog and pawing him in the face (both front paws) and biting him all over. They are both wagging their tails so I assume its all playful but the older dog gets quite agro at times and clearly is trying to convince our weim to settle. He regularly growls and barks at younger pup and forces him onto his back. In fact, if the weim stops to sniff the ground or groom himself, the older dog walks over to the weim and forces him to topple over and then seems to either stand over or on him (if the weim is on his back) or grabs him from behind with his two front paws (as though he were going to mate with the pup) in order to force the pup to lay still. The weim regularly seems to submit (rolls onto his back and puts his legs in the air, licks the older dog on the face and the privates etc). But as soon as he gets the chance the weim is back on all fours and starts smacking and biting the older dog all over again. I don't think he means anything nasty by it, but I just can't seem to get him to settle when in the company of the older dog. As a result, we are having to keep them separated with the older dog outside and the pup inside most of the day. When we bring the pup into the yard, we have lock up the older dog for his own peace of mind. Also yesterday I think the older dog hurt himself whilst trying to discipline the younger dog because he's been walking with a limp since yesterday afternoon. I have two questions: 1. How do you convince an overactive pup to calm down when he meets another dog; and 2. How do I tell if the older dog's limp is serious and should be examined by a vet? He seems to be walking around okay. In fact, he insisted on going for a walk last night even though he was limping slightly. However, his limp seems to be a bit more pronounced this morning. Also, he doesn't seem to have eaten any of his dinner. TIA **edited to fix typos. Edited December 30, 2010 by Lambo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 The older dog needs his space! he is not fit enough or young enough to properly discipline a strong wei puppy - so even though he has tried.. YOU need to keep them separate to avoid more injury to the poor oldie! I would be getting the oldie to a vet if he is not eating.Especially since he is not your own dog ! Pups are excitable. You may find that some more short training sessions during the day helps'take the edge off'... and some nice big bones will provide time spent chewing, not annoying! but basically it is your responsibility to ensure the older dog has peace & quiet somewhere completely away from that pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I'm sorry but this is never going to work! You need to keep them apart - your puppy's going to keep growing and getting stronger while the older dog grows more frail. How much longer have you got the older dog for? Would you expect a 90 yr old person to cope with a toddler full time? Really, that's what you are expecting - it's not fair on either of these dogs. Your puppy has lots of energy and wants to play. The old dog is at the stage where they just want peace and to sleep. He's probably got arthritis - it's very painful to get bumped and jostled. I have arthritis although I'm quite young, if I kneel down, even for a minute, I will limp and experience pain for about 2 weeks afterwards. The old dog may be off his food due to stress or because of his age, hard to tell as I don't know the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
di_dee1 Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Yes. Thoroughly agree with the last 2 posts. The analogy of a 90yr old person and a toddler is a very good one. Give the old one his space for some peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaz Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 (edited) Good advice all round. The oldie needs a vetcheck immediately. There is probably nothing seriously wrong however it would be advisable due to his advanced years and the fact that you are responsible for his well being while in your care. Puppy needs to be kept away except when you are there to supervise - possibly on leash until he gets the message. Dogmad said it all IMO the weimerana would also benefit from some time spent with a larger, calm more mature dog that will put him in his place without going overboard. ETA - a great example of a puppy who has been told who is boss 8yr old JRT and a 6 month old dane pup. As the JRT fancied the dane's kangaroo tail she decided it belonged to her and there was not a lot the pup could do about it Edited December 30, 2010 by Kaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileys mum Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Yep totally agree with the other posters, the older dog needs a vet check, & also some where to go for peace & quiet from the puppy.I really would not be pushing them together if the older dog does not look comfortable. I have a 13 yo girl & also 3 younger dogs including an 8 month old puppy. While ocassionally the old girl likes to have a play with the younger dogs,alot of the time she likes to rest & have some peace & quiet away from them. We have a bed set up in our study that she likes to go to when she wants time out from the other dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambo Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 Thanks for the replies. I was probably not quite clear in my original post - the dogs are generally kept apart and their time together has always been supervised and fairly short. It's not like I simply put them both in the yard and left them to their own devices. They've only had about 4 sessions together. Each time I have usually stepped in to stop the weim from pawing the old fella too much but even when I'm holding