Protecting her ears?

hmmiller05 · 05-27-2010, 01:21 PM

Hello all,

We are picking up our new puppy in about a month now and I have some concerns about protecting her ears from my 1 year old aussie, Kobi.

I've been watching him play with his buddy, a husky, and they play really really hard. I know that is normal but I continuously notice them going at each other's necks and ears. I'm concerned that when Kobi is playing with her, he will do this and possibly damage her ears and they won't stand.

So, basically, what is the best way to avoid this? And how sensitive are their ears, exactly?

Thanks!

Haley

**JKlatsky** · 05-27-2010, 01:41 PM

Personally, I won't let my new puppies play with my older dogs at all until they've settled in and have started bonding to me, and then I choose the older dogs that are more neutral to the puppies. I won't let the little guys out with the rougher playing "big puppies" until they've gotten some more mass and coordination. Usually by 4 or 5 months.

A larger, very exhuberant dog can overwhelm or possibly injure a small uncoordinated puppy and not just the ears so it's necessary to very carefully oversee any play and have control of your older dog.

**JKlatsky** · 05-27-2010, 01:58 PM

Some pictures that show what I like to see...
Argos's first week home with Ellie. Getting to know each other through the crate.

Tag out with Ike who basically completely ignores the puppy...

Anka @9 weeks out with Argos@ 1yr, ignoring her while he works on his OB.

The majority of Argos's play with Anka happened when he was laying down. This was excellent because he never overwhelmed her. A puppy that gets consistantly overwhelmed and cannot get away (even from a friendly dog that just wants to play) can sometimes turn aggressive to manage the situation.

Tag at just about 4 months with Argos (3yrs) and Cade (1yr). I only let Tag out with them when they had already been running around so they're weren't so hyper and more likely to be calm around the puppy. Plus they were more inclined to focus on each other and not on jumping and wrestling with the puppy.

Argos at 5.5 months with Ellie. You can see that by now he ahs enough mass to be able to handle himself with her when they play.

codmaster · 05-27-2010, 05:34 PM

too cute!

**JakodaCD OA** · 05-27-2010, 06:12 PM

great pics your dogs are always gorgeous

)

I have no suggestions for your aussie, I have two aussies, and my girl is a wild woman,, she used to bug my male shepherd to death, he loved it tho,,but when I brought Masi in, well it was payback time for Jynx(aussie) cause Masi was jaws all over her, vs the other way around,,

Good luck !

gsd_bella · 05-28-2010, 08:55 AM

I would set up a puppy run if possible to keep pup in whilst you aren't around to supervise the play. I am lucky in that my girls are older and not as rough as they used to be, but I still don't leave them together when I go out. Not only to protect the ears but also the joints as pup is growing.

Lilie · 05-28-2010, 09:17 AM

If your Aussie is mouthy in play, make sure that you watch any collars you might leave on your new pup.

Elaine · 05-28-2010, 11:03 AM

I wouldn't worry about the ears during play unless there is a lot of ear specific chewing. I don't let people touch their ears for a very long time because everyone seems to have an overwhelming urge to crush them and that's bad. It's fine if they stroke the ears without crushing.

Just keep an eye on them when introducing them and make sure the older dog doesn't overwhelm the puppy and you should be good to go.

hmmiller05 · 05-28-2010, 09:56 PM

Thank you all for the advice! They will definitely not be playing or really interacting unsupervised for a long time. I plan on doing a lot of separating when they cant be closely watched and I'm going to spend more time wearing my aussie out before letting them interact.

Thanks again!

Haley

05-27-2010, 01:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
hmmiller05 Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Kansas Posts: 68	Protecting her ears? Hello all, We are picking up our new puppy in about a month now and I have some concerns about protecting her ears from my 1 year old aussie, Kobi. I've been watching him play with his buddy, a husky, and they play really really hard. I know that is normal but I continuously notice them going at each other's necks and ears. I'm concerned that when Kobi is playing with her, he will do this and possibly damage her ears and they won't stand. So, basically, what is the best way to avoid this? And how sensitive are their ears, exactly? Thanks! Haley Last edited by hmmiller05; 05-27-2010 at 01:24 PM.

05-27-2010, 01:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
JKlatsky Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Riverview, FL Posts: 2,985	Personally, I won't let my new puppies play with my older dogs at all until they've settled in and have started bonding to me, and then I choose the older dogs that are more neutral to the puppies. I won't let the little guys out with the rougher playing "big puppies" until they've gotten some more mass and coordination. Usually by 4 or 5 months. A larger, very exhuberant dog can overwhelm or possibly injure a small uncoordinated puppy and not just the ears so it's necessary to very carefully oversee any play and have control of your older dog. __________________ Argos vom Eisernen Loewen VPG1, CGC, TC 3-3-07 Bianka vom Eisernen Loewen BH, CGC, TC 1-3-08 Cade vom Eisernen Loewen CGC 3-25-09 D'Artagnan (Tag) vom Eisernen Loewen 2-2-10 G Aiko von Burkndeiros SchH 3, IPO3, FH, TC, KKL2 9-17-02

05-27-2010, 01:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
JKlatsky Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Riverview, FL Posts: 2,985	Some pictures that show what I like to see... Argos's first week home with Ellie. Getting to know each other through the crate. Tag out with Ike who basically completely ignores the puppy... Anka @9 weeks out with Argos@ 1yr, ignoring her while he works on his OB. The majority of Argos's play with Anka happened when he was laying down. This was excellent because he never overwhelmed her. A puppy that gets consistantly overwhelmed and cannot get away (even from a friendly dog that just wants to play) can sometimes turn aggressive to manage the situation. Tag at just about 4 months with Argos (3yrs) and Cade (1yr). I only let Tag out with them when they had already been running around so they're weren't so hyper and more likely to be calm around the puppy. Plus they were more inclined to focus on each other and not on jumping and wrestling with the puppy. Argos at 5.5 months with Ellie. You can see that by now he ahs enough mass to be able to handle himself with her when they play. __________________ Argos vom Eisernen Loewen VPG1, CGC, TC 3-3-07 Bianka vom Eisernen Loewen BH, CGC, TC 1-3-08 Cade vom Eisernen Loewen CGC 3-25-09 D'Artagnan (Tag) vom Eisernen Loewen 2-2-10 G Aiko von Burkndeiros SchH 3, IPO3, FH, TC, KKL2 9-17-02 Last edited by JKlatsky; 05-27-2010 at 02:00 PM.

05-27-2010, 06:12 PM	#5 (permalink)
JakodaCD OA Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Location: Old Lyme, CT USA Posts: 14,237	great pics your dogs are always gorgeous) I have no suggestions for your aussie, I have two aussies, and my girl is a wild woman,, she used to bug my male shepherd to death, he loved it tho,,but when I brought Masi in, well it was payback time for Jynx(aussie) cause Masi was jaws all over her, vs the other way around,, Good luck ! __________________ Diane Danger Danger vom Kleinen Hain aka Masi "Angel" Jakoda's Bewitchen Sami CD OA OAJ OAC NGC OJC RS-O GS-N JS-O TT HIC CGC "Angel" Steinwald's Four x Four CGC HIC TT Harmonyhill's Hy Jynx NA NAJ NAC NJC RS-N JS-N HIC Jakoda's Jagged Edge

05-28-2010, 11:03 AM	#8 (permalink)
Elaine Crowned Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,784	I wouldn't worry about the ears during play unless there is a lot of ear specific chewing. I don't let people touch their ears for a very long time because everyone seems to have an overwhelming urge to crush them and that's bad. It's fine if they stroke the ears without crushing. Just keep an eye on them when introducing them and make sure the older dog doesn't overwhelm the puppy and you should be good to go. __________________ Elaine and the herd

05-27-2010, 05:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
codmaster Crowned Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: California, US Posts: 4,763	too cute!

05-28-2010, 08:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
gsd_bella Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 338	I would set up a puppy run if possible to keep pup in whilst you aren't around to supervise the play. I am lucky in that my girls are older and not as rough as they used to be, but I still don't leave them together when I go out. Not only to protect the ears but also the joints as pup is growing.

05-28-2010, 09:17 AM	#7 (permalink)
Lilie Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 6,274	If your Aussie is mouthy in play, make sure that you watch any collars you might leave on your new pup.

05-28-2010, 09:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
hmmiller05 Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Kansas Posts: 68	Thank you all for the advice! They will definitely not be playing or really interacting unsupervised for a long time. I plan on doing a lot of separating when they cant be closely watched and I'm going to spend more time wearing my aussie out before letting them interact. Thanks again! Haley

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