Hi all :)

We have a Miniature Schnauzer Dog (Boston) who is 8yrs old and we just got him a pal Mini Schnauzer (Monty) who is nearly 9 wks. We have had Monty home now for almost 2wks and Boston wont have anything to do with him :( The pup always wants to play with him but Boston just runs away. He growls at him (not nasty but just a warning) when the pup is bugging him.

Im quite upset as my main reason for getting the pup was for my older dog as a companion. My grandma has a Bishon Frise (spelling?) and he and the pup play fine, talking to one another and lying together, but my dog wont have anything to do with him. Even if the pup just walkes over and lies next to him Boston gets up and moves away. You would think Monty had the Plague! lol!

I keep telling myself that this will get better and they will be friends when the pup grows a little. Anyone else had a similar thing and how did you fix it?

Thanks, Roxanne

Mine were the same for the first couple of weeks, If I went out I made sure they were not in the same room, 8 months later they are the best of friends, so it usually does work out.

My whippet's first reaction to Stan was a growl and he walked off in disgust. This continued for a month or two. Although Fred tolerated Stan to a certain extent, there was no love lost between them, and whenever Stan wanted to play, Fred would growl and tell him to get lost!

Don't be disheartened. What you are experiencing is very common. Your older dog is used to having you and your home to himself, and doesn't like this new lively occupant stealing your attention and disturbing his peace. However they will get on together eventually, I'm convinced about that.

Maybe someone will have some tips to speed up this process. I would try a few games to get them both involved. My dogs' favourite game is, "hunt the cheese". I hide a piece of cheese somewhere in the living room, open the door, and they both run in and run around sniffing out the cheese. At first Stan just followed Fred, but soon got the hang of the command.."Find the cheese". They absoloutely adore this game now. Maybe shared activities will help them bond. I also found things improved considerably once they went out on walks together.

Must be a bit of a change for your older dog to get used to not having you to himself, hehehe! I seem to remember reading somewhere that older dogs can be a bit wary of small pups, we certainly found when we introduced Minx aged 9 weeks to my mothers GSP that he was absolutely terrified of her, and would run away whenever she came near him (hilarious to watch though!). She's nearly his size now, and he finds her much less threatening, though he still gives way to her every time (except when he's trying to sniff her 'bits', when he ends up with her practically sitting on his head!). We had to make sure we gave Zak a place of his own where Minx couldn't go, so he could get a bit of peace from her when he wanted to. His favourite game is 'squeaky ball', and we found was happy to have Minx chase after him when the squeaky ball was involved (it helped that she couldn't catch him and pinch it!).

Thanks....I had thought that perhaps given some time they might become friends :) I think Boston is annoyed by him as he is a bit nippy and i dont think he likes it.

Maybe when the pup has grown a little and learned to control himself Boston might like him lol

Roxanne

Hi Roxanne,

Do make sure that your original boy has plenty of time away from the pup, so he can escape those nasty little needles :D It is important that they interact and that your boy shows him his place, but don't force him to stay with the pup if he doesn't want to. This will only cause resentment later on!

Give the time, when the pup learns a few doggie manners and calms down a bit, they will probably make friends and be best mates.

manda
X

hi
i brought my lab pup home last night, and my other 3 labs have all been different with her.poppy whos 6 has been very cautious and gentle with her, daisy whos two, and had a litter of pups in january is very ratty with her, and milo whos also two and usually very boisterous seems to be guarding her all the time.she is so confident and has already settled in really well eating and sleeping wise, and is keen to play with the other dogs.having said all this i watch them all the time, and either take her with me or crate her if i am leaving the room.i think your pup and dog will be fine soon cos poppy hated dasiy at first and used to snap at her, and now they are best friends!!