Starting to regret...
 

..getting Maggie. :(

I know this is probably normal but I've had probably one of the most stressful days of my life and Franklin and Maggie are not getting along and I'm about thiisss close to a nervous breakdown.

For those of you who don't know, we just adopted a 3 and a 1/2 year old female yorkie.

Franklin is only 7 months so all he wants to do is play with her and follow her around. Well she apparently does not like that. She growls and nips at him and is very possessive of her crate, and the couches. Mind you, she's only been here half a day. She is the epitome of queen bitch to Franklin. She's VERY sweet to us and when we went to the dog park, she was really friendly to the other dogs and to other people. It makes me so sad because all I wanted was for him to have a playmate.

I think maybe Franklin is just really annoying so when we got back from the dog park, I took him for a short walk, just to kind of tire him out a little. Well Maggie laid on the couch and fell asleep and all Franklin did was bark at her. He likes her a lot and it just makes me so sad because he's my baby boy.. why wouldn't she like him?

I think she may be overly stressed from the trip and everything but it worries me that she's already so dominant in MY house after only being here for a couple of hours. It looks like she'll need a lot of training.. I'm scared she's going to hurt him.

Lastly -- there is something else that may be affecting her mood. We're not sure though. I think she might be pregnant.. which basically sucks for me. The reason why we believe this is because she doesn't seem to be overweight around the ribs or anything but she has a HUGE belly, and her nipples seem to be swollen. I don't any anything about female dogs though. I called the vet and we couldn't get in today so I'm bringing her in on Monday. Can anybody tell me what the signs would be?

I'm on my last nerve today. I know I'm probably HUGELY overreacting but today has literally been the most stressful day of my life.

Just give them some time, they will be okay. When we first brought Jackson home, Jake was a little over a year old. He is very much a mama's boy, so he got mad at ME. He wasn't mad at my hubby, just me. That, of course, broke my heart, but I just made sure I gave them both the same amount of attention, and I would take Jake outside for his "mommy and Jake" time so that he wouldn't be so upset. He stayed mad at me for about 3 days, and he really didn't want much to do with Jackson. He would get curious and check him out, but he wouldn't play with him. Jackson was a 10-week-old puppy, and he wanted to play and run around. Jake would sit on the couch and watch him, but he wouldn't play. I was lucky though, neither one of them nipped or growled at each other.

After about the 4th day, they started playing together a little bit. Then, the two of them had a little barking match. Jake rarely barks, but he started barking at Jackson over a toy. Jackson barked back. This went back and forth for a minute or so, then they both just started playing and have a good ole' time, and they have been best friends ever since. It was like they both got the rules straight lol.

It's hard, but don't get discouraged. Give them a little time, and I bet they will be playing together.:)

As for her being pregnant, I sure hope not! I can't help you with that, but I do want to wish you all the best.

awww Diana. Sending large hugs. I'm sure because it is the first day everything is overwhelming to you and her. she doesn't know where she is or what is hers or not hers. So she is probably just protecting everything in hopes that no one will make her leave... again. Take a deep breath. You did a wonderful thing adopting her and it is going to take time. I think it is a GREAT thing that Franklin likes her.. because if he didn't that would be hard to get through... so its just her.. and again... she is adjusting. I've read on here it can take a while for rescues to adapt. Hopefully someone who has one can help. Hang in there bella.

I hope so. There's still the issue of her possibly being pregnant, though... :(

Give them a little time. Bringing an older dog in can be more difficult. There is the possibility that they will just tolerate each other. That is how mine are and Angel was a pup when I added her.

I'm not a breeder and definitely not an expert, but from those I know females do get wierdly possessive when they are pregnant - its the hormones. Hope this isn't the case for you......

I think she is acting normally for a dog in her situation. I don't know what her situation was before you got her, but maybe she is on stimulation overload! If she is pregnant, that would be even more scary for her to make a new adjustment. Just give her little doses of Franklin at a time, and eventually she will be fine. I have an 8 mo. old puppy that doesn't know when it is time to stop ruff-housing, and the older two have to put her in her place.....she is learning! Good luck!!

