GSD & New Puppy

[rimoore]

Hello, I have a 4.5 year old Chek GSD named Archie. He is very aggressive towards other animals and very protective of me. We had a 12 year old lab that I had to put down last Monday. The lab was the alpha and Archie knew better then to get out of line with him. It was amusing to watch a chubby old lab put my tuff GSD in line. I decided to get a new puppy and found a very adorable 10 week old chocolate lab on Wednesday. When I brought the puppy home in a crate. Archie was very agitated and nipped at the crate. I corrected him a number of times when he appeared to be making aggressive overtures to the crated puppy. Over the last few days I have slowly moved from spending time with the crated puppy and Archie to holding the puppy and letting Archie examine her. About the end of the first day Archie started kissing the puppy through the crate and licking it's paws when they protruded though the crate. He has been very attentive to the puppy and has even slept nuzzled up against the crate.

My question is this. Are these signs that he accepts the puppy? I want to be very careful as a single bite from my GSD would kill the puppy. How long before I can let them intermingle?

[2GSDmom]

Sounds like you're in luck--Your GSD's instincts are kicking in--after all, they were bred to be protective--the mannerisms you've described are all nuturing behaviours. Let the puppy out--she'll climb all over him, he'll roll her over and stick her head in his mouth--all of which will be perfectly normal for both of them. Let him help raise her--they'll bond into family.

I do question the "aggression" issue. This is a blanket term often misused to describe many normal behaviors, which resemble aggression but are actually separate issues. Aggression is like a rattlesnake--you may THINK you've seen one, but if you've seen one, you KNOW you've seen one.

Is this your first GSD? Because their "normal" is a whole lot different than the "normal" for a Labrador. A GSD can make noises and actions during play that sound and look like what other breeds do when aggressing.

[rimoore]

Originally Posted by 2GSDmom

Sounds like you're in luck--Your GSD's instincts are kicking in--after all, they were bred to be protective--the mannerisms you've described are all nuturing behaviours. Let the puppy out--she'll climb all over him, he'll roll her over and stick her head in his mouth--all of which will be perfectly normal for both of them. Let him help raise her--they'll bond into family.

I do question the "aggression" issue. This is a blanket term often misused to describe many normal behaviors, which resemble aggression but are actually separate issues. Aggression is like a rattlesnake--you may THINK you've seen one, but if you've seen one, you KNOW you've seen one.

Is this your first GSD? Because their "normal" is a whole lot different than the "normal" for a Labrador. A GSD can make noises and actions during play that sound and look like what other breeds do when aggressing.

You were 100% right. I let them play together and he stuck her head in his mouth, rolled her over and licked her belly. She climbs all over him and he is very gentle with his paw. What I find amazing is that she followed him to the back yard and did her business. I took her out twice more today and both times she immediately went potty. Not bad for an 11 week old puppy. Archie looks like a great teacher.
The aggressive part is this. If any animal get near me he goes ballistic. A few years ago a loose mix about 80 pounds charged us in the park and Archie grabbed the dog by the throat and threw it to the ground. The dog got up and tried it again and Archie pinned it to the ground by the throat. If we are walking and people are moving away or passing with enough distance. He doesn't much care. If they get too close he warns them to get back.

[KZoppa]

The aggression you're describing in regards to people getting too close, sounds more like resource guarding. The dog he felt was a threat. In regards to the new puppy, the fact she's female probably plays a lot into it. I would still suggest you keep an eye on them. Having an adult dog around certainly helps train the younger ones! I would also suggest you seperate them from each other and YOU spend time with your new puppy more than she spends time with your GSD for a few months so that she developes a stronger bond with you instead of your other dog. Doing so can help prevent seperation anxiety when one has to go to the vet or training or just any situation they would be apart from each other for any amount of time.

[rimoore]

Thanks for the advice. They will be under adult supervision until she is a few months older. The puppy sleeps with my pop so there is a strong bond building there. As for the seperation anxiety. I'm the one that has that if I'm away from my GSD for too long .

Originally Posted by KZoppa

The aggression you're describing in regards to people getting too close, sounds more like resource guarding. The dog he felt was a threat. In regards to the new puppy, the fact she's female probably plays a lot into it. I would still suggest you keep an eye on them. Having an adult dog around certainly helps train the younger ones! I would also suggest you seperate them from each other and YOU spend time with your new puppy more than she spends time with your GSD for a few months so that she developes a stronger bond with you instead of your other dog. Doing so can help prevent seperation anxiety when one has to go to the vet or training or just any situation they would be apart from each other for any amount of time.

[KZoppa]

Originally Posted by rimoore

Thanks for the advice. They will be under adult supervision until she is a few months older. The puppy sleeps with my pop so there is a strong bond building there. As for the seperation anxiety. I'm the one that has that if I'm away from my GSD for too long .

lol i hear that! vacations are planned around whether i can take my dogs with me or not

[Stosh]

Sorry you lost your lab. Your new pup is adorable! I would be very careful as she gets bigger and wants to play and run. Personally, I would keep Archie on a lead while they play and control how excited it gets- a few minutes with one of them in the crate will keep it from going too far. I wouldn't let them play off lead until the pup's 5-6 mos old. Sounds like a long time but it could save a lifetime of problems between them. But that's just my experience with 2 gsds, not a lab.

[rimoore]

Originally Posted by Stosh

Sorry you lost your lab. Your new pup is adorable! I would be very careful as she gets bigger and wants to play and run. Personally, I would keep Archie on a lead while they play and control how excited it gets- a few minutes with one of them in the crate will keep it from going too far. I wouldn't let them play off lead until the pup's 5-6 mos old. Sounds like a long time but it could save a lifetime of problems between them. But that's just my experience with 2 gsds, not a lab.

Thanks for the advice. Archie and the new puppy are inseparable. They sleep together, eat together, and play together. The puppy gets carried away when Archie won't let go of a toy and likes to bite him on the face or one of his feet. Archie doesn't mind at all. He is very gentle with the puppy and also very protective. He is very aware of where she is in the back yard.

[elisabeth_00117]

Good to know the puppy and Archie are best buds.

My male is dog friendly but very dominant, will not take crap from another dog and NEVER will be found on his back, even with dogs he sees everyday and plays with all the time... however.. when I brought my dominant female pup home who was super high energy, crazy drives, just a real hard dog... lol... well... Stark is ALWAYS on his back AND he has a smile on his face while down there... lol.

They surprise you sometimes.