new dog

[winky0210]

hi all,

i have a 6 years old chocolate lab and have a 12 week old springer spaniel is it normal for them to be i say fighting..........first few weeks were fine but after that they have started fighting. Little one is always nipping and bitting older one and always the sensitive areas like eyes, mouth , belly etc. They are both girls and the little one is always starting it to the point where older one is growling and barking which she never does. is this normal?!?! if not what can i do?!?!? thanks x

The little one will only learn by the older one teaching her what is acceptable. We've had dogs that have 'play fought' on a daily basis - lots of growling, but clearly playing and enjoying it. However, if things are getting out of hand you need to find someone that understands dogs well and ask them to come and give you some advice.

i dont think it is getting out of hand........tails wagging and more bark than bite if you know what i mean. older one never hurts little one. she just doesnt have it in her, had her from a pup and always been a gem around us all, family and children. think maybe its more me than them. should i just leave them to it?!?!?! x

If you can 'read' your older dog you should be able to tell whether she's getting wound up too much or just playing - if she looks happy about it she might be playing, and play fighting can be very growly and loud and lots of teeth being shown but no actual significant hurt being taken on either side - there might be occasional yelps when one or other goes a little too far but these should be irregular and decrease as the puppy learns what's acceptable.

The springer is prob trying to play, and your lab is more than capable of dominating an actual fight if it came to it (which is v unlikely). She just needs to tell her off if she's getting annoying but it may be that she doesn't mind as much as she protests. Watch for your lab doing a low growl with teeth and her body tensing up, this is a combo body language saying "back off". Growling and barking may just be over excitement and enjoying a bit of play.

Try not to step in if your lab is tense. Until the lab tells the springer off she will keep doing it and with human interjection it may never happen. If it is just fun and games and the noise is too much then it's fine to tell them to shut up lol.

Hope that makes sense x

If you can upload a video we might be able to help you more specifically