I completely understand what you are going through. I had a yorkie about 15years ago. He was given to me as an older dog and one of the conditions from my mom was that she felt that at 15 I should handle most of the responsibilites such as brushing. I remember what a chore the hair was and swore that though I loved him dearly I would never deal with a Yorkie again. When I lost my yorkie I adopted a Chihuahua from the local pound. Shortly after that I bought a Chi puppy also. Thirteen years later I lost the puppy that I adopted. I like having two dogs, that way they are never alone when everyone leaves. I decided that the personality of the Yorkie is what I really wanted so I decided to buy a yorkie but keep the hair short. Immediately after buying my Ava I started seacond guessing myself with the normal work a new puppy brings into a home. Ava is now over a year and I can't imagine a day without her. On top of that I keep her hair long. I am loving the time I spend brushing her everynight and she enjoys it too. My Chi that that I bought, I still have. He is not as social as the puppy I adopted and didn't take well to Ava. It took some work and putting them together in time intervals but it was so worth it. Other than the normal disagreements they get along fine.

It definitely takes awhile for the older dogs to adjust to the energetic puppies. My two senior girls are a prime example. It has taken just a little less than a year to finally be willing to walk past my boys and brush up against them without snarling. The girls still have their temperamental moments. They warn the boys with a growl or sharp bark, and the boys generally respect them and back off. One of the girls is 3 lbs. and they even listen to her. Find that interesting.:confused: One of the reasons I got Snowboy, a rescue Pommie, was so that Chipper would have someone to play with. Felt sorry for him that the girls refused to play with him. There is about five months difference in age and they have had a ball playing together. It was well worth the effort to get Chipper a playmate. If you can just grit your teeth and bear it for awhile it will work out. Good luck!

Oh, so sorry for the stress!! Just some Dog Whisperer advice.... make sure that everyone knows that you're the alpha dog. Then they can sort out the pecking order after that. Puppies are kind of annoying. :) Maybe it's a good time to try training Franklin how to show attention to Maggie without all the puppy obnoxiousness. We're still working on that with Coby. He loves Reggie and every time he first sees Reggie, he lunges, jumps on, play bites, barks. Then they're fine together. We're working on "greeting" without all the drama.

I'm no help on the pregnancy issue - does where you got her from offer any clues? At least to help determine how far along if you find out she is.

Good luck!!

Aww, I'm sorry.

How long have you heard them? I'm sure they'll work it all out.

Oh my gosh a YEAR? How did you do it?!

I'm hoping this subsides within a week or two. If not, I'm not sure if I'll have any hair left......:rolleyes:

Oh my sorry for the stress of getting another yorkie.. but I promise it will settle down.. once they get use to each other you will be so amazed at how much they cannot live without each other..
It is not easy with an older dog neither.. but she is so new..
Take some pictures of post them of her belly so we can have a look at her.. who did you get the dog from??? are they no help as to if she is prego or not..
Take a deep breath.. love her as much as you can.. and do not leave out your baby.. I remember my second one so well..and yet. when I got her spayed.. I brought her home and I told our brandie she was sick.. I layed her in her bed.. and he so gently laid down with her.. and they both slept.. it was so heartwarming..our first was so mellow brandie.. and casey was so full of herself..

anne

I wish you all well, hope it works out and they learn to love one another.
I don't know the story of where she was adopted from...she obviously is not spayed. But do the previous owners give any indication that she could possibly be pregnant? Did they have other dogs? If you can post a picture of her and her belly/nipples...I'm sure many here could give further advise. I've never had a female let alone a pregnant one, so I am of no help there.
Be patient, I know it's hard...you did the right thing...she's going to fit in just fine. Wait and see. Now try to relax and get some rest yourself...they can tell when you are stressed out.

Puppy with older dog
 

Even a 7 month old puppy can be very high energy - way too much for a new older dog to deal with right away. Give them each space - let the new dog settle down - maybe even in another room. Poor girl is probably very overwhelmed. Her snapping at the puppy is normal - it's warning him to leave her alone. She probably won't hurt him - a 7 month old pup should be able to take care of himself and to learn what she will tolerate. I bet in a week you will have two dogs that will like each other a lot!

