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Older dog dislikes puppy

3 replies

BobLobla · 23/02/2025 10:36

We have a female cockapoo (nearly 6yo) who has always been fairly nervous since a horrible incident with another dog when she was about 12 months. Since then she's wary of other dogs she doesn't know and can get snappy. At home she's lovely and is also happy with dogs she knows. She's walked by a dog-walker twice a week to keep her socialised and were told she's happy and behaves really well on these walks.

We recently got another cockapoo and chose a boy as advised. He's 4 months old and a real sweetheart . He's desperate to make friends with her but so far she's not interested. Most of the time she tolerates him as long as he keeps out of her hair. He has a create and we keep him out of her bed when he's out. But she growls and snaps at him if he gets too close and has even pinned him down. It's sounds awful but there's no contact, just growling and him crying. It's over almost immediately and then they're back to normal.

Now he can go for walks and they get a wide space to be in, they chase and play. She divebombs him a fair bit but he gets up and goes back for more and it's good natured. Does this bode well for a better relationship later on? It was always going to take her a while to get used to him but is there still hope they'll be friends at some point?

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LandSharksAnonymous · 23/02/2025 11:12

Why did you get another dog if she wasn’t dog happy? Tbh this sounds about the best you could have reasonably hoped for - she’s being a bit of a gem IMO if all she’s doing is pinning him and not hurting him. If she wanted to, she could do serious damage. You need to remember that.

Don’t forget - she’s got a new dog in ‘her space’ who doesn’t respect her boundaries (getting into her bed), her humans who have her 100% of their time before now only give her 50% (possibly less given what puppies are like). She’s telling you, and him, that she’s not happy with the new dynamic and you need to listen to that.

My advice? Give her time 1-2-1 with you, without the puppy including walks and play. Keep them separate in a bit in the house - he should be getting in her bed (at all) when he’s still so new. Be proactive about removing him before he can wind her up.

Adding a new dog to a home that has a dog is hard - and people act like it’s always great, and it’s not. It can take months or years for new pups and the older dog to ‘get on’ and some never do. It sounds like, all things considered and as I said, she’s handling this very well - you just need to support her.

Balloonhearts · 23/02/2025 11:22

That's actually quite normal. He's a baby and annoying and she is teaching him manners and how to behave. This is the same way his mother would have reprimanded him. You see this a lot with older female dogs and young puppies.

Most animals do this. If you get a very disrespectful young horse whose behaviour is dangerous, it's often recommended to turn him out for a few months in a pasture with a herd of older broodmares who will teach him the error of his ways. He comes in a bit bashed up at first with bite bruises and muddy hoof marks but ends up with a significantly improved sense of personal space and manners.

BobLobla · 23/02/2025 11:41

That’s helpful - thanks. We do all of the 1-to-1 stuff with her and we’ve actually got 3 cats as well so she’s used to not being an ‘only child’. She does seem to be doing better than I thought. That’s great. Thanks

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