the pup and actually have him calm the older dog will come up and shove him about which only gets the younger one excited all over again. So its not like the situation is too much for the old guy, he seems actually to be looking for a confrontation. The only time I've really let them both run about was yesterday arvo - for about 10/15 minutes, but still under supervision. I figured the older guy would teach the pup his place in the hierarchy. And in all honesty the older dog always had the upper hand - the pup was forever trying to extricate himself from underneath the older dog and quite often ran off to catch his breath. The older guy was pretty impressive and just kept on bearing down on the pup like a steamroller - but nothing more agressive than just trying to force the weim to sit still. Having said all that, I think the weim is just too excitable around other dogs and I need to find a way to get him to focus more on me and my commands than on jumping all over the dogs he meets. He met an 85kg bull mastiff the other day. He freaked out initially but despite getting into the submissive pose several times was still quite content to paw and jump all over the big guy. He seems to be full of youthful bravado. I'm just not sure whether this is something I need to train him out of (and if so, how), or whether I should just let an older dog smack him about a bit to teach him to be a little more respectful (albeit under supervision). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Thanks for the replies.I was probably not quite clear in my original post - the dogs are generally kept apart and their time together has always been supervised and fairly short. It's not like I simply put them both in the yard and left them to their own devices. They've only had about 4 sessions together. Each time I have usually stepped in to stop the weim from pawing the old fella too much but even when I'm holding the pup and actually have him calm the older dog will come up and shove him about which only gets the younger one excited all over again. So its not like the situation is too much for the old guy, he seems actually to be looking for a confrontation. The only time I've really let them both run about was yesterday arvo - for about 10/15 minutes, but still under supervision. I figured the older guy would teach the pup his place in the hierarchy. And in all honesty the older dog always had the upper hand - the pup was forever trying to extricate himself from underneath the older dog and quite often ran off to catch his breath. The older guy was pretty impressive and just kept on bearing down on the pup like a steamroller - but nothing more agressive than just trying to force the weim to sit still. Having said all that, I think the weim is just too excitable around other dogs and I need to find a way to get him to focus more on me and my commands than on jumping all over the dogs he meets. He met an 85kg bull mastiff the other day. He freaked out initially but despite getting into the submissive pose several times was still quite content to paw and jump all over the big guy. He seems to be full of youthful bravado. I'm just not sure whether this is something I need to train him out of (and if so, how), or whether I should just let an older dog smack him about a bit to teach him to be a little more respectful (albeit under supervision). It needs an older but not elderly adult dog to put him in his place, pups need to learn how to interact with dogs and the best teachers are other dogs, not your friends elderly dog though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I think the weim is just too excitable around other dogs and I need to find a way to get him to focus more on me and my commands than on jumping all over the dogs he meets. *nods* but.... HE IS A PUPPY. This is what puppies do. This is why puppies need to be properly socialised... ,have owners who will undertake training , etc CLICK here for some ideas and CLICK here as well for more on puppy stuff :D I am glad you are supervising sessions.. but the older dog is obviously feeling put upon... and I would suggest that they are kept apart. The responsibility of care of someone else's dog is a big one . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambo Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 Just got off the phone with the older dog's owner. Apparently the old fella has arthritis in his front paws. So the interaction with the young pup yesterday coupled with our daily walks hasn't helped much. Anyways, his owner says not to take him to the vet but just to feed him some dog food with fish oil in it and this will help with his arthritic pain. I will also shorten our daily walks to 15 minutes. And yes, I will keep them separated for the rest of the time. His owner is stuck in the floods currently ravaging north queensland, so it looks like we'll have the old guy for a little while yet. Incidentally, thanks for the links persephone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I hope the owner is OK up there in the floods- nasty The fish oil is a long term thing .. hopefully ,with the right dosage it will help. Poor old dog.. I also have arthritis- it HURTS! Looking forward to seeing pics of this rambunctious grey beast , too :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambo Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 Yeah the owner's doing fine. Of all the places to be, he got stuck at a resort. This is the young fella causing all the trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colliewood Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Sooo cute... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 he's pretty cute ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now