New puppy jealous of older dog

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carken
Posts: 4
Joined: 03 Dec 2017, 15:02
First Name: Carol

New puppy jealous of older dog

Post by carken »

Hi.
We have an 11 year old mini bitch, Poppy, who is really placid with a wonderful temperament. Our problem is our new bitch puppy, Willow, who is 11 weeks old and seems jealous of our old girl. We didn't think Poppy would be jealous but the puppy! Willow constantly nips at Poppy's feet and legs and barks at her, Poppy tries to put Willow in her place but she's so feisty she won't back off. They play too but Poppy has just been diagnosed with cancer and can't take too much strenuous activity. To help her out I get her on the sofa with me to have some peace.
Whenever Poppy tries to go through a door Willow pushes in front of her and keeps barking and jumping at her and when Poppy is outside Willow will stop her from coming back inside.
Poppy is really trying to make her back off and has mouthed Willow's head and knocked her down but Willow just won't take the hint. Do you think she'll get better...we've had her 3 weeks.
Poppy has had a tumour removed from her neck and has another near her liver....we lost her sister in 2015 with lung cancer. We're trying to keep Willow away and put her out the kitchen as we don't want to lock her in her cage at such a young age. Should we let Poppy try to take care of it?
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zeta1454
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Re: New puppy jealous of older dog

Post by zeta1454 »

