I am not sure which section this should be in...puppy, dominent/aggressive dog, raising multiple dogs, etc. so I figure I'll start here and the mods can move it to the section they feel appropriate.

I have a 3 yr old neutered male Bandog. His is 115lbs, has never been aggressive or instigated with any other dogs at all. He wants to get along with everything. I have had him for about 2 yrs, he was somewhat abused when he was a pup.
He is my only dog as of now.

Opportunity has come up to get another. This is a 6 month old female Bandog, about 65lbs. She is very people friendly, not people aggressive, not aggressive with the other dogs she has lived with. A few scuffles, here and there, but nothing major. I have taken my dog to a neutral area with the other dog a few times. They didnt seem to mind each other much. Actually they seemed to care less about each other, which I thought was great. Now. When the new female pup is on leash, she barks at my dog like crazy. My dog just looks at her, like I said, he has never been one to be aggressive or instigate.

Brought the new female to my house with my dog in the yard. The female was on leash outside the yard. She immediately started growling and barking again at my dog who was in the yard. My dog just kind of gets excited in the back and just wants to come outside the same way he does everytime I get home.

Is this dog aggression? Is she trying to intimidate my male? At the 'park' when she was off leash, all was okay, but when the female is on leash she becomes more vocal, so to speak.
I also noticed she will not walk right up to him, she kind of side steps as if to go 'around' him. Almost insecure, not sure if thats the right word, but you get the idea.


I have read Eds article on dominent dogs and introducing new dogs.

Alot of stuff I've read is usually with the older dog the one showing signs of aggression. In my case its the pup showing it towards the older.

How do you know if its dog agression or trying to establish pack order?
My dog is not crate trained. Eds article mentions the use of a crate. Is this something I can do now with him not ever being in a crate before? Or does this tactic only work if both dogs have been crate trained?

These are both outside dogs, very rarely in the house.

I have the opportunity to bring the pup to my house as often as needed before I commit if that is a good way to go about it.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Mike,

It very well could be puppy energy, frustration and wanting to play (not aggression). It can look very similar!

I recommend crate training (both dogs) and not allowing the two dogs to interact for several months until the pup is quite settled into your home and routine.

Hmmm. She seems more scared than anything. Her barks and growls sound mean too...she shows teeth, her hair is up on the back of her neck. I have never had a puppy before, so this is new to me. Not sure what to make of it. The dog I have now is my first dog and I got him at about 1.5 years old.

I here some people saying 'they will work it out', but I dont feel comfortable with that, and accoding to Eds article thats not the way to go about it. I just dont want the little female getting hurt if she pushes my dogs buttons enough times.

As far as crate training...most articles i"ve seen deal with 'in the house' crate training...can the same steps be used outside also?

I am able to keep the dogs in seperate yards, but they share a common fence/wall.

At what age or point in time can you determine if she is dog aggressive and if they will be able to get along? We go hiking alot so I'd like for the dogs to eventually be able to live and get along together.

Thanks for the advice.

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.....I here some people saying 'they will work it out', but I dont feel comfortable with that, and accoding to Eds article thats not the way to go about it. I just dont want the little female getting hurt if she pushes my dogs buttons enough times......As far as crate training...most articles i"ve seen deal with 'in the house' crate training...can the same steps be used outside also?........At what age or point in time can you determine if she is dog aggressive and if they will be able to get along? We go hiking alot so I'd like for the dogs to eventually be able to live and get along together. ....Thanks for the advice.

You're right, IMO, to ignore people who say to let the dogs work it out. That can be a disaster, and at the least is (IMO) defecting on the pack leader role. So good choice there to question that bad advice. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I would do exactly what Anne Vaini says.

I would work with each pet dog on general obedience and pack leadership (separately); I'd get the Basic Ob video:
http://www.leerburg.com/302.htm
and follow all the instructions with each dog. Even if you have had the first dog for some time, here is a perfect opportunity to brush up and prepare for a two-dog home. And it's fun, anyway. The whole video is fun, and it includes much more than basic ob.

My first step with their interaction (after, as Anne says, that settle-in period and the separate training) would be a walk with one on each side. That's what I do, after walking (or otherwise tiring) both dogs on their own. Then I walk quite fast so the dogs have to have focus and aren't really at leisure to zone on each other.

I would be ready to do leash corrections for any attention away from "heel" and toward the other dog.

I would not do this until I was completely secure with each dog separately: their obedience and your status as leader.

I think I'd follow this procedure no matter where the little aggression the puppy is showing came from. You're the pack leader; you don't allow aggression. The end.

This is JMO. I have followed this several times and found it successful, but I'm not a dominant-dog expert or a working-dog trainer. (Doesn't sound like you're dealing with either one, from what you wrote.)

I think you're going to like this challenge, and the prep work of having each dog well-trained on his own first. It will be fun and satisfying, and will cement your bond with each.

