We had three dogs, and about 6 weeks ago we rescued a puppy that was 12 weeks old.  We introduced them at home, supervised them carefully and there seemed to be no major problems.  At first the puppy was a little over-enthusiastic and the other dogs would put him in his place by barking/growling, which was no problem.  Now, two of the older dogs have no problems with the pup, and he is generally behaving very well.  Our other dog, a shepherd, has developed a habit of attacking the puppy for no apparent reason, and has drawn blood on a few occasions, the most recent needing stitches.  Every time the attacks happen it is when we are with them, never when they are alone.  It seems the pup just has to walk close to the older dog to get attacked.  We have reprimanded the shepherd every time he growls or bites the puppy, but it doesnt seem to be working.  We have also tried to give the same amount of attention to all the dogs that they got before, so we are worried that we may have to rehome the pup, as it is not fair that he keeps getting hurt.  We really want them all to get along, any ideas?

Not sure I can help but the fault lies with the older dog and it is not responding to the pup in the normal and expected way. What we have to try and do is find out why. You do not say if the dogs are male or female, that could have some bearing.
You don't say if the aggressive dog is also a rescue, could be he was taken from the nest too soon or has not learned to read other dogs body language.
Could be the older dog is scared of the pup.
Do you have somewhere the older dogs can escapee to away from the pup whenever they want to.
Do you think it is jealousy of you and your attention.
What breed/type is the new pup.
You say the older one is a shepherd what sort of shepherd, what is it's background, how old, how fit, anything else you think may give a reason for this uncharacteristic behaviour.
Until you get further help I would stop telling the older dog off, call him to you and then say good boy.

Hi robnmand,
Poor puppy, it will never forget. I would cage the nasty one and not leave them alone, there will be some good advice on here but! I personally have never had this. A friend had this problem with her rottie bitch and male gsd. The rottie had the side of the pups face, then waited for another go, when alone, and had his eye, he many have to have the eye removed, he is only 13 weeks. I personally do not think it will stop.

Denese

Oh thats such a shame, your shepherd has obviously took an instant dislike to your new puppy , if he were just growling and warning him Id say persevere and see how it goes but if he is actually drawing blood then its not good.
The Shepherd is obviously very upset and the pup is going to loose all his confidence around other dogs , its hard I know but you may be better trying to rehome your pup now before you get any more attached.
Sounds like it would save you all a lot of heartache

Hi,

It sounds like the older dog is feeling threated and scared of the pup rather than nasty :-)  I wander if the pup has nipped him with his needle sharp teeth early on and decided he is best kept away? I also wander does the GSD have any guarding issues with anything, toys, food, space etc?

Have you had the older dog from a puppy - it could be that he is just lacking in bite inhibition and that why he is marking the pup when telling him off or it could be that he means to mark him and really wants him to go away.  Is he generally ok with other dogs and has he met pups before? A lot of male dogs don't like puppies.

I would make sure for the time being that all their interaction is supervised as bad experiences now could really affect your little pup and how he feels about dogs in the future and how he learns to deal with them.  I would manage the situation so that the pup doesn't get the opportunity to jump on the adult dog or mouth at him or generally pester him.  Keep them both on trailing house lines if necessary. 

You can get puppy pens that are much bigger than crates and allow the pup room to play and and run around, it may be worth getting one of these so that you can have both older dog and pup in the room and just relax and let them get used to each others presence and realise that good things happen when they are near each other, like extra special yummy treats that the only get when they are around each other.  That way the older dogs can have his space as normal and realise the the pup is not a threat.  Either that or you can get kiddies play pens that can be used in differenbt shapes and can also fold pout so they can be used as a room divider, I have one of these and have found it invaluable for introducing new fosters, as it means fosters and resident dogs can be in the same room but still have their own space.

When you take them out to the garden together maybe keep them on lead for the time being or at least the pup so that he doesn't invade the bigger dog space and then the pup is near you to keep him safe.  Obviously allow them free access to the garden individually.

Is the pup ready for walks?  If so take them out on some short walks together as this can be good bonding time for doggies.  I would also make sure that your little pup gets one to one walks aswell so that he can interact with other dogs.  Same for your other dog so that he gets individual time with you as well.

Try and relax as much as possible when they are around each other as the older guy will pick up on any tension from you and react accordingly.  Managing the situation should help you be able to relax more because you will feel more confident as the pup will be safe.

Try making the older dog understand that the pup = good things so all his favourite things happen with the pup around.  It's early days and can take time for all to adjust.  Good luck :-)

ETA, it might be worth getting a reputable reward bassed behaviourist in to assess the situation and give you some ideas - sometimes it can be hard to read things when you are emotionally invloved.

Some excellant advice has already been given, however, would you kindly give a little more information, it also helps us with advice if we can get an undersanding of why?

Ages of all dogs,
Breeds of all dogs,
Sexes of all dogs,
Pecking order of the dogs?
Any previous behavioural issues from all dogs?
How long have you had all the dogs?
Has the elder dog been vet checked for any medical causes?

Once we can get a fuller picture it is easier to understand each dogs positions and possible reactions to a newcomer.

I agree that it is most unusual for an adult dog to ever draw blood from a pup, putting a pup in it's place should never involve real teeth to flesh contact, so there is a real problem here. The only reasoning I can think is if both pup and aggressor are male and there is no large Alpha female in your pack to eventually appease the Alpha males upset of a new male in the house especially if the same breed.

I know I need to know whether the other dogs are bitches or dogs it will make a difference to how we go about protecting this pup and just how much of a role this adult male has over the other dogs, so would you please come back with more info thanks. :-)

Every time the attacks happen it is when we are with them, never when they are alone.  It seems the pup just has to walk close to the older dog to get attacked. 

