If you find that a new puppy growls at your other dog they probably need time to settle in. Life as the target of another dogs aggression wont do your puppys behavioral development any good.
Barking lunging or snarling at other dogs or at people when out on leash.
Current dogs barking and snapping at new puppy. You may have observed that as soon as a dog starts to bark all the surrounding dogs join him. This is also true for other bad habits like lunging on leash chewing on carpet and stealing food. The most obvious method for saving your new puppy from learning bad habits is to distract them.
Barking and growling are the warning signals your adult dog will give to show the newcomer who is boss and what the limits are. A growl or a snarl without a nip is normal and is simply your dog teaching the newcomer the ropes. Its one thing if your dog is just following you around asking for extra pats and quite another if your dog is growling snarling or snapping at the new puppy.
Jealousy vs Resource Guarding Trainers like myself get a bit nervous about the term jealousy because the term downplays the serious issue of resource guarding. The most common warning signs to watch for in your puppys behaviors include snarling growling mounting snapping nipping lip curling lunging dominance challenging stance dead-eye stare aggressive barking possessiveness and of course non-stop biting. Having a new puppy is akin to welcoming a new family member.
If your puppy sees a senior dog as a plaything the older dog may respond by jumping up growling and barking. This isnt necessarily a sign of being overly aggressive but it does need to be monitored. The most common symptoms of canine aggression include growling biting or snapping lip lifting staring and lunging towards another dog or puppy.
In some cases an aggressive dog may exhibit fearful or submissive body postures and expressions such. If the aggression is limited to certain situations like eating or resting and otherwise the dogs get along your first step is to put a physical barrier between the puppy and the older dogs at those problem times. Life as the target of another dogs aggression wont do your puppys behavioral development any good.
Some advice says to tell the dog no and walk away or give the dog a time out. I only use positive training methods when training my dogs. Also she barks sometimes if I play with my dog as if shes a bit scared and doesnt understand whats happening - I try and reassure her.
Shes a lovely dog - she is house trained and sleeps in her crate at night. A very tolerant older dog may walk away the first few times but then may lose patience. This is also normal.
Worrisome responses include chasing after your puppy and any reaction that lasts more than a few seconds or draws blood. Puppy comes too close to adult dog chewing a toy. The adult dog may freeze silently lift a lip growl then snap.
Although dogs are social animals that tend to love the company of other dogs there are times when introducing a new dog into the family can be tricky. First impressions are very important especially if your resident dog is used to being the only dog vying for your attention. Here are a few ways to help your current dog accept your new pup.
Isolate the action that causes him to growl or snap and control the situation by finding a solution that makes your dog comfortable. Enforce more rules in the household. If the growling and snapping is becoming a real problem it is possible that your dog does not have enough rules therefore he is acting out because he knows he will most likely get what it is that.
Your dog will snarl and growl and bark if the new puppy keeps annoying them but this doesnt necessarily mean theyre being aggressive and will attack. They might get aggressive and attack if the new puppy isnt re-directed and keeps being a pest. If the dog gets aggressive remains aggressive and the aggression escalates stiff posture raised hackles baring teeth barking snapping nipping biting etc or the dog gets aggressive with you or others this is not normal.
If this is the case consider talking to a veterinarian behaviorist. He may block the new dog from approaching you from resting places like dog beds and furniture or from rooms like the family room or the bedroom. If the new dog is very anxious he may do the same trying to keep your dog away from him in certain locations or even sticking with a family member and trying to keep your dog away.
While some dogs will tolerate this behavior others understandably may react out of fear or discomfort by barking lunging snapping or. Sit and Stay. If your puppy starts to run up and bark at the door or bark at another dog while walking on the leash work on some training routines with your puppy using commands they are already good at like Sit and Stay to keep them engaged and working with you rather than on what is causing them to bark.
In the past many dog trainers viewed growling and snapping as dominant behaviors and advised dog owners to respond by doing alpha rolls forcing the dog down onto the ground and onto his back stare-downs staring at the dog until he looks away which signals his acknowledgement that you are dominant over him shaking his scruff and long forced stays. A new puppy is an exciting addition to any household. But if you have been a one-dog family up to this point then you might need to prepare for the big meeting to ensure an easy transition for your current pup.
Here are some key tips for introducing a new puppy to your dog. Consider Your Current Dogs Temperament. Your current dog is between two and six years old.
They are very well trained. And they have no behavior problems. Your current dog is friendly and in good health.
You can afford to feed another dog and insure them against vet bills. You have the time and energy to settle in and train a second dog. The new dog or latest arrival isnt used to having another dog around.
If theyve come from a pen they might well be used to barking a lot at other dogs. If you find that a new puppy growls at your other dog they probably need time to settle in. Once they get used to things the barking and aggressiveness should calm down.
Is your dog showing aggressive behavior such as. Barking lunging or snarling at other dogs or at people when out on leash. Getting into fights with other dogs including other dogs in the household.
Growling at snapping at nipping or biting people. Chasing and possibly injuring smaller animals like cats or small dogs. The tension between two or more dogs is pretty usual.
Dog-on-dog aggression is a typical behavior problem that pet owners and trainers deal with. The reason is that during their growth dogs are deprived of socialization with other dogs. As a result many fluffy pets grow up with no social skills and arent able to read other dogs signals.
If your dog is barking because of boredom consider more physical exercise more positive training and introduce new toys and games for environmental enrichment consider Buster Cubes Kong toys.