Why does my older dog growl at new puppy during sleep? Is it normal?

It's very common for older dogs to not like a new puppy much at first - puppies can be rude, pushy, and overly playful for an adult dog :). You will need to give your older dog plenty of time to adjust to the pup at her own pace. Make sure she has someplace she can go to relax if she doesn't want to be bothered, and supervise them closely to make sure that the puppy isn't allowed to harass her when she doesn't want to play. It's also very normal for adult dogs to growl or snap at puppies who are being pushy and rude - this is how puppies learn manners, and your older dog should not be corrected for this. Things should improve over the next 2-3 weeks as they get used to each other. If there is no improvement in this time, or if you have concerns that your older dog may injure the puppy, then I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist for some hands-on guidance.

It is not uncommon for dogs to develop such jealous type behaviors and it is important to recognize the potential dangers in such a situation. A calming diet or supplement can help and i recommend you create a separate area, indoor crate or kennel that she can use with chew toys, beds and food /water. Practice when you are home alone initially and then put her in before people call if possible. If she is calm enough, get the other person to feed and walk her also so she has a more positive association

Younger dogs often want to become dominant when the lead dog gets older. This unfortunately is natural behavior. I recommend you crate the younger dog at night to prevent injury to your older dog. He will get his time to lead when the older one is gone but you need to protect your older dog from injury and let him enjoy his final time without stress. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dogs.

It can take a while for dogs to get used to new companions. As long as they are still playing together and not hurting one another I would not be too worried about this behavior. The more they interact together the more quickly they will become used to each other. Just make sure they are always supervised so they don’t hurt each other. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi there. Resource guarding is a very common (and normal, to some extent!) behavior in dogs. Do not try to take high-value treats away from her while she is chewing them, as this will only teach her to be anxious and on guard whenever you approach. Instead, leave her alone to chew them in peace. You can also practice walking up to her while she is chewing on something, dropping a tasty treat like a piece of cheese or a hot dog slice, and walking away without bothering her. This way, she learns that having you approach her when she has a "treasure" is a good thing, and not a threat! If this behavior escalates over time instead of getting better, then I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a training plan to address it. Play growling during tug of war is normal, and it not typically a cause for concern.

It's very common for dogs to growl or show other types of resource guarding behavior towards other dogs when they are eating. This is probably causing stress for both dogs, so I would recommend feeding them in separate rooms or in their crates (if they are crate-trained) to avoid this problem :)

It can take dogs awhile to get used to each other, and the best thing to do is to make sure hat they each have their own space to retreat to if they don’t feel like interacting. If either one is starting to act aggressive you should separate them. They should have separate water bowls and eat food separately for awhile as well. Even though there haven’t been any injuries yet it would be safest to keep them separate while unsupervised until they are getting along. That being said it can be very normal for dogs to growl during play and sometimes vigorous play can seem similar to fighting. If you’re not sure it might be helpful to talk to a trainer or behaviorist - your vet can make a recommendation.