My old dog doesn't like my new puppy?

Question

Just yesterday i had bought a new puppy that is 2 months old. My older dog doesn't seem to like her. He is always growling at her and whining. Will he eventually get used to her? Or will he always act this way?

Answer 1

Puppies are excitable, lovable hooligans. They have bursts of unbelievable energy, however in order to grow they need lots of sleep. New puppies need a room where they can rest and sleep and the other dogs in the house need respite. Older dogs don’t want puppies biting their ears and chewing their necks, if a puppy does this, the older dogs should be allowed to chastise the puppy. How would you cope with an unruly toddler twenty four hours a day? Would you be annoyed, if you had a toddler thrust upon you who pulled your hair and poked your eyes? I am sure that you would grumble.



Please don’t expect your dog to cope with an unruly puppy and to baby-sit twenty four hours a day. Supervise them for SHORT play sessions in the garden and if the puppy is over exuberant, allow your dog to chastise it, then put your puppy in its own room to rest. Don’t expect your dog to want to sleep with your puppy or to play with it constantly.



Your puppy will possibly need about four meals a day. Divide your other dog’s rations into four and feed it (or them) when you feed your puppy. Give your existing dog extra attention when the puppy is resting and make him feels special.



There will be visitors, who want to see your puppy. When the doorbells rings, put your puppy into another room and tell your visitors to fuss your adult dog or dogs and give them treats BEFORE they make a fuss of the puppy.



Older dogs love puppies, with the proviso that YOU stop the puppy from being a pain in the bum. They don’t want a puppy being thrust upon them all of the time. If you do this any dog will object and be confused.

Answer 2

Your older dog probably doesn't know what is going on. You just brought a strange dog into his territory, and he obviously doesn't like it. The only thing you can do is give it some time. If it gets worse, you will have to keep them separated, which can be a pain. But I am sure your older dog will get used to it and everything will be fine.



A lot of times, older dogs don't like puppies.



Good luck.

Answer 3

Becky hit the nail in the head, I would go even further to create a possitive association with the new puppy and I would do certain things like:



- Do not feed them together, give each other quiet alone time to eat

- Forbide the puppy from taking the older dog's toys or favorite spots in the house

- If the puppy is out of hand with the older dog try to be the first to correct the dog before the older one does. The older dog and the pup will start to understand that you regulate the rules and you are the leader providing the necessary corrections.

- A growl is not specifically a bad thing, a growl is a warning of discontent with a scenario. If your older dog is growling at the pup there has to be a reason why he is doing that. It is very important to watch both dogs at all time and learn as much as you can about dog body language to understand their likes and dislikes.



- If you give affection and love to one, make sure the other one receives it as well.



- never let a dog post down in front of you (this is guarding behavior) this will not allow the other dog to near you and it will cause a fight with the dog guarding you and the other one trying to approach you.



- If your older dog is an intact male and you brought another male in the household you are asking for trouble, get the older dog fixed.

Answer 4

It would have been best to have them meet in a park and play for a while before invading his home.

He will probably get used to the new addition, but don't yell at him or punish him. When the puppy is near, give your old guy some treats to eat. He'll think that cool, when I put up with this pest I get fed nice things. Bring him around more often.



The puppy may play too rough and when the old guy growls, don't interfere because he is telling her to back off. Only interfere when you think there will be an actual fight.



Pay close attention to their body language and you can see who is the problem. And be sure to take them on walks together. Walks will help them to bond.

