Adult dog showing dominance, attacks new pup

[PilarTubosa]

Hi!

I have a dog for 3yrs now and a month ago I took in a new pup. The new pup is playful and my older dog couldnt care less as she was never playful and active to begin with. At times they play and get along but as the new pup gets bigger, my older dog tends to be aggressive towards the new pup. The new pup is fearful of her and at times my older dog even attacks her. I feel helpless and need help in controlling the old dog and build more trust on the new pup. 

[Adrienne]

Hi there, 

Welcome to the forums! I would need some more details in regards to your situation as there can be various dynamics going on when we introduce a new puppy to a home. 

How old is the dog you have had for 3 years now?

How old is your puppy right now? 

What breeds are your dogs? if you are not sure, is there a big size gap?

Can you describe more in detail your older dog's aggressive behavior? Is she biting, posturing/growling/showing teeth?

When your older dog attacks her does it happen in a specific circumstance? What is your puppy exactly doing when she attacks?

What fearful behavior have you noticed in the puppy? Is she just keeping distance, avoiding her totally or is she cowering, shaking, peeing from fear?

 

 

 

[PilarTubosa]

The older dog is 3yo and she’s as tall as the pup but fat. 
The pup is now 5mos old, very playful. 
The fight happens during meals or if the old dog feels the new pup is taking away her toy.

So during mealtime, they eat together and the old dog scour over the pups bowl and eats her food. The pup then heads over to the old dogs bowl then the old dog attacks her. By attacking i mean the old dog is above her,pinning the pup down. The pup is frightened and in an infant’s pose, sometimes also growling. What we do now is put them on different locations during meals. The new pup eats her food soooo quickly, tail down as if scared. I want her to enjoy her food. Sometimes im worried she developed some kind of trauma or whatnot. When im around and when the old dog is all over me, the new pup will just watch from a distance cuz at times the old dog threatens her with a growl. Most of the time the pup really keeps her distance. What can I do to correct this?

[Adrienne]

15 hours ago, PilarTubosa said:

The older dog is 3yo and she’s as tall as the pup but fat. 
The pup is now 5mos old, very playful. 
The fight happens during meals or if the old dog feels the new pup is taking away her toy.

So during mealtime, they eat together and the old dog scour over the pups bowl and eats her food. The pup then heads over to the old dogs bowl then the old dog attacks her. By attacking i mean the old dog is above her,pinning the pup down. The pup is frightened and in an infant’s pose, sometimes also growling. What we do now is put them on different locations during meals. The new pup eats her food soooo quickly, tail down as if scared. I want her to enjoy her food. Sometimes im worried she developed some kind of trauma or whatnot. When im around and when the old dog is all over me, the new pup will just watch from a distance cuz at times the old dog threatens her with a growl. Most of the time the pup really keeps her distance. What can I do to correct this?

Thanks for the additional details, they are very helpful!

This sounds like a case of resource guarding. Dogs prone to resource guarding will act protective towards food, toys and owner's attention. We must also consider that your older dog has been the only resident dog for a good three years, so sharing the home now suddenly with a boisterous puppy who all she wants to do is play, explore and have fun may feel overwhelming, especially since your older dog is not very active or playful to begin with. Dogs like routines and get set in their ways and a new puppy can be felt as an interference that adds stress to their lives. 

Now, older dogs are often expected to teach the newcomer good manners and put the puppy in her place, but not all dogs are cut for this job. Sure, it's true that there are excellent teacher dogs out there, dogs who are able to correct  puppies without harming them physically or at an emotional level, but in many cases, too much responsibility is placed on older dogs who aren't always cut for the task. 

From your description, it sounds like your puppy is being emotionally impacted by your older dog's corrections.  You describe your puppy as frightened, growling and being fearful, often moving  out of the way and steering out of trouble,  such as when your other dog is being given affection. Now, as tempting as it may be to scold the older dog for growling, it's best to not do that. We want your older dog to continue "using her words" using her body language and vocalizations without physically harming the puppy, however, we may want her to tone down a bit her reaction. 

At the same time though, we must also think whether the puppy has been starting to engage in more pushy behaviors as of lately. At five months old, she's nearing adolescence which is a time when pups can start getting a little more bold or daring. Perhaps she's trying to see if she can get away in stealing some morsels of food from your older dog's food bowl or some toys and your older dog is escalating her reaction to further prove her point that there's no leeway.  Sometimes, owning two female dogs can be a challenge, especially when the younger puppy reaches 12 to 36 months of age, but this varies from one household and another and there are many factors to consider. 