IME, the success of a two-dog home (unless both dogs happen to be completely submissive and low-energy) is reliant on the relationship between the owner and each dog.

But I feel sure that others on the board will have more suggestions, too. Good job, to be asking and learning first! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

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.....I would work with each pet dog on general obedience and pack leadership (separately); I'd get the Basic Ob video:
http://www.leerburg.com/302.htm
and follow all the instructions with each dog. ....

I forgot this:

http://leerburg.com/dogtrainingpodcasts.htm

It's about establishing pack leadership with the new puppy.

I also want to add that my comments have been g.o.p.; I am not familiar with this breed.

you are correct, neither one I would consider 'working dogs' like so many of you here have. I want good reliable dogs that I can trust. My dog now has come along ways, but we are always improving.
I do have Eds obedience video that I have watched a few times. I think I will watch it again to refresh as its been a while. I also have the 8 weeks to 8 months DVD I need to watch. I think I will order up his dominant dog DVD as it sounds like a lot of info and just good knowledge to have in mind, and how to handle cetrain situations should the need arise.

I think I will start watching the puppy video tonight <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

What is the best way to deal with this puppies aggression. Again, she is 6 months old, has some prior knowledge of sit, etc, but I will be going about it as if she has had no training at all. I dont want to make sure I go slow and not stress or push her.


So would you advise just bringing the puppy home, leaving them in the seperate yards and take it one month at a time, rather than bringing her over periodically?

I guess she would understand more if she was there 24/7 rather than just showing up and leaving after a few hours.

Is it going to be a problem if the dogs share a common wall? Its a brick wall and a wood gate. The only way they would be able to see each other is through the bottome 4" of the walk through gate.

Thank your for the comments. It sounds like there is hope, its just going to take some time and work, but thats the fun part right? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Mike,

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She seems more scared than anything. Her barks and growls sound mean too...she shows teeth, her hair is up on the back of her neck. I have never had a puppy before, so this is new to me. Not sure what to make of it.

If she looks scared, she's probably either frightened or threatened. It could be the new environment, she could feel threatened when she's on leash, maybe her regular handler was holding the leash when the dogs were first introduced??? ...

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I dont want to make sure I go slow and not stress or push her.

Perfect! Use this thought also with introducing her to your dog.

Because she's so young, I'd not even deal with the other dog and just work on bonding to her, training her, getting her very comfortable with you being her new leader. For this purpose, it will be very much easier to crate her indoors rather than outdoors. I would not recommend putting then side by side unsupervised, but nearby so that they can see and smell each other.

Ed's groundwork article (for puppies) has all the information you need to avoid the development of most behavior problems and the way to bond with this pup before it bonds with your other dog and decides to ignore you!

What Connie describes with walking fast with one dog on either side does work nicely after each dog is trained individually. Sometimes it's easier with 2 people! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Mike, just from reading your posts, but without observing the dogs in person:

The young female sounds as if she may quite possibly have weak nerves, be sharp/shy, and end up as a fear-biter -- Personally, I do NOT think she's a good candidate as a second pet for you & may never be a suitable companion for your well-temperamented adult dog (she could actually make his life a living HELL and even ruin his personality in the process)...

JMO here, but my best advice is:

If you want to add a bitch puppy to your family pack, start off with one who is confident & friendly toward your resident male right from the get-go <:-)

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Mike, just from reading your posts, but without observing the dogs in person:

The young female sounds as if she may quite possibly have weak nerves, be sharp/shy, and end up as a fear-biter -- Personally, I do NOT think she's a good candidate as a second pet for you & may never be a suitable companion for your well-temperamented adult dog (she could actually make his life a living HELL and even ruin his personality in the process)...

JMO here, but my best advice is:

If you want to add a bitch puppy to your family pack, start off with one who is confident & friendly toward your resident male right from the get-go <:-)

Hmmmm. I've just re-read all the posts on this thread more carefully. Here's a thought: Why ask for a unnecessary trouble, when you could shop around for a dog-friendly puppy bitch with a confident, stable temperament?

I seem to be answering posts this week without enough careful reading first. I'm going to chalk it up to last week spent in the heat and humidity of New York and New England (rather than general age-related brain-capacity diminishment). <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thank you all for the responses. Tought decision here. I definately dont want to ruin what I've got going with my male now. We've been through alot and I'd hate to jeopordize that. Even if the new female was just curious or nipping and wanting to play I wouldnt be cautious. But she gets just plain nasty.

Also, someone mentioned if her handler was on the other end of the lease when the dogs first met. Yes, my dog was in the truck and she was on the end of the leash of her handler outside my truck. She did the same there. Barking, growling, etc. He would give a small pop and a firm NO and she would quit for a minute or so. When they were reintroduced again, same thing.

So, all of these symptoms point to possible fear biter/problems in the future huh? I dont mind a challenge and effort, but if all odds are against us then....

Man I was really looking forward to another dog too <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />