Help i don't know what to do , i bought a new pup ( staffi ) for my other 10 mth staffi , a playmate, however this new pup is nothing like my eldest although the same breed, she has a completley different temprement and i am unsure what she will turn out like , she gets very aggresive towards my eldest staffi and doesn't show hardly any signs of affection , my eldest is very loving and licks , whereas the new pup bite everyone and everything !! She winds my eldest up and to be fair she has taken it well so far , but the 8 wk still goes on attacking her . The thing that worries me is that i am not sure i could trust her with the kids , whereas i could put a 100% trust in the eldest .
Has anyone got any advice from a desperate woman .

thanks

Jo

Jo

Firstly the pup is like most pups sorting out its place in the pack. It will soon learn what your other dog finds acceptable, if it actually bites the older dog will probably pin it down and tell it in no uncertain terms  that it has over stepped the mark. If anything this should help to teach bite inhibit. If you watch carefull there should be a lot of noise and and the pup may appear to be hanging off of the older dog, BUT there will never be any blood/scabs.  

Hi Jo x

I'm sure someone with more experience will be along soon to help you, it might be hlepful if yououtline how you have introduced the pup to the older dog and what socialising with other dogs you are doing.

When we first had our pup we went to puppy classes and were told how to manage introductions - this is mainly due to pups needing to understand what commands from other dogs mean.  I've seen an adult dog attack a pup due to the pup (and the owners of the pup) not spotting the signs and separating them.  Puppies can get a bit over excited with other dogs even when they do understand how to behave - might be worth giving them both some time-out from eachother on a regular basis?

I'm pretty new to dog ownership, but with regard to biting your children - she will if you don't teach her not to, assume you've started to teach bite inhibition?

Good luck with everything, hope someone gives you some helpful advice soon!
Nx

Thanks for the advice , she already hangs of my eldest's face and so far Saffi just pins her , do you think i should let my eldest show her whos boss , even if it means hurting the youngest , at the moment i step in if the youngest really snarls and it looks like it is going too far . The youngest never backs down at all !

>The youngest never backs down at all !

That's because she's only 8 weeks old, doesn't know the rules, is still learning about everything  is doing what is perfectly natural to an 8 week old and pushing her luck, as they all do at this age  ;)

I don't think at this age you can say that she's aggressive. When pups play with other dogs, they do make lots of noise and hang off faces and any other dangly body parts that happen to be available I very rarely interfere, they need to learn what hurts and it is a valuable lesson in bite inhibition that is taught best by dogs.

My bitch taught my now 3yr old and 10 month old all there is to know about manners and doggy etiquette. Yes, at times it did look severe, she didn't suffer playful puppies for long before putting them in their place and yes, there was a lot of screams from the pups,  but she never seriously hurt them. Just pinned pup to the floor and  it was given a good talking to.

It would be a good idea to let the older one have time out from the pup on a regular basis. She needs somewhere to go where she isn't constantly treated as a toy :D Also it gives the pup precious time to do what pups do best, sleep.

Let them find their own level. And try not to panick, it's still very early days :)

Hi - I think it's a good idea not to let them be together all day.  Crate either one or the other (probably crating the 8 wk old is best because they you will avoid toilet messes too).  When they are out of the crate together, supervise them closely.  At the first sign that the play is going a bit far, pick the pup up and crate her.  Pups should not be allowed to pester older dogs like this, and older dogs should always be able to get away from the pup if they want some space.

Your eldest is still a baby too so it may take her some time to work out how to discipline your new girl.

I have at tiny pup myself who thinks she is boss but she has already been put in her place a couple of times by my older girl 2 and a half.  There have been a few yelps but now she is very careful how she approaches the older girl and there have been no more tellings off.  I would say my older girl is my more dominant dog.

The boy age 3 and a half is a different matter.  The new puppy pulls his hair, his nose, his tail and he lets her get away with it.  He will just walk away when he has had enough and I have to stop the little fun bundle following him.

When my other dog, girl 21 months, comes to stay my older girl pins her once or twice and then they play like old school mates. 

It could be that when your new girl finds her place she is the dominant one.  I can only say again be vigilant and do give your older puppy lots of her own time and space.

i brought my puppy home at 6 weeks,introduced her to jasper our 10 month old pup and they are the best of mates.they have loads of scraps,they are play fighting like son and dads do at home.and when she crosses the line or vice versa trust me they tell each other.the noise that comes from them both is hilarious she growls and dangles from his beard and he pretends hes gonna bite her little head off but their only kidding.they are a lot cleverer than you think.the whole thing looks aggressive when in fact its good fun and playtime to them.like said earlier there is no blood otherwise i would be worried.even when the eldest is ill or sleeping she will stand on his head and chew on his ears until he gets up.they are babies and babies have no understanding of things like that all she wants to do is play with your eldest dog so dont worry too much.

thanx heaps for all of your advice ...............i really have been getting worried they might not get on , or my new pup was being too aggressive . I think the thing i can confide in is she doesn't show me or any human any malice and when she gets a telling off ( for chewing up a lovely flower decoration !!! ) she is very humble indeed , plus the fact , we don't know how our eldest may of reacted in the same senario ,as she had us all to herself, and had no older sis to get used to .   The other factor is, she was from a small litter of three and they had no human interaction as mum and dad were on a farm for breeding only ( i think ), when we picked Pippa up her mum was in a stable , ALL ON HER OWN  ( very sad , i wanted to take her home as well ), so the woman in the pet shop said this may have contributed to her behavior . I am sure they will be fine.

Cato1 , you know when you said jasper looks like he is going to bite her head off , does he get all of her head in his mouth , this is what Saffi is doing to Pippa and i am scared it may puncture her eye , it looks very dangerous, at this piont Pippa goes nuts, snarling  and showing her teeth. Saffi is now trying to goad Pippa , for no reason at all.

I am going to get a cage for Pippa as it makes sense , i didn't get one for Saffi as she didn't need one , but Pippa certainly does ( either that or saying goodbye to my house if we had to leave her at home!! ). It will also give Saffi some peace now and agian and give Pippa a safe haven to go when she needs it .
Thanks again everyone