Brought the new 8 week old male rottweiler home today. As I posted before we have a 3 year old female lab. We stopped at my father-in-laws house and let him out to run around and play for about 30 minutes. Then I went and got the lab to introduce them on neutral ground, which went pretty much perfect. They did their little sniffing routine and really didn't care much about each other. In fact the lab wanted to play more than the puppy. He was checking things out like puppies do.

So, we came home and everything was still fine. I kept the puppy on a leash with me in the house to start the house breaking routine. The lab was loose but obviously I was monitoring. Here's where the mistake happened. My son got a new bone out for the lab I guess to try to make her feel more comfortable with the new puppy being around. I didn't think about it at first but now I realize I shouldn't have allowed that. The puppy just took a few steps toward her and she charged with a growl to protect the bone. No attempt to bite but it seemed that she was very close to that point. What should I do to correct this?

Thanks,
Kory

Put the bone away and don't do that again. Lesson learned. As a kind of general rule, a young male will be pretty accepting of growling, etc.. from an older female, but don't let him pester her all the time. You don't want to create problems.

You want to completely eliminate all situations like that, IMO.

I never have high-value treats like a bone out for any dog when a dog is loose like that. You don't want that guarding behavior to be triggered, IMO, ever.

The Lab would have been crated with the bone in my house, and the puppy not even loose to approach the crated dog.

Even with my dogs who are not puppies, have never had a problem with each other, who have known each other for years, and who have no lingering food- or resource-guarding behavior, none of them would ever have something like a bone where any other dog could approach him. Crates, or leashes, or, maybe much later, just your close presence .... whatever is required for your dogs (and maybe each dog crated with his own HV item will always be your protocol).

How have you decided to handle meals?

 Quote: steve strom

Put the bone away and don't do that again. Lesson learned. ...

Much more succinct.

For me, there is no gray area on this one. It's a "never" thing.

I have made more mistakes with my dogs than can ever be recorded. My trainer gave me good advice way back at the beginning and I always recall it to mind when a big UHOH happens, "Its information, your dogs are giving you information. Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?"

O.K I already figured never let that type of thing happen again. Just wondering if there was something I should do to make sure it doesn't escalate with anything else like the puppy getting attention and the older dog getting jealous.

As far as feeding, I fed the older dog first this morning and then my wife took her for a walk while I fed the puppy. I had always planned on feeding separate anyway.

Thanks for the help,
Kory

Also, I hadn't planned on using an ex pen. Didn't really see why it was necessary, but now I think I'm going to get one today. I figure that way the puppy can play with his toys in there and the lab can be free. But I'm wondering if the lab still might want access to or feel jealous about the puppy having the toys.

I should preface the following epistle by noting that over the years I've undertaken to introduce no small number of foster dogs as well as pack additions to each other with the objective of having dog interaction peaceful a balanced.

Whatever that meant, my first rule is that everything in the house is mine. My bones, my beds, my food, my crates, my toys, my treats, the list goes on and on. I use structured bones for gnawing because I'm lazy.

No dog in my world is over another dog. That goes for older v. younger, established pack member v. new foster or pack arrival.

That noted, a puppy can get into all kinds of trouble as he or she learns the ropes. As one noted, a young male seems more inclined to be tolerant of a female's corrections than another male. But I am the source of real correction, and that requires vigilance.

At the moment, the pack includes three females and one young male. He has learned to read the look of the females, and in turn has come to understand my vision of the world for tranquil interaction. I try to correct before some thing comes down. Usually a grunt or a word diverts any unacceptable behavior.

But some times a dog just has to be a dog. I try not to single out one dog if there is an incident. Both dogs, and all dogs get my attitude. Probably wrong but I choose to emphasize common behavior than chase the behavior of each dog.

I work to create balanced, socialized, trustworthy, reasonably well trained pets in the first instance.

So I would observe the puppy, emphasize the rules the older dog has already accepted, not hold the older dog or puppy to different rule sets, and emphasize a level playing field. I do not expect an older dog to train a puppy, nor do I expect my pack to train a foster. I expect they will all abide by my rules, which I emphasize.

It is easy to cut a puppy slack because it is new and a puppy but such an approach can send a poor management message to the older dog, in my opinion. What is fair is fair for both older and younger dog. You train the dog today for the dog you want tomorrow.

In the instance described, I probably would have just removed the bone, with a distraction command like 'hey.' Both dogs would have heard me. And the immediate area would have no issues that would continue the situation. I'm probably wrong but I see the instance as addressing the nose to nose situation and not the bone issue.

But what do I know?

 Quote: Kory Fox

Also, I hadn't planned on using an ex pen. Didn't really see why it was necessary, but now I think I'm going to get one today. I figure that way the puppy can play with his toys in there and the lab can be free. But I'm wondering if the lab still might want access to or feel jealous about the puppy having the toys.

She might. For me, I think its most important that you stick with her routine. What you've established over the last three years, then slowly work the puppy into it. Its always seemed with mine, that matters more then the puppy having something to chew on in the crate or in an xpen. Just do like Connie points out, don't let the other dog bother them when they're in the crate or pen.

 Quote: Mike Arnold

But some times a dog just has to be a dog. I try not to single out one dog if there is an incident. Both dogs, and all dogs get my attitude. Probably wrong but I choose to emphasize common behavior than chase the behavior of each dog.

Hey Mike, could you give an example of this situation? I'm trying to understand, in a practical sense, how you are accomplishing this.

Is your goal to create avoidance in the offended dog, building a self de-fusing situation?

Dog A gets too rowdy for dog B. Dog B reacts with avoidance instead of reciprocation because dog B knows there are consequences for the situation, not just the behavior.

I'm not trying to blow holes in your training Mike. I'm just trying to understand.