Answer 5

You just brought the new puppy home yesterday so give your older dog time to get use to the puppy. My 3 little ones was like that when I first brought King home. Of course at 3 mos he was already bigger then my 3 little dogs but by that night they was playing together. Just don't leave your puppy with the older dog until they get use to each other. For about 3 weeks we would take King with us if we had to go some where

Answer 6

Old dogs are like old people, They are set in there ways and don't like change or their territory taken over. A male will except a female faster than another male. And you should spay you female before the old boy gets her. But you know by now you went about the introduction all wrong. You are going to have to make more of a fuss over the old boy for now until he starts to get along with the pup. Don't let the pup around the old ones food, toys, favorite lay down spot, blanket, etc. until things get better. Don't let them stay alone together while you're out. I know it's hard not to make over a new one, but you will have to try. Make sure you always give treats or food to the old one first. This shows the pup who is first. Good luck.

Answer 7

He may or may not get used to her. Some dogs prefer being the only dog in a household. Puppies usually pester adult dogs unmercifully. Before the age of four months, puppies may not recognize subtle body postures from adult dogs signaling that they’ve had enough. Well socialized adult dogs with good temperaments may set limits with puppies with a growl or snarl. These behaviors are normal and should be allowed. Your new puppy shouldn’t be left alone with your adult dog until you’re confident the puppy isn’t in any danger. Be sure to give the adult dog some quiet time away from the puppy and

some individual attention so he realizes the new puppy is not a threat.

Answer 8

From my experience, dogs in a pack TEACH young pups by growling and nipping. That is how they teach. My older dog was VERY strict with my pup. Doesn't mean he doesn't LIKE the pup... it is the normal natural way to TRAIN. I continually gave the older dog MORE attention, catered to older dog first, fed him first, etc. This showed respect and the puppy knew that she must respect him also.

The pup is 13 months old now and my older (9 yr.) dog and I love her..... he's not as strict now, but it is merely because he has taught her not to behave so poorly.

Answer 9

It's so hard for older dogs to accept a new member of the pack. The older dog is use to having all the attention and life has been good for so long; now he has to share the attention, time & love. He will accept the new pup if you command him to and you take an active pack leader role. Puppies are annoying to older dogs - always in their face, taking toys, eating their food. You need to control the puppy so that it makes it easier on your first dog. Also, dogs correct unwanted behavior from puppies by nipping on the muzzle & neck and by growling as a warning. You need to allow the older dog to correct the puppy as long as the older dog isn't violent or overly rough with the correction. As cute as a puppy is, they can quickly become a problem if left undisciplined by you and the older dog. Good luck.

Answer 10

Your older dog is just not used to the puppy. Some dogs will bond right away with another dog and others just take a little time. Try putting them together, with you sitting on the floor with them. Pay attention to both dogs, playing and petting the dogs, because it shows both dogs that you have enough love for both of them. Also, take them outside together, making sure again, that you pay attention to both dogs. Also, let your older dog sniff and check out the puppy, with you there, and see if the puppy tries to play with him. It's their way of getting to know each other.

Your older dog will get used to the puppy and will even play with the dog. He just has to get used to the new little girl. He may try different things, like growling, barking, even humping the younger dog, to show only that they are the dominant dog, or the "alpha" dog, to show that they are in charge around the house.

Do not worry. It will just take a little time for your older dog to get used to the puppy. He is used to being alone and now he has company. The puppy will help your older dog too. They get them to be more active, happier and healthier.

Best of luck with your dogs. Hope I helped.

Answer 11

It usually takes my dogs a few months to warm up to the new puppy. Usually when the puppy looses the baby teeth, between 4 and 6-months-old, and when the puppy gets a little bigger. You have to correct your older dog when he growls at her. Any wrong behavior by the puppy or the dog has to be corrected. While I expect the dogs to work things out for themselves, I step in if anyone does a wrong behavior or a behavior, like growling or biting, I use a command like "shame" or "shht". They are each others pack now and they have to learn to get along. I use Charlee Bears for potty training a puppy, so when the puppy goes potty, she gets a treat and then the older dog gets a treat. The puppy learns to share treats, and they learn they are all important. I do everything with them together. They get training and playing and leashes, and walks and hair combed all as a group so they learn to get along. They share toys, bones, pillows, blankets, everything is a group. Let them work things out, but if someone acts up, correct it so it doesn't get out of hand, and give it some time. You can give your older dog some love while you are waiting for the puppy to potty.

