Hi
I already have a two year old female staff and yesterday I got a 9 week old male staff.  I introduced them in a mutual location like I was advised to and they had a little sniff of each other.  Now my oldest dog doesn't want anything to do with the puppy.  Can anyone give me any advice on what to do next.  I have tried giving the oldest dog lots of attention but every time the pup comes over she just walks away from it.  She won't even look at the puppy.  She is not showing any signs of agression.  Do you think she just needs time.  I am starting to worry I might have made a wrong decision. 

Any advice is appreciated.

Nicola Gray
nicolagray2@hotmail.com

as long as she isnt being agressive towards it i wouldnt worry,shes prob just sulking .she just needs to get used to the idea of the puppy being there. but try not to force the puppy onto her as she will come around in her own time! :)

Hi Nicola,

Your female dog is showing 'calming signals' by walking away from the puppy. This also indicates to the puppy to calm down (we know how active staffies can be!). You should definitely not be worrying, as this is very polite doggie behaviour she is displaying. As long as she is not being aggressive, then there is no need to worry. However, it is very important that she has her own personal space and the puppy is not allowed to pester her. She will come around in her own time and start to find the pup great fun (ALWAYS supervise their play and don't let it go on for a long time).

I suggest you crate-train your pup, so that he is used to being on his own and not pestering your female staff. Also, make sure you have quality with your female staff alone, away from the pup.

When you put them together, do small, happy obedience exercises with both, so that they are having a good time and things are controlled.

Just make sure you supervise them together and remain relaxed - any tension will be sensed by your female staff.

Best wishes,
Patty

Hi Nicola,

Almost all adult dogs regardless of breed or sex react in the same way as your girl - so don't fret ;)  One of my bitches steadfastly refused to play with a new arrival until he was about 2 years old yet she'd play with EVERY other pup we met :D   Your girl just needs time to adjust to the arrival of the "young pretender" and so long as you supervise things carefully and ensure she has time-out from the puppy I'm sure all will be fine.   It's early days - the most important factor is that she's not showing any signs of aggression - make sure she gets some extra fussing and quality time with you so her nose doesn't feel out of joint with all the extra attention pups demand.

Good luck, Teri :)