My older dog won't accept our new puppy. Will they ever get along?

I'm not sure I understand your question. To clarify, your female dog does not like the male puppy? Unfortunately, some dogs will never like other dogs for various reasons (temperament, trauma..etc). Bully breeds are especially notorious for being best in single dog households (although keep in mind, dogs are all individuals). If the dogs are not spay and neutered, this can contribute to aggression but it may not fix the problem. Your best option is to work with a professional trainer or rehome one of the dogs if there is a danger of injury or harm to the dogs. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I'm sorry to hear that things aren't going well with your new dog. Unfortunately, it sounds like this may not be a good match - just like humans, some dogs have very different personalities and may simply not get along. If you want to try keeping both dogs, I would really recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate the dogs in person to give you a better idea of whether this is a fixable issue - if so, he/she can help you put together a detailed step-by-step plan to work on the problem. You can search for a behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, I would recommend keeping your older dog on a leash or physically separated from the other dog with a baby gate or other barrier. This will allow the younger dog to relax a bit without being harassed. If things go well like this for a few days, you can gradually allow short periods of contact between them. Reward both dogs when they are together, and particularly praise and reward your older dog for calm behavior around the new dog. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar on both dogs, along with a natural calming supplement such as Zylkene or Composure for your older dog to see if this helps a bit.

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.

This can be a difficult question to answer because it will vary from dog to dog. The dog's personality will determine whether or not they adjust well to a new housemate. It does not necessarily matter whether the dog is older or younger. Some things you can do in the home when introducing new dogs are keeping the interactions very limited and making sure the dogs are under supervision the whole time they are getting to know each other. Also avoid feeding the dogs or giving them treats while they are together as this can sometimes cause aggressive behavior. Just be patient and work with the dogs individually and together and they should be able to get along fine. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

If your dog does not get along with other dogs it was probably a very bad idea (and a very stressful one) to bring a new puppy into the house. A new puppy can also be hard around a newborn as they aren't yet sure how to interact with each other. You can try to continue to get the two to get along by starting with limited introductions that are supervised, however if a fight breaks out the interaction should be stopped immediately and started again later. Never leave the two unsupervised together as even a good play sessions can cause accidental injury. You can also use baby gates as a way for the two to "meet" each other without being able to physically be together. If fights are continually breaking out, talking to a trainer or behaviorist that can observe within the home is best.

It may take some time for her to accept him. If she is being aggressive toward him than you should not allow them to be together unsupervised, espeically around feeding time or any toys/bones that she may protect. Give her extra attention, praise, and treats while the puppy is around so she knows he is not there to replace her. You could also try an Adaptil collar or diffuser and see if that helps. If she doesn't start accepting him than you could talk to your vet about trying an anti-anxiety medication, like Prozac or Trazodone and see if that helps.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, and congratulations on your new puppy. I'm glad she is playing and sleeping with your 2 older females. While sometimes dog behavior can change over time, there is nothing to say that she will for certain become aggressive with age. As they grow out of the puppy stage, they can try to establish dominance among the other dogs, but this doesn't always happen, and only time will tell what your girls will do. Hopefully, Peaches will continue to leave in harmony with the older dogs.