How to teach my puppy to be gentle and stop chasing our older dog?

Puppies at this age can be very determined! I would encourage you to have some time when the older dog is separated from the puppy to give her a rest. I would also encourage you to keep the puppy on a leash (supervised) when around the other dog so you can recall and redirect his attention when needed. Also having a squirt bottle available to squirt his face when annoying the other dog Can be helpful. The More consistent you are on correction the more quickly he will learn not to annoy her. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Your worry is very valid! It is best to make sure the two are only playing together when you can directly supervise them and that puppy and your older dog are separated when you are away so that an accident can't happen - even the most well intentioned of a dog can cause an injury! If the puppy starts playing too rough, a "time out" of a few minutes for everyone to calm down can also help and teaches your puppy that too rough of play is frowned upon. Diverting with treats and toys is also a great way, so keep that up.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having these problems! Aggression or fighting between dogs in the same household is a complex behavior issue that's very difficult to address without evaluating the dogs in person, because there are so many factors to consider - it's important to assess both dogs' personalities, how they interact with each other when they're not fighting, how severe the fights are when they happen, what seems to trigger the aggressive behavior, etc. For this reason, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person to help determine why the aggression is occurring and put together a detailed treatment plan to address the problem. In the meantime, I would recommend keeping the younger dog on-leash whenever he is around the older dog to prevent any bullying or harassment, or using a baby gate or other barrier to keep the dogs separated until you are able to get some hands-on guidance in how to help them.

That is normal puppy behavior. All you can do is keep them separated. You are not going to be able to stop the puppy from doing normal puppy things. I suggest you crate train the puppy and take turns letting him out to run around and crating him. When he is out running around put the older dogs outside (if you have a yard) or in another room so they can get some peace. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-crate-train-your-puppy-or-older-dog/ ) Sorry, no easy, quick fix for normal puppy behavior!

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!

Hello and thank you for your question. I'm sorry to hear your two dogs are having trouble. Biting behaviour in puppies is very common, but should always be discouraged. At this point it sounds like you'll have to separate the two dogs, at least when unsupervised, for the safety and sanity of your older dog You can gradually start to re-introduce them with close supervision, and only reward the puppy with treats and praise when she is calm and quiet around your older dog. You could even take a step back and have them sniff each other through a baby gate, while giving the dogs treats and praising them when they are calm together. Everyone in the household will have to be on board with discouraging Clara to bite. This means that if she is nippy around other humans, you should give a firm "no" or "ouch!" and walk away or ignore her. If she consistently does not receive the attention she craves when she bites, she will eventually learn that biting does not get her what she wants. I hope this helps, and that your two pups are getting along soon! Good luck!

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.