[MaggieRoseLee]

MaggieRoseLee, your advice is to put the ten week old puppy and the 3 1/2 year old dog that has already shown some serious aggression toward the puppy together right away again?

That is what I would do with the information given from my experience with my dogs.

IF however, there was additional information like the older GSD has attacked other dogs before. Never trusted around other dogs. That would be different entirely.

I absolutely agree with you that "The older dog may not like having the puppy jumping around him constantly. " is a huge mistake and NOT allowed. I would not allow the puppy to be out of the room I'm in (so off with the older dog without me to supervise). But that would be happening anyways with me housebreaking.

And I would REALLY be upping the OFF leash exercise walking/hiking. In my experience, leashes tend to add to the stress (and entanglement) if there is an issue. Instead, with such an age difference in particular, off leash hiking allows the older dog to escape and do it's own thing, while the puppies stick with the humans. I have found if I am able to REALLY tire out the puppy, then when we are in the house, the puppy tends to NOT harass the older dog(s) trying to play cause that's normal behavior for a bored puppy. A tired puppy will listen and stop when told to stop, or will just go to sleep if I put it in the crate for a 'time out' to chill.

This is the way I would recommend they learn to get tired and put up with each other:

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Though I would keep the injured dog separate so he heals and isn't unintentionally harmed again.

I wouldn't keep the other 2 apart at all. THEY are fine as long as there's management and calmness. I'd be taking them both for walks/hikes. Letting them be in the house as long as you were also in the room with the puppy. They do have to learn to socialize and be with each other.

PLUS you also need to be taking the puppy out and about to meet tons of other dogs.....

You seen this yet?

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...rum/development-socialization/89870-i-want-photos-puppies-being-socialized.html

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Yes, this thought had crossed my mind that he was just trying to keep the other dog away from our puppy and not trying to hurt him at all.

That would be my guess. And it would be easy for a big dog also freaked, to over react and bite too hard, specially with a little dog in it's mouth....

Take your dogs hiking and no more ball in the yard until the puppy is much older and can take a terrible tumble!

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

BTW, when my puppies scream cause they are injured (usually being a drama queen and not injured at all, just scared) ALL the other dogs in the area come running over cause they are worried/concerned. It's EXTREMELY STRESSFUL for all involved, dog and human. So if anyone (dog or human) over reacts and snaps..... it's a normal (though not wanted) reaction to what is probably an ABNORMAL situation for those dogs.

New puppy, new screaming injury. For all you know your older GSD was so 'worried' about the puppy she went after the new dog on scene to keep it away and protect the puppy....

DO NOT BLAME your older GSD. If you know this dog. Have trained this dog. Socialized this dog. And this is extremely out of character............PAY ATTENTION to what you know. And prevent the situation from occuring again, rather than playing a blame game.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

You do not have to put down your 3 yr old GSD. This was an accident caused by the drama of the puppy screaming and subsequent concern and chaos.

Management and control is what you just need to work on at this point. One of the reasons I have about a 5 year split between my dogs in ages, is I can really have one dog trained, socialized and reliable before adding the crazy of a puppy. And then I have to spend way more one on one time with this new puppy... playing, socializing, exercising, dog classes. With little guilt about the older dog cause they had their 5 years in the 'sun'.

I don't really play ball with all my dogs when one of them is a puppy. Too much of a set up for a situation that occured to you. Instead I take them all for off leash hikes so the older dog can easily get away and do her own thing, while my puppy is learning to look to and listen to me.


THIS is what I do with my dogs when I have a puppy...

Good luck with your injured LhasaPoo. And though I haven't had such a serious injury with doggy drama in my house, I HAVE had stitches with them, and used it as a learning experience of how NOT to manage the dogs in the future.