My old boy seems to want to eat my new puppy.

[CollyWombles]

We brought home puppy an hour ago and introduced them to each other in the hallway, where older dog has no toys, bed etc, to be worried about. My old boy (13) immediately began drooling everywhere and barking. New pup was not interested at all. Old boy sniffed her a bit then snapped. I had him on a lead and harness so he wasn't able to actually hurt her but he seemed to really want to eat her. I'm aware introductions should be brief so I then took old boy out for a walk whilst DH settled in new pup.

When we got back home, we briefly let them be near each other in the hall again. This time old boy and new pup sniffed each other then old boy, without so much as a growl, tried to bite her nose. Wagging his tail the whole time.

I now have old boy up on the bed with me and new pup is downstairs with DH.

I am very confused. Does old boy like new pup? Does he want to hurt her? Old boy is a jack Russell, new pup is a German shephard mix with black lab.

My older dog (aged4) snapped at our puppy every time he came close for the first two weeks. They are now best of friends. 13 is a bit old to introduce a puppy though but hopefully they will coexist if you manage it carefully. Don’t let the pup annoy the older dog and don’t leave them together unsupervised.
My pup (now 7 months) is still crated at night and when we’re out whilst the older one is free to roam. It gives them both a bit of peace.

Does your old boy have any pain or eyesight issues? How is he normally with other dogs? Have you had other dogs visit before?
Can you use stairgates to keep them separate but let them see each other for now? Lots of scent swapping.

Wagging tails do not automatically mean happy. Wagging indicates the dog is stimulated in some way. Stimulated happy results in a mid-height, loose wag. Tail held high in the air with a sharp, tense wag is aggression. Low held wag, often with just the top wagging is fear.

Sounds to me like your JRT hates the new puppy. Why wouldn't he? He is an old timer and just had a baby foisted on him.

Intros might have been better done on neutral ground.

Keep them apart for several days but still allow JRT to see puppy and make a huge fuss of the old boy so that he starts to link the presence of the puppy to great experiences for him. Be prepared for several months of this and hope you can help them not totally ruin the relationship before puppy is grown... Of course, it may not be that bad and they may settle down sooner - that comes down to the individual personalities involved.

Oh, and a bite with no obvious warning behaviours first suggest to me this JRT might not be the best teacher of dog behaviour for the puppy so do seek out more patient dogs with greater social skills for your puppy to hang out with. You are looking for dogs that appropriately run through the full escalation of aggression so the puppy can learn what the early signs mean www.thebluedog.org/en/dog-behaviour/behaviour-problems/why-does-my-dog/ladder-of-aggression

Thanks all. Old boy is not good with other dogs. He is a rescue, I got him aged 10, so have had him three years. He isn't even particularly good with my children, he tolerates them at best. They love him though as do I.

Old boy is very much my dog, the kids and DH both wanted a dog that would interact with them more and so we brought in the puppy. Old boy does not have pain, his eyesight is still good. It's like he just doesn't know what the puppy is and what to do with it, or not do with it.

I was thinking DH and I could take them for a walk tomorrow, separate enough as such, but old boy loves being outside and would likely be far too distracted to bother with new puppy.

If old boy doesn't like other dogs what on earth made you think that getting a boisterous puppy was a good idea?

It's hard to tell without seeing it. My dog does lots of excited air smacking type snaps when he's excited by a puppy. When we brought our second dog home as a pup he did it but very quickly settled. I'd have thought if it were aggression toward the pup he'd be showing other warning signs

At 13 he's unlikely to be too enamoured with a puppy but unlikely he wants to kill it ( unless he has form for this?!)
Best thing you can do is get a stairgate or a playpen for the puppy, then they can observe each other in a safe way- maybe for days or weeks until things have calmed down.
My dogs were 5ish when we brought in a puppy and they snapped at him for at least two weeks - it looked really horrible but in fact he was a big boisterous puppy and needed to be told off, but it did take a while to settle down.

Poor old thing , frankly what you’ve done , or allowed to happen is cruel to your existing dog - he doesn’t like other dogs so you bring in what is going to be , if it’s not already , a large boisterous puppy that will likely ruin his old age .

My old boy is a rescue, he was in his rescue for over a year before I took him. His one time owner gave him up when he was 10 and I took him on. He wasn't good with children then either but i stuck with him and he tolerates my 4 DC. I also managed to train him to walk by other dogs and although he barks, he no longer tries to attack them. I was warned he would run off on me, he never has, despite going out of the garden twice.

If I didn't think he could learn to accept a puppy, I wouldn't have got one. I will not be allowing puppy to harass him, any more than I allowed my children to harass him when we got him. Tomorrow we will be getting a crate and stair gates.

He was put into the rescue because the previous owner said his hair had started going for the husband's chest. The rescue didnt believe that and neither did I. I'd say having a dog for 10 years and putting it in a rescue when it's getting old is cruel. He will still enjoy his old age, even if I have to keep pup and old boy as separate as possible. Old boy comes first to me. He is very much loved.

It took us 18 months to be able to allow our existing dog and new pup to be together. Another 3 years in they’re much better but I still don’t 100% trust them. We kept them apart, either side of a stair gate with lots of treats and praise for positive interactions but it was hard work

The dogs should have been introduced first and then the decision is made basd on how they interact. I feel so very sorry for youe old boy, he should be able to relax and chill in his twilight years

Today has been going well considering. Puppy and old boy are still apart, but old boy is back to his usual self, enjoying a pig's ear and a new squeaky toy. Puppies crate arrives shortly as well as a stair gate and waterproof bed for the crate. She has a new harness and lead and cuddly toys are her favourite. Old boy is no longer drooling and DH and I plan on walking them together tonight. Fingers crossed.

That's good news OP. Loads of parallel walking is a good way to settle dogs in together, especially if you and your DH can take a dog each.

Years ago when our new Dachshund (2yo) met our existing Collie Cross (9) the Collie was really horrible to the new arrival, growling, snapping and stealing his food. He just put up with it and took no notice, after about a fortnight they were playing together but he had by then become top dog, just by refusing to let her get to him.