New puppy is dominating my first dog--help! Toby is my six pound Morkie and he is one year old. He is very comfortable in our house (well, he was!) and has been longing for a playmate. Enter Max, an adorable and gentle four pound Yorkie. Toby and Max had two playdates together before we decided to go ahead and make Max a permanent part of our family. Last night Max came home for good and he seemed to sense that something was different and boy oh boy did he establish dominance over Toby immediately. He mounted Toby three times (Toby is neutered, Max is not), took his bed (not his crate), pooped in his pen, bit him when he tried to eat, took away all his toys, and convinced poor Toby to run in circles around the coffee table (which Toby usually likes doing) while Max stood under the coffee table and nipped at him every now and then. I did not stand idly by--this took hours to all transpire and I kept stopping the behavior, but when I tallied up everything at the end of the night, I realized exactly why my poor Toby was refusing to play with any of his toys and why he no longer would go in his bed. :( My poor baby! Any advice? Today I have been stopping the behavior immediately. I also got out an extra (new) bed that I have and after spending all day removing Max from the old bed and putting him in the new bed, he seems to have given up on Toby's special bed and Toby has reclaimed that bed. I also have separate pens for the boys (although eventually I'd like to be able to pen them together) since I don't trust them together when I'm not home. Ahh, this is way harder than I thought it would be. Later I'll start another thread on the potty issues Max is giving me. |
Goodness. Max just got there! He's not dominating, he's just feeling anxious, hyper, excited and maybe a little uncertain with this big change in his little life and coming into a strange home. He likely wants Toby's things as they have his scent on them and they are comforting to him due to the scent and he probably took refuge under the table and bit to make it clear to Toby he's no pushover and don't push him. These are common things a new dog might do to stake out his claim when he's new to a home with another dog in it. I'd cut Max some slack until he's had time to settle in and not think he's being dominant unless he stays this way for the next few weeks. If necessary to de-escalate things, crate him with a treat-filled Kong toy and some of his own toys or chews so he can stay in there safe and secure(remember, he's the new guy and likely very unsettled) and observe all the comings and goings of the new surroundings. If he cries when you put him in there, ignore him and only give him attention or look his way when he's quiet. Try to let them work this out on their own - that's the way of dogs, using teeth and stealing things and playing hunt/attack type games and it can get rough. Keep stepping in to stop the really mean things he's doing by walking over to him with stern look, walk into him until he backs off and stand there over him until he turns away and gives up. In the meantime, read all that you can about new dog and pack behavior on the internet and in dog books and learn how normal all of this can be when you choose to get a second dog and they are trying to form a pack. If he keeps on trying out all of these things, post about it a couple of weeks from now and we can help you with how to use positive reinforcement and Nothing In Life Is Free to help re-shape his behavior and any tendencies to try to dominate. |
Thanks for the feedback. I have done a *great* deal of reading about pack behavior. I do have some toys that just are for Max when he is in his pen area--Toby's big boy teeth would destroy them in two seconds. He is enjoying those a great deal. And no, he doesn't cry at all--he struts around here like he owns the place. LOL! He is pretty confident! He is adorable and quite happy. |
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