Karen

Thanks for all the encouragement, everyone! I knew it would be hard.. I just got overwhelmed.

Currently they are both sleeping in separate rooms - Maggie in her crate in the kitchen and Franklin next to me on the couch. I've been letting them interact with each other for bout 5 minutes every time I go in the kitchen.. for the most part they've been ignoring each other. I plan on keeping them separated completely for probably about a week or so until they get used to each other. They can play together supervised or at the dog park.

I'm crossing my fingers that it gets better - she really is a sweet girl with people and even other dogs. It just must be something about Franklin and being inside.. I'm pretty sure she's used to being outside most of the time.

I'm also hoping that she's not pregnant. If she is.. that changes everything. :(

For Diana
 

Many years ago now My Mom and I pet sat Tony. One day I call the owner, Lee and told her I had groomed (volunteering spca) a cute lil Yorkie/Silkie that might make a good friend for Tony. Lee adopted Tina ( she named her) For 7 days Tony would have nothing to do with her and horded all his toys under the table. On the 8th day he shared and they were great pals until Tony died several years later. There was a musical called Tony & Tinas' wedding and Lee cut out the ad from the Sunday paper. framed it and hung it in the guest powder room. It takes time. I think Tina was a Silky. Or a combo. Lee was a married lady. Lee and Hank. Great people. Hank was in building homes and when Tonys' time was short he made a casket for Tony and he was buried in the back yard. I treasure the photos I have of them.

I just read this whole thread - so it doesn't look like you yet know if she's pregnant, right?

In any case, my heart goes out to you - adjustments can be tough. I would just say that it helps to try and remember that she's probably scared, nervous, tired, insecure - and she's in an entirely new environment. She's also picking up on your feelings as well (whatever they may be at any given time). Being older than little wild man Franklin (one of my fave YT names, btw!:D), it is natural for her to need to "pull back" a little - they will likely establish a relationship where it will be up to HER when and if they play (and this will loosen up over time) - and that's normal.

Also, outside of your relationships with them (and within the pack) they are, right now, establishing their ground rules and heirarchy between each other - and if you interfere with it, it will end up being very confusing for them in the long run. The best thing you can do is remember that YOU are alpha - and then watch them to see eventually who is next in line, and respect what they've worked out. And they'll be SO much more at ease if you allow this "order" to work. They also have such different energy levels right now, so it's tough.

I don't think that she doesn't "like" stinkin' little Franklin - she's just trying to let him know a few things. Just love them both up, have play sessions with them together - and allow her to tell Franklin "no", if she needs to. And, just love her to death and bring her into the fold as much as possible so that any anxieties dispel as well. Wylie had to adjust to Marcel too - and he was SO insecure and needy when we brought Marcel (puppy) into the house - and now, total buds. But, Wylie is the boss - he's older, more uptight, and has a need to be the boss. :rolleyes:

A good book I'd recommed is The Loved Dog by Tamar Gellar - GREAT. Sorry for writing so much! :D Geesh!

Never be sorry for writing too much. I appreciate it!

No, we're still not sure if she's pregnant.. I think I'll just wait and see what the vet says tomorrow.

I will keep you all updated, though!

when first got Karlee i only had bentley and he HATED Karlee and us. She just wanted to play and he was like oh no.. TAKE HER BACK!!!! but after a week or two he FINALLY came around. To this day Bentley still hates puppies. i think i scared him for life! but all of our dogs get along now.. Even Lily our rescue does fine with everyone. It just takes time for them to adjust!

Hang in there, I know how stressful it can be. I have brough in 4 puppies in the last 2 1/2 years with an older (now 11 years old) grumpy pom. Each time it took a little to get then all adjusted to each other. With 4 they just form their own heirarchy and I let them work it out as long as no one was getting hurt. It took each of them different amounts of time to adjust from 2 days to 2 weeks. I know it will work out and you will be so happy you took her in.