This info could be very important.

It might be that the adult dog is more resource guarding (ie his humans, or his space, or his toys or food) rather than anything else.
This is why it is important sometimes to get a professional on board to assess and help with aggression problems, because what they may see is not always what an owner may see (IYSWIM!!!!!!)

It may be kinder/easier/better to rehome the pup before mental damage is done (ie the pup becomes dog aggressive as it grows, and generalises this to other dogs out and a bout). Telling the older dog off, esp. if it is either uneasy or else resource guarding, will likely make the problem worse, esp. as the pup grows, unfortunately.

My suggestion would be to get someone reputable to assess the problem - try http://www.apbc.org.uk/ or else http://www.apdt.co.uk/local_dog_trainers.asp with the second they need to have a fair amount of behavioural experience, do double check exactly what they have as some will be only trainers.

I hope this helps - but please, dont delay as the pup could end up being hurt more or there could be other issues. Also sometimes aggression (even aggression to just one dog/human in the family) can sometimes be caused by a medical problem.

< Every time the attacks happen it is when we are with them, never when they are alone. >

Firstly I would say NEVER, EVER leave them alone.

When I first got my pup, a year ago, I had various reactions from each of my other 5 dogs. Some thought "great, another play mate", they got on well instantly, others thought "Oh God, not another one" and although weren't aggressive at all, kept their distance. However, one would have killed the pup given half a chance. With her it was a case of keeping them apart with baby gates/crates until the friction declined, very gentle, controlled introductions, but this took a good couple of months. These two are now best of friends and are the two most playful within the "pack".

So, take it slowly and carefully and things may work out.

Hi all,
Thanks for all your replies...here is some extra info.
The pup is a male shar-pei (yes, we know they can be difficult!! must be suckers for punishment or somehting..)
The dog who is being aggressive is a 4 year old male Catalan (spanish) sheepdog, who we have had since a small puppy, and yes, he is quite protective of us and his toys, although has no problems with food.
We also have a 6 year old boxer bitch, who was a resuce, and is definitely alpha dog in our house (she was here first).  She LOVES the pup and is very gentle and tolerant with him.
Lastly we have a small male cross-breed who isn't really interested in the pup one way or the other, tends to just ignore him.  The puppy is just ready for walks so I think we will definitely try walking the pup and the shepherd together and see if this helps them bond.

Boxer (Bitch) Alpha 6 years old
Catalan Sheepdog (male) 4 years old
Small Cross (male)
Sharpei pup (male) 12 weeks, 

Ok, it is great that your Boxer bitch has accepted the pup, usually once an Alpha accepts a new pup a bitch of a lesser pecking order will become the Nanny, it is her job to protect a pup from an annoyed male or even the Alpha bitch, with her missing, an Alpha bitch generally will not get in-between any fracas between other pack members so that will need to be your job now.

Your small cross appears to be no trouble,

Your Sheepdog, well he is doing his job, he's protective and sees the Sharpie as an interloper, unless the Alpha steps up you are going to have to appease your Sheepdog, the walking together and trying to bond is a great idea.

However, now your not going to like my post. (yes, we know they can be difficult!! must be suckers for punishment or somehting..)
this shows you are not blind to what I am going to say.  You know you have a breed here the Sharpie which is not always male dog tolerant, not a fault of the dog, just a breed trait and of course not always so, there are occassions with good breed temperaments, good socialisation that they get on with other males, however they are a dominant breed.

However, I would only introduce a male Sharpei into a household with very laid back males or bitches,  unfortunately your Sheepdog has drawn the blood of this pup, I would be lying if I did not say I am very worried about what may happen in your household in 12-18 months time, when this Sharpie is a big boned adolescent, he will no doubt wish to take over as top male dog, now this can work if your Sheepdog were to become submissive and laid back towards him, but due to his actions todate I don't know if that would happen, what if he challenges, you may well have a bloodbath on your hands a year from now.

Personally, this is not a mix I would have, I'm always very careful about which breeds and temperaments mix together. At Christmas I have approx 20 dogs in my home (large family) all different breeds most neutered, but two entire GSD's and an entire Cocker and lots of bitches, the only dog not allowed to stay with us is my nephews Akita, great people dog but a dominant male aggressor, if he were in my home with the other dogs there would be a terrible atmosphere. (Or worse)

This mix of a possesive Sheepdog and a male Sharpei I would not advise.

I guess others may disagree, (and probably will :-D ) but I am always Miss Careful and I would be very worried about a year from now, I like to match packs with temperaments and breed traits that mix together well, I just don't think this pack dynamic will, only my opinion, and I will be very happy for you to prove me wrong, but myself I would re-home the Sharpie to a home with laid back males, or better still bitches or as a lone dog. Sorry.................... I know it is not what you want to hear, but just my own thoughts on the matter.

I would also look at rehoming your sharpei. If any of my dogs had ever bitten another in my house, which needed stitches I would be very concerned. I would never, ever leave them alone. I heard a story last year about a well known border collie owner/agility trainer. His dogs didn't get on & one even managed to get out of a cage while they were left unattended. When he returned home on one occasion, one was dead & there was a blood bath in his kitchen. Sounds extreme I know, but dogs give warnings which should always be heeded.

All the advice on here is really good, so not much more i can add exept if you decide to rehome contact the breeder that you got the puppy from because they would usually rather the puppy came back to them than being given to someone else.

Absolutelly agree, when this pup starts to mature I really dread to think what would happen (if he survives the attention of the Catalan in the meantime). I most surely would not risk it and would rehome the puppy whilst it is still young and rehomeable through the breeder.