Answer 12

By now, you've probably already realized that you should've done a little research before you plunked a new dog down into your household -- you should've been more careful about how you introduced a new dog to your resident dog -- so I won't batter you anymore with that. :-)



Short answer to your qusetion: If you do things right, and take extra time & care, your older dog will adapt to your puppy, and all will be ok. The fact that your older dog is not aggressing, but is just letting you know he's very unhappy, is a great sign that your older dog is an awesome creature, who's willing to go along, if you will only do your part by keeping the puppy from badgering him.



Picture yourself, 22 years old, in your first apartment, all to yourself, and suddenly, someone dumps a 2-year-old toddler at your place and says, "Deal with it." That 2-year-old is constantly getting into things, and pestering you, and whining -- he doesn't know the rules of the house, and is so flipping annoying!!! Not to mention, he frequently becomes smelly and needs a diaper change -- so you have these stinky, nasty diapers at your perfect, first apartment that you'd set up "just so." Yet, you have to take care of him now! Can you imagine how frustrating that would be?



That's how your older dog feels right now, because you just plunked that puppy down in his face and basically said, "Deal with it, older dog." The puppy is constantly wanting to play, so is probably pestering him and nipping at him and just being an annoying, pesky pain in the a**. The pup is probably having lots of accidents around the house and is just, in general, being an annoying toddler to this older dog who thought he'd had a perfect life with you.



You need to 1)Protect your older dog from the puppy's energetic advances; 2)Take extra time to wear out the puppy's energy -- Obedience classes highly recommended; 3)Make sure you never, ever redirect attention from your older dog to the pup...for example, if you're petting your older dog and the pup ambles up, ignore the pup and keep petting your older dog. If the pup starts bothering the older dog, make the pup stop that, and continue to ignore the pup.



Then,as you're following the above advice, start giving your older dog small treats (like some pieces of cat kibble - dogs love cat kibble because it's usually higher in protein and intensely flavored, and YOU can love it because it's available in very small bags, much cheaper than commercial dog treats...and it's small enough so you can treat often without getting your dog fat). Give your old dog those tiny little treats whenever the puppy is nearby, whenever your old dog isn't reacting negatively to the pup. You want to reward ONLY positive or neutral reactions -- you never give the dog treats if he's curling a lip or staring at the pup, or growling. Only if he's acting cool and calm and happy, while the pup is nearby. The idea here is to associate positive, happy things: "Puppy near me = I get treats! Cool!" (Eventually, the dog will associate puppy = cool, without you needing to treat.)



Please read "The Other End Of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell; it will really help, and will explain this better than I can.



Bravo to you for caring enough to write a forum for help. You care about both your dogs, and that's a HUGE first step. Both of your dogs are lucky to have such a caring person as you for their owner. And, in time, they will both be happy, if you do the right things to help them out. Just always remember to give your old dog a heap of credit for being such a good sport for dealing with the messy, rambunctious, smelly toddler. :-)



Best wishes, and good luck!

Answer 13

I just went trough this. It only took 2 day's before my older female stopped hating him and now they play together all the time. The first couple days I thought I was going too go nuts. Hang in their.

Answer 14

You just brought a strange new dog into his home and territory, he's going to be defensive and protective if his house. Give it time for them to adjust to each other.

Answer 15

That usually happens. Give it time and they will be best mates.

Try rewarding your dog when he behaves himself around the new puppy... you need to teach him that new intruder is his friend and yours.



Good luck

Answer 16

Did you introduce them properly? In an ideal world you would have 2 people walking them on common ground (like a park) and introduce them there.

Answer 17

To your older dog she an intruder and he possibly thinks she is replacing him. However if you give them time to get used to each other and give them equal amounts of attention and they will eventually get on fine.