[GSD07]

I still need your help and suggestions because I'm afraid I'm missing something here that can lead to bigger problems.

Yana, my 13 months female, does not want to accept our new puppy, Anton. He's been with us almost for a week now, the sweetest puppy possible. He is not pushy or bity, he does those play bows and runs to her to play, wants to lick her face, turns his head away, shows his belly, he tries so hard to please her.

Yana is better with him in the yard, kinda trying to play with him (I'm supervising all the time so she doesn't hurt the puppy). But inside of the house she's turning into a different dog. She sits in her crate all the time, refuses to eat on her regular place, picks up toys and takes into her crate, growls and bares her teeth towards the puppy... She also goes nuts when the puppy approaches her crate and my tiny puppy starts barking back at her. Her hackles are up every time when she sees the puppy approaching her.

Also she started going on the couch even though the dogs are not allowed on the furniture in our house, and she never did it before. Worse, she didn't go down when I told her and I had to take her down by the collar.

Yana is a super submissive and fearful dog with very weak nerves, and I don't fully realize what is going on here. She never bared her teeth or growled at dogs or people before. She does receive her usual exercise, walks, attention, I'm taking a comp. obedience class with her and have training sessions with her during the week. But she hates the puppy and it has to stop because I don't want my brand new dog become fearful and dog aggresive because of her.

Please help me to understand what is going on in our house and how to resolve the situation. Please don't suggest to find a trainer because I've already tried 3 trainers here seeking help with her and nobody could help.

Thank you in advance!!!

 

[BowWowMeow]

I'm sorry you're going through this. My dog Chama does the same thing whenever I bring a new dog into the house. She forgets her manners and starts acting out. She snarls at the new dog, sometimes not even letting them in the same room with her! She snaps at them and is very grumpy overall. But after she realizes that the new dog is not going anywhere and that her life isn't going to change she settles down. She now adores Rafi who she absolutely hated when she first met him. In fact she would scream at him if he even looked at her! This was all because she feared losing status with a new dog in the house and because she wanted the new dog to know she out ranked them. She is not a natural alpha so she has to work extra hard and be extra nasty to let the other dog know this!

What is your reaction when she growls, etc.? Do you yell at her? is she getting corrected a lot more than normal? How do you supervise her with the puppy outside? I'm asking because I wonder if she is feeling insecure because the puppy is causing her problems and getting her into trouble.

I would step up her NILIF at home. Keep it entirely positive. Don't force her to do anything but work on having her do it for a reward (toy, food, whatever). If she is being possessive of toys then remove them until she settles down. Let her have them when she has space to herself. Do exercises with and without the puppy there so she has positive associations both ways. For now I would also allow her some space away from the puppy by putting a gate up so she can have a room to herself.

Have you done clicker training with her? That's a great way to build confidence. You could start with the 101 things to do with a box game and you could work with the puppy on that one too.

She'll come around, just give her time, structure and positive rewards.

 

[GSD07]

Hi Ruth! Thank you for your reply, you made me feel a little better. I think I did corrected more when she growled during the first couple of days (verbally, I didn't do any physical corrections. I never actually needed to do it, she used to be so well behaved) and then I realized that it was counterproductive and I can just teach her to skip the growling stage so I started separating them.

In the yard I play a stick game with her and the puppy is running circles around her. Yana retrieves and her mouth is busy with holding a stick or a ball so she cannot bite the pup. And I reward, of course. This technique worked so now she wants to go outside every time I take the pup outside, and she invites him to play. She doesn't seem to be agressive outside, I can place her in down position (I reward again) and she tolerates Anton next to her. But inside it's a different story.

It looks that she's so used to get all 100% attention that she doesn't want to share it with Anton. I feed her first and then I have to put her outside or in the crate because otherwise she will rush to Anton's bowl and growl at him and put his face in his bowl (she did it once). We do have gates that separate the kitchen and living room and the other areas of the house but she wants to be with us but without the puppy . I almost physically can feel how sorry for herself and betrayed she feels.

I haven't done any clicker training with her. I should look into that!

 

[Cooper&me]

Re: need help (young dog & new puppy)

Try to favor her as much as possible. It seems unfair but actually good for the puppy to learn his place and work for your affection.

I all but ignored my pup when Ava was around at first. Even now I make more of a fuss over Ava. Also feed the older dog first and give treats first.

I amped up our one on one time with the older dog. In the afternoon my husband has started taking Ava on his errand runs which gives me alone time with the pup.

As cute as a puppy is I was very aware to make everything about Ava. Lucky for me Quincy is very indifferent to people so Ava still gets all the attention from visitors.

 

[GSD07]

Michelle, that's a great advice. I do try to give her as much attention as possible but it's actually pretty hard. The thing is Yana is not an affectionate dog and she will never come for a pet or a kiss. She'll be fine to sit in a different room and just come and check on us once in a while. That's why it's so weird that she wants to be with us all the time now.

The puppy on the other hand is all over us, and I love it

We never had such experience with Yana and I love every second spend with the little guy. But I will keep in mind now to give attention to Yana first now.

I just took a puppy to a different room, away from her crate. She came to us and brought her bone she was chewing. The puppy ran to her and she dropped the bone and let him lick it without any growling or hackles. I took the puppy away right away since who knew how she would react next. But it looks like the main problem is her coexistence with the puppy in the kitchen and the living room.