We have a very soft lab x ( 6 years )and our lab puppy who is 10 weeks old is harassing him - though playfully - to the point where our older dog is becoming depressed.  We stop as much of it as we can but our older dog will not stand up to the puppy and put him in his place as he is so gentle and soppy.  We forsee problems as the puppy is steadily becoming very dominant with the older dog - to the point of standing on him and growling if the older dog tries to move.  We are worried that we are creating a monster!  What can we do to prevent this becoming a real problem and our puppy getting far too full of himself?  Other dogs he has met have put him in his place instantly and he shows them the respect a puppy should accord to older dogs - but he reverts to his bullying tactics on our lab x and the older dog sulks and hides from him. 
This is upsetting us all!  Could it be that it's a 'dog' thing and that we wouldn't have this problem if we had a bitch puppy?  Is the little guy trying to assert himself over our very submissive older dog?  Have we made our lab x too soft?  Is he simply an only dog and unhappy because we have a pup in the house?  The older dog has never really been bothered about other dogs and we thought it would be ok and he would adapt.  He is truly miserable - can anyone please advise us?
Thanks
Clare

Clare - do you have a crate for either of them?

Clare,  I know a Clare with a young lab pup.. wondering if you are her.. did you do a keep fit class in a hula skirt recently? :D

Sorry to butt in...  I used to give my older lab time out by putting pup in another room and using a baby gate to keep them apart.

:)

Clare you must intercept. You need to get the message over to the puppy that his behaviour is unacceptable and that YOU will not tolerate it. When he is pushing his luck with your older dog, move quickly and hold the puppy firmly. Tell him very firmly NO. If he goes back and does it again, do it again and tell him NO again but this time alter your voice to more of a growl. Make sure he gets the message this time. He will forget at some point and you will have to remind him again that it is not acceptable behaviour. Eventually, just saying his name and NO will be enough to stop him. I agree that time out from each other is a very good idea for everyone concerned. Enjoy your puppy

Time out for the other dog is a good idea, so he gets time with you alone (and likewise the puppy gets time with you alone too ;))  What are you doing to try and stop the behaviour?  It may be that the puppy is finding this as rewarding, and is carrying out the behaviour to get you to pay him attention?

Seperate them as often as you can, I have this problem with my two bitches, 6 months and 9 years. My older dog, I dont think will ever get totally used to the pup, but she has learnt to put her in her place now and again. But when I can see she's had enough I just let her in the other rooms which the pup isnt allowed and this way she gets 'time out'. Plenty of cuddles and walks for the older dog too so she doesn't feel pushed out by the new arrival, and also so you don't feel too guilty when you pay attention to the new pup. My bitch also looks depressed and gets totally fed up with her chasing her around.
Can't be much more help to you, I'm afraid, as I'm still learning myself :)

Hi Clare,

Please don't despair, I think you're jumping too far ahead by worrying that a 10 week puppy is dominating your older dog - almost all normal, healthy 10 week pups, regardless of breed, gender etc are pretty nutty ;-)

I agree with other posts that your older lad needs some space, distance and also quite a bit more time to adjust to the latest arrival.  Despite your lab x being a quiet and docile soul he will more than likely have a new best friend in this puppy and go on to find him a great source of play etc. - it just takes time all round

It may take another few weeks but your other dog probably will eventually tell him off - just that being such a mild mannered chap he's not felt it appropriate yet <LOL>

Give them both lots of attention individually - this will avoid your adult dog's nose being out of joint and also give the pup some one to one training, socialising etc and all important bonding with his human family.

A crate is an excellent way to give the pup his own space while ensuring your older dog doesn't feel over crowded.  Train the puppy to enjoy his crate with toys, feeds etc in there - he'll begin to see it as a nice and comfy place to be :-) :-)  :-)

Wishing you the best of luck - and remember, enjoy this puppy nonsense, it really doesn't last as long as we think! 

It is important to make sure that as the pup grows a little he does get told off a little by sensible adult dogs. All too often, a youngster whose pal has been soft can sometimes be a terror in the park and has no concept of pushing just that little bit too far. He then either meets a few dogs who put him in his place (which is OK) or may meet a dog who is really angry and just will not put up with this and has a real go at him.

It may be a good idea to get him to meet other adult dogs - maybe those of friends - and also get him to puppy classes (but do make sure they are not ones that hold a free for all as they can make pups much worse!! ).

My view is not to worry unduly but keep an eye on things, give the older dog some space, and try to get the pup educated over the next few weeks if at all possible.

Good luck

Lindsay
x

It's not just 'free' puppy classes that can make puppies worse - it's the unsupervised free play classes that make puppies worse - and money doesn't come into it - this sort of situation can happen in any class where that is allowed :(