Pet Health Community

The growling is Gib's way of teaching the puppy what he (Gib) feels are the rules... which is fine in certain situations if those "rules" are also your rules, like when they are playing and the puppy gets too excited or obnoxious.... the growling when the puppy gets near you is NOT acceptable behavior and you must step in and discipline Gib (a sharp "NO" usually works).... praise him and give him treats when he allows the puppy near you and/or him without growling...

I have two 6 year old dogs and have recently (10 days ago) brought in a 5 month old puppy... at the very first meeting my girl dog, Shorty, took it upon herself to teach the new pup who was in charge... In most cases I let Shorty, and now her brother, Gunny, discipline the pup, Marley... if things gets too crazy and Marley just becomes way too obnoxious I step in to discipline her and calm her down (Shorty seems to appreciate it when I take over the duties of discipline, as I should as "pack leader").... The first night Shorty and Marley got into a real fight, which I had to break up (and got bit twice in the process) but since then every day it becomes less about discipline and more about playing between all three of them...

It is a good thing, in my opinion, to let the older adult dog(s) help with raising and disciplining the new puppy (as they do in the wild)... notice I said "help"... you are also a part of (the leader of, in fact) this "pack"... both Gib and the puppy need to learn that YOU create and enforce the rules they must follow, which includes behaving appropriately with any human and each other...

There is no "timeline".... praise Gib when he lets the puppy near him and/or you... keep an eye on them when they are playing so you can step in if things get too excited.... I think that once Gib sees you as in charge and that good things happen (treats) when he is nice to the pup everyone will get along well....

If you feel that it just won't work between Gib and the pup then you would have to seriously consider finding a new home for the puppy...

It is not uncommon for a new edition to cause some stress in a household, regardless if it is the 1st or 4th addition. Puppies are curious little critters and really don't understand Gib's personal space. That is why the growl and it will teach Cucumber (cute name by the way) not to get too close for too long. Gib also has a protective streak about you and is telling Cucumber that he is protecting you, so don't come too close. Cumcumber is still learning "all things dog" and as he grows, he will bother Gib less and less.

When you said Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix, you almost didn't need to describe anything else. How Gib is acting is so typical of that type of dog. Continue to work with Gib - obedience, tricks, lots of love. Also give it to Cucumber even if the 2 of you have to go away from were Gib is. As the older dog, Gib will continue to have his way over things like food, sofa, attention. That is normal behavior for dogs. And Cucumber will be okay with that too because that is all the puppy ever knew. Always interact with Gib first, then Cucumber - that is acceptable according to the normal dog social order. Things will work out gradually. If there is growling, quickly difuse the situation by moving on to other things. The growling will be more disturbing to you that to Cucumber and will decrease over time.

Enjoy both your 4 legged friends.

thank you so much for the advise i will try this for i am not seeing the way i was doing thing to be much help here,so i hope your help helps our family.
justine

thank you we will also try this i did not think of this but it makes sence gibb is the alpa male and needs to be treated that way ,i think my freaking out was not good for any of us,and it made thing worse,so i am greratful for this site so i am abel to have happy boys,they are my babys.

I have 2 dogs... I had my first Bentley (lab/collie) since he was 3 weeks old and when he had just turned 1 I got a 9 week old pitbull. When i brought her home he sat on her ! He was soo used to being the center of my life he did NOT want to share ! To be honest it took a while, defintly a couple months. Now he is VERY protective of her he wont let any other dogs near her . They are now best friends and go everywhere together ! It takes time it will be okay but dont let him be mean to your new baby. But also spend alot of time with him show him attention

thank you its only been a few weeks now and the do get along when gibb wants to but when he dont gibb gets real mean well its how i see it i am just hopen that gibb can let go of his jealious ways cause i know he can get along well with him i see it so i will take the advice that ive gotten from people thank you

I am currently having the same problem. I have an almost 6 year old male dog (Buddy) and 3 weeks ago my husband brought home a new puppy to help me cope with empty nest issues. The new puppy, Peanut, is very hyper and Buddy is pretty laid back and he is not taking it well. I want so much for them to get along and be friends. Buddy stays upstairs to stay away from her and this is making me so sad. I have become very attached to Peanut and Buddy is my baby of course. Any advice anyone could give would be wonderful.

Is the new puppy a male or female? Some years ago we adopted a female puppy. If the #1 dog is a male he will get along better with a female puppy and so one. Our #1 dog is a male, so we knew that we had to keep him #1 on the pecking order. He was fed first, etc. We let him know he was #1. Plus, I believe dogs know from an early age about the pecking order. Our puppy loved to play with our older dog until the older dog let him know he had enough. Years later they are best friends, but our older dog is still fed first and knows he'll alway be #1! Just watch an animal program and watch how the wolves work it out. Don't worry!

Freckles was 6 years, a shelter English Pointer, I had him sice his 6th month.A very docile dog turned hostile when I bought Rocky Balboa 3 months old, from a vet during my winter in Mazatla. Freckles bit the dog, growled, but everyone reassured me all would be well in time. Not so. The now 9 month old chihuahuahas turned submissive to all dogs and people. Freckles sits on him and refuses to let Rocky pass. What now?

Maybe you are having concerns about your new dog, because you are obviously challenged yourself. When really stupid people try to understand the thought processes of their pets, they are the barrier not the dog. When you have a hard time expressing yourself and are not able to form a coherent thought, much less a conclusion, don't blame the pet. You're an idiot trying to pass the insecurities about this failing relationship to a new pet. You are not just below the totem pole on IQ; you are substituting your concern about the new animal for the concern about your relationship. Leave the dog out of it and try to understand yourself. BUT, I'm sure you cannot do that as your spelling and grammar is horrific and therefore communication is very limited, so maybe you should stick with gerbils and not dogs.

Considering the original post is three years old, I suspect that at least one of the issues has found a resolution.