Hi, i was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on the following.  I have 2 staffs a boy who is 13 months and a new puppy a girl who is 12 weeks.  The problem I have is that the puppy keeps growling and biting my other dog.   He is a real softy so just lets her get away with it but I'm concerned that those little puppy teeth will end up hurting him as she usually tries to bite his face.  My older dog is fascinated by her and doesn't give her much space if she's awake, wherever she is he is right behind her.  Sometimes it looks like she is really going for him, she goes up on her back legs and just lunges at him with her teeth out she making a horrible growling sound that I've only heard before when two dogs have been fighting.  As he doesn't really seem to mind (sometimes he will nibble her back but he never shows any aggression towards her) I'm not sure if this is dogs just playing or she's being aggressive.  Any advice is much appreciated, thanks. 

Sounds like a normal puppy being tolerated by an adult, you are lucky my BCs used to run a mile from puppies whilst the GSD bitch allowed them to maul, bite & pull until she had had enough then a non aggressive grump & she walked away

Puppies are allowed a lot of behaviour by adult dogs as part of their learning process your boy sounds very tolerant & it is helped of course by the puppy being a bitch ;)

As MM says, perfectly normal behaviour.

I have a nearly 3 yr old male Briard and a now 6 month old female Briard. From day one she has victimised him :rolleyes: He too has a very laid back, placid temperement and will tolerate everything. She lunges at him, shows her teeth, bites him all around the head, legs, you name it, if it's available, she'll bite it, she bahaves like Satans filly :D She bit him so hard last week that his brow bone was bleeding :( even then, he didn't murmur a sound.

Basically, the more he takes, the more she gives. She didn't get away with it with my old alpha bitch, one look from the older one was enough!!

Pups will always push the boundries, it's how they learn. Yes it sounds aggresive, but very rarely something to worry about :)

My pup does this to my older dog too, he will go on and on and not give up, but when enough is enough the pup is soon told and flumps down and sulks! :)

I have the same situation - 16 month old male and 13 week old female. The pup tortures our boy and it was getting to the point that I was worried that he was getting too much abuse and I was wondering if I should intervene. Then, last weekend, he was lying stretched out on the floor after a nice long walk and a cooling swim in the river. Puppy came bouncing in wanting to play and was jumping all over him and biting him etc. He opened one eye, let out a long, low growl and puppy backed right off. I almost cheered for him!! Like your dog, he is very laid back and tolerant of the puppy but I was reassured to see that he can and will put her in her place when he feels he needs to.

As I type this, she's sitting on his back chewing on his ears and he doesn't look a bit concerned. Don't think he'll be as happy to let her do that when she's 9 stone...poor lad will be squished!

Hi Kay, Have only just read your post, I also have 2 Staffies, Charlie 3yrs and Molly (the Moo) who's 9mths. I must say your post made me chuckle as I had the exact same problem with Molly attacking poor Charlie who is a big softy as far as she's concerned. I also posted here for advice so if you do a search you may find it. (I can't remember the title, sorry)

I have had Staffies for 13yrs and my last Staffie Tessa (who had to be pts last Aug 27th) was 10yrs when I got Charlie (Charle wasn't planned, he sort of turned up on my doorstep under someones arm and needing a home but that's another story) Tessa soon put him in his place with just a look and a low growl, she played with him but on her terms. I still find myself telling Charlie that we could do with Tessa here to do the same with Molly.

Like someone else said the first time Charlie did loose his patience with her and told her off big time I actually cheered him. I also have 6 Cats and Molly has only just stopped chasing them. Charlie has never ever chased them infact he's scared stiff of Cats although I did read somewhere that most Leo (star sign) Dogs have a built in fear of Cats!!!!!  Charlie certainly has. I forgot about this when I got Molly who's a Libra and so far is not scared of anything.

Charlie still lets Molly beat him up and at one time he had bites all over him even on his head from her puppy teeth. There are 2 other Staffie pups (boy and girl 5mths and 6mths) in our road and they all play together in each others gardens but Charlie doesn't allow them to pester him he gives them a look and a low growl (which he obviously learned from Tessa) and they back of straight away and then Molly jumps him to show off and he lets her away with it again so I wouldn't worry to much. Your boy sounds lovely and your wee girl sounds just like mine, her names not Molly is it?  What are their names?

I now realise that Charlie allows Molly to be the boss for as long as it suits him but I have also had the pleasure of watching Charlie sometimes remind her (not in a nasty way) that he could be the boss if he really wanted to. Just be glad that your boy is so good with her and has so much patience with her. Also that horrible growling sound is par for the course with most Staffies when they play together. Molly's favourite game is divebombing Charlie from the couch and the noise she makes you'd think she was killing him. 

By the way Charlie is a long legged Staff weighing 28K and Miss Molly is a shortlegged Staff weighing 15k and only half the size of him so watching her lunge at him spitting fire is quite funny.

All the best, Deirdre,Charlie,Molly and the Cats