Hi there, we had a similar problem when I first got Alfie , my mum's dog was the sweetest yorkie ever and was great with everyone but hated Alfie on 1st sight would growl and snarl at him we were taken aback as she was normally verys weet. It took a little while but eventually she came round and she loved him to bits..then we got Lottie and she loved her instantly :D I think it just took her a while with Alfie as she was used to being the only one and the puppy behaviour came as a quite a shock to her system......wishing you well with your little ones iam sure she will come round and make the best of friends in the longrun.:D

1/2 day?
 

you need to give them several days to get to be friends. It will come in time, but you need to be patient, and keep them apart a little to no territorial behavior gets in the way of their budding friendship.
Sue & Cricket
:aimeeyork

Yes I know 1/2 a day is too soon to be worried. But like I said, I was really stressed out and just wanted to vent.

Today is better! Not by much but better nonetheless.

They spend all day fighting for attention. Any time ANYBODY stops to pet one of them, the other runs up and pushes the other one out of the way. They also go around marking places the other has gone. Franklin is acting like a spoiled brat (mainly because he is) and barking at her and being mean to her. She just wants to sleep. She will still growl a little at him if he bugs her too much but for the most part, the roles have been reversed. He now runs around and barks at her any time she comes near anybody or near his things (currently, she is sleeping on the couch and Franklin is barking his head off). As a result, she has spent most of the day hiding in the kitchen, sleeping on her blankets. It's incredible how calm she is. My mom LOVES her!

I'm a little confused though because Franklin keeps trying to hump her - he's neutered so this is obviously a sign of dominance. But yesterday, SHE was the dominant one. She would have snapped at him yesterday but is just letting him hump her now. She's definitely adjusting better and pretty much ignores Franklin. I just hope HE adjusts!

We still don't know if she's pregnant although just about everybody that's seen her thinks she is. I'll let you all know after the vet appointment tomorrow.

Keeping my fingers crossed! I'd really like for Franklin to have a playmate. I really think that after a week or two, they'll learn to love each other.

pregnant?
 

I'm sorry you are having a hard time - puppies are a pain. Trust me I haven't slept an entire night since I have had mine. Signs of pregnancy - big belly, swollen nipples, extreme possessiveness and a grumpy, emotional attitude - oh yes, a lack of patience for other's puppies. Sorry, but she shows all of the signs. Hopefully not. If they are truly driving you crazy, separate them for a while. He just wants to be a puppy. If she is pregnant, she needs her own crate, a place she feels safe where he will not intrude! When the pups get close she might accidently hurt him, he is not hers and she really doesn't know him. This will be a very difficult time for you if she is pregnant. NOT impossible. Keeping them separated a lot during the day is your best bet. If she seems to be getting irritated, take the baby to a separate area. Probably not what you banked on when you got her. Gently squeeze her nipples every two days or so, milk shows imminent birth, keep him away once you see this. It may turn out to be one of the sweetest things to happen to you.:D

If shes not pregnant, maybe shes is heat?

Just wanted to share... Franklin is sitting on my lap chewing on a bully stick and Maggie is laying on the couch right next to him and they are completely ignoring each other! No growling, no barking.. I can pet Maggie and Franklin doesn't run up trying to get my attention!

In other news, Maggie's vet appointment is today.. I will post later tonight with an update.

However - my bf's mom volunteered to take care of Maggie while she's pregnant (if she is) until the puppies are born! Isn't that sweet of her? And if something doesn't eventually work out between Franklin and Maggie, both my mom and Andrew's mom said they would love to have her. YAY I'm excited.

Diana that is an INCREDIBLE update!!!!! so glad they are tolerating eachother. I'm sure Maggie was pissed yesterdya and Franklin was scared so she took over and now he realizes she isnt going anywhere so he has to make up for yesterday and show her who is in charge. She must be one tired and stressed out girl. But good boy Franklin for coming around :) And what great news that people are willing to help you if she is pregnant. If she is i'm sure she'd rather be out of the loud stressful environemnt that Mr. Franklin is creating :p can't wait for the update tonight. ! IF she has puppies... we want PICTURES!!!! it will be interesting to see if they look pure bred or not!

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