Here are some thoughts for your situation:

-It would be important to take some steps to prevent things from further exacerbating. I like that you have been putting your dogs in different locations during meals. This should help your puppy relax a bit more knowing that your older dog won't go steal her food. Your puppy will also be prevented from going to your older's dog food bowl. So keep doing this. No dog should be trying to steal each other's foods. Mealtime should be safe for all parties without worrying about each other. 

-On top of this, it would be important managing your dogs' environment further to prevent mishaps. So as much as possible, avoid giving toys when they are spending time together and avoid giving preferential attention (such as petting) to the dogs when they are together.  You can give them attention though when they are separated. This helps prevent hard feelings, and studies have shown that dogs can feel jealousy too.  

-If we wanted to work  directly on these issues,  it would be possible to do some behavior modification, but since there is a history of one dog attacking the other and the potential for injury, it would be important having a dog behavior professional guide you through for safety and correct implementation. Here are just a few examples of behavior modification. 

If your older dog doesn't want the puppy near when you are petting her, you can do the following exercise under the guidance of a dog behavior professional: Have a helper hold your puppy on leash and practice walking the puppy at a distance while you are petting your older dog. Every time your helper moves with the puppy towards you and your older dog (without getting too close), praise and feed your older dog high-value treats. When the your helper moves the puppy away, you would stop praising and feeding treats. This would be repeated several times, to the point of inducing what's known as a conditioned emotional response, where your older dog will start looking at you happily upon spotting your puppy coming close. 

The goal here is to clarify that great things happen contingent upon the puppy approaching. From dreading your puppy near, you want your older dog to look forward to it. This technique is based on Jean Donaldson's Open/Bar Closed/Bar method.

At some point, your helper can try walking the puppy closer. You would always feed treats when the puppy comes closer, and stop feeding once your handler turns with the puppy and they move away. Rinse and repeat several times. The work would continue, gradually progressing until you can have both dogs sitting and you can pet your older dog and the puppy can be nearby,  and then, you can even progress at a point where you can start petting the puppy briefly and giving your older dog treats as you pet her.  If your older dog ever seems uncomfortable with this exercise at any time or starts growling or getting tense, then this would be a sign that she's over threshold and not ready for that level of closeness yet. 

Here is an example of behavior modification done for dogs who were fighting over my attention. In this case actually, if you watch the video carefully, you'll see that the white and black terrier mix was attacking the beagle every time I entered the room. This dog didn't want the beagle to greet me and get attention from me. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-fighting-over-owner/

-Your younger puppy can benefit from some obedience training that can turn helpful to avoid any potential conflict. Don't put your older dog in the position of having to constantly defend herself. You should also ensure that your puppy listens to your older dogs' requests to be left alone. 

So train your puppy how to leave it, lie on a mat and come to you when called. Teaching a positive interrupter will also come handy when you need her to back off from your older dog. Here are some guides on how to train these:

How to train your dog to lie on a mat

How to train your dog leave it

How to train your dog to come when called

Train a positive interrupter.  A positive interrupter consists of a smacking noise that tells the dogs to stop what they’re doing (interrupter) and to look at you and come to you for a tasty treat. See Look into My Eyes from the Brain Training for Dogs course to learn how to teach the smacking sound.

-There are activities that can be particularly bonding among two dogs. One of them is walks. If your puppy has finished all her vaccine boosters and the vet gives you the green light, take both puppy and older dog on walks (one handler per dog) or even on fun hikes. Car rides (where both dogs are restrained by a harness) can also be a bonding activity as both dogs get to enjoy time together but without getting in trouble. 

I hope this helps!

Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Best, 

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: Any time you notice aggression among dogs in the household, it's important to enlist the help of a professional. This is to ensure correct implementation of behavior modification and for a matter of safety. Every time dogs have minor disputes or serious fights, there are risks for injuries to both dogs and their owners (through a re-directed bite).

[PilarTubosa]

Thank you for such a detailed help!

I have been doing what you’ve said for a couple of days now. Right now I’m working on keeping them on each arm without fighting and I’ve been successful! 
 

It has been an eye opener for me when you told me about the old dog’s ways of disciplining the new dog. Now I let her correct the puppy, observing if she goes beyond just growling. I also praise her when she stays calm even if the new dog is drawing close me. There really are times that she still being overprotective i guess. 
 

Really really grateful! I read your reply again and again haha! Thank you for your advice! 🙂

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome!

Lots of praise and rewards happening contingent upon the new dog coming close is good.

 Keep me posted on how things go in the long run,

Best,

Adrienne