How can I stop my bitch being protective of my younger pup? We got a new pup a couple of months ago and recently when out on walks our bitch has been overly protective of him. If another dog comes up to see our pup then she muscles in and puts herself between the pup and the other dog. She also grumbles if she perceives the other dog to be too rough when playing with our pup. If we take her away a bit she will sit or lie down and ignore everything.

You could try pre-empting her and instead reward herfor the presence of other dogs around the youngster. Lots of tasty treats, not biccies but liver or something and she after a while associate the presence of other dogs + pup with enjoyment. It wont happen overnight though. Generally ensure she is under control and  so on...it may not be a bad idea to walk them separately at times too so she can interract normally with other dogs again.

Lindsay
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