My senior dog snaps at new puppy. How can I help them get along?

Puppies can sometimes be A LOT for senior dogs and it can take some time for them to get use to one another. If there were any food, treats, toys or special people near by Buddy could have just been acting protective over these. Also, with Buddy being older, if they puppy is always playing, jumping on him, or nipping at him, he may have been just trying to tell the puppy to leave him alone or trying to set some boundaries. Also, if he is arthritic and he knows the puppy jumping on him hurts, he could have reacted to prevent this. I would continue to keep them separate until you know they can be left alone together. I would definitely feed them separately as well. I would be sure you are still spending plenty of alone time with Buddy as he may be feeling frustrated that his home life has changed with the new addition. I would continue to have short but frequent times of them being together. You could also start Buddy on an anti-anxiety chew like composure or composure pro and get him a calming collar like sentry or adaptil. If these don't help, talk to your vet about anti-anxiety medicine like fluoxetine or trazadone. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Since you just got the puppy you need to give Biscuit time. The puppy also needs to learn from Biscuit when enough is enough, this is an important life lesson. Energetic puppies are a lot for older dogs to handle and you are going to have to accept that Biscuit may never love the puppy but may just tolerate him. You need to intervene when the puppy is pushing too much and find other ways to use up his energy: puppy training classes, the dog park, doggie day care, other play dates with more willing dogs. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Katy is beautiful. Thanks for including a picture. A dog establishes a relationship with each person individually. So, your partner needs to establish a relationship with Katy. One good way to do this might be a program called "Nothing in Life is Free". It requires Katy to do what your partner asks of her in order to be rewarded. For example, have him feed her, but ask her to sit or lie down before getting fed. That way she is getting rewarded for listening to him. You can use this with all aspects of her life. She needs to sit when he asks her before going for a walk. If she doesn't do it, then she doesn't go out for a walk. You can use treats for this type of training to establish a good relationship between your partner and Katy. I would advise again disciplining her especially since she has a history of abuse. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Ypur puppy is probably very lively and wants to play with your old dog. Your old dog probably does not feel like playing and does not want to bother with the youngster, so the only way to deal with a wild youngster (for him) is to tell the little on in no uncertain terms, that he wants to be left alone. So I would keep the puppy very busy, give it lots of play and exercise, so it is tired afterwards and does not need or want to entice the old dog to play. Make sure that you do not leave the puppy alone with the older dog, as there is a serious possibility of the old dog getting fed up and biting the little one. Best keep them separated. Your old dog will probably calm down and ignore the young one as soon as the young one stops pestering it for play and attention.

I’m sorry she’s having a hard time with the puppy!! Sometimes puppies are a lot for an older dog to take. I would recommend that you get together with a trainer for some sessions for the puppy and for your older dog... this will likely be well worth your time and money. Give that a try before de-homing the pup. It can take months for acceptance to occur, and they may never be best friends but may be able to be compatible roommates with time. Give your older dog some “breaks”’from the puppy. Put the puppy in a kennel for a while, or better yet send the puppy with a friend, roommate or family member to get some good playtime in, (hopefully for the puppy to come home tired!) while you and the older dog have some one on one time—cuddle with her on the couch, play with her or take her for a walk just the two of you. It may also help to make a new routine—leave the puppy home in a kennel and take the older dog for short walk once or twice a day, even just 10 minutes will help... and do it at the same time each day... if she knows she will dependably get some “alone” time with you, that may ease her irritability as well. I really hope that information helps you ... Good luck with them both! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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.