new puppy..and older alpha male dog - Page 1

Hi all..I have a question....I brought my new pup home..he was 6 weeks old...we thought our older 8 yr old male,was on his last leg and we needed to put him to sleep....but he know seems to be dong better...my concern is...The older dog has nipped at the pup with regards to the food and waiting his turn...he hasnt hurt the pup...he is a very gentle dog,but i was concerned about this harming my pups confidence...can this happen?..my pup is now 11weeks old

yes he can ruin that pups confidence. Keep them two apart when feeding. The pup wants to play at this stage and your older boy has been the only one for so long....you have to watch him. Wait until the pup gets older and can defend himself. Right now a good bite and you have wasted your money.

Thanks diangelo i will make sure i do that..

I hope you disciplined the older male for doing that..Doesnt matter his age..Not allowed.

A lot of damage can be done when an older dog bullies a younger dog.  If your puppy is more submissive or sensitive, then he could become fearful and not know what to do and not to do around your older dog; if he's got a more dominant streak in him, you could find yourself breaking up fights down the road.  I had two males that were littermates and while both weren't ones to back down, as they got older, the bigger, larger one started pulling lots of dominance moves when it came to food, toys, getting brushed, etc.  He'd also block his brother from walking down the hall; things like that.  We tried all kinds of reprimands to break it up, but nothing worked and finally the boys had to be separated.  While the one who dominated didn't care a bit, his brother did end up being more unsure of himself and developed some reactive behaviors. 

Since your older dog is already 8, be aware of what he wants to tolerate.  He might not want a bouncy puppy in his face or bothering him when he's eating.  Respect the boundaries your other dog wants to establish and teach both of them manners as to what behaviors you want and what behaviors aren't to be tolerated.  Make sure they look to you for leadership and boundaries and don't try to fly blind on their own.  I'm sure your older dog probably doesn't know what to make out of little guy that's a fixture in the house 24/7!

Simply Shepherds

I know of an older male permanently damaging one ear of a young female with an excellent pedigree intended for showing.

Sometimes even if the dominant dog shows restraint the result still can be very bad. In the wild a damaged ear may not matter much for survival, but not for a show dog.

You have to remember  YOU are the pack leader..YOu do not allow either dog to do anything unwaranted.

You better believe you can control it. Just do it. No excuses for not being able to control either dog. You have to be the pack leader., plain and simple. If you dont want either growling and arguing and fighting , grab either by the nap of neck or jowls and have a come to Jesus meet right then and there.

Wont be wondering next week who is gonna eat who...not allowed...People think they are hurting a poor dog if they get rough with them.. Think....what does a dog do in the wild to be the pack leader???HUH?

I would be careful with the new pup.    The older dog doesn't like this one damned bit !!!  LOL

I can see it in my mind,  I've seen it in my dog's too.   Correct the dog if you choose but this is a natural reaction and not one you should take lightly.  

It will effect the pup in several way's but the safety of the pup is the most important thing right now.   It could all be over in a few second's.

I have a similar situation and will probably put an older dog down because of it.   Well it's a little more complicated than that but you get the idea.

Moon's.

two moons so silly us poor people will you forgive us mortal beings

wuzzup?

forgive you for what?

You have something on your mind?

You've had plenty to say since the 7th,  don't keep me in suspence, spit it out !

Moon's.