Help- new puppy!
 

How can I stop new 4 month old yorkie puppy from pouncing on 4 year old yorkie? Puppy is absolutely adorable but is pulling older dogs ponytail and scaring her when she pounces. I have never seen older dog growl or bite ( until now) puppy hasn't cried so I think older dog is just trying to stop her not hurt her. Older dog is allowing puppy to eat her food and take her toys away but I think she scares her when she pounce and she is hurting her when she grabs her hair. I am trying to stay in between but the little one is so darn fast. I keep puppy in playpen when I work(4 hrs) and when I am not home. I take puppy outside and play to get rid of excess energy when I get home. I put puppy on a harness with a long leash in house today so I could stop pouncing and biting before it occurredIit is almost as if she is using older dog like a chew toy I wanted a puppy so older dog would have a playmate but I feel so badly for her now. Will it get better?

I have the exact same problem, I have 4 yorkies but the problem is my 2 females. Tessie is 2 1/2 and Sassy is 11 months. I got Sassy when she was 13 weeks old, she has terrorized Tessie from the beginning. Sassy growls and snaps and bites at Tessie all the time. Tessie is 12 lbs Sassy is 6 lbs. Tessie is very laid back and Sassy is crazy hyper,Tessie will growl when she has enough of her. They are both spayed now and Sassy is calming down some. I think Sassy just wants to play. In the past 2 weeks they spend more time together but still don't love each other yet. When Sassy gets too wild I put her in the laundry room in the kitchen in time out. You just have to teach the puppy not to do this, when she is spayed she should calm down but she is still young. Just make sure you give your other dog a lot of extra attention so she knows you still love her.

Your older dog growling and nipping is normal behavior - mommies and littermates do this all the time. The baby will grow out of it eventually she just really wants to play now. I agree with Susan Lynn - give your older dog some special time and extra attention so she knows you love her.

I'm so glad this was posted. Choppa is 4 months and Shanti is almost 3 and he works her nerve. He will squeeze anywhere he cab to get his teeth on her tail. He gets a firm hold and pulls. He pounced like tigger. Constant puppy growling and 'I run this' play. If she is getting the best of him he will lay down for 10 seconds then girl himself at her.
I think the older dog will keep the baby inline. When she has had enough she knows
How to say beat it in doggie speak.

When I got the two puppies Ginny Joy and Abba Boy We had a war zone. At first the older dogs just escaped by climbing on the sofa and so on.Then as the puppies could climb up after them, tactics changed. Gracie would cry and run to me jumping on my leg so I would pick her up. I hushed the puppies and made them stop trying to nurse on her. Rubin finally bit them both, one quick snap on their neck area and they gave him a wide berth after that. Gracie after a few days of being chased and nipped at, attacked them. I had to make her stop. She had Abba on the floor and he was yelping like crazy. I thought she was really hurting him. I couldn't find any broken skin but, he had wet spots from her saliva on the back of his neck and shoulder area. Abba was so tiny I was really afraid. He even now only weighs barely 3 lbs. But he wasn't hurt. The next day same thing happened with Ginny Joy and Gracie. They rarely fuss or fight now. Lily our Lab is quite big, we didn't let her play with the puppies at first, at all. Mostly afraid she would step on one :). Now Lily lays down and plays with them, we supervise carefully. We never play ball or toss with the Lab and Yorkies at the same time. She would stomp all over them. I guess what I am trying to say is most families settle down into a pecking order, with you as the leader of course. I suggest reading Cesar Millan's books they are cramed full of good advice.

Thanks for the input. Initially I felt older dog would correct her and she does try to ( had quite a few teeth pulled) I have put my hands between the two and neither is biting hard but puppy is grabbing older dogs ponytail and shaking her like a chew toy. The fight doesn't seem fair. My husband is afraid puppy will hurt older dogs eyes. Older dog doesn't seem to be She tried it and older dog felt she did something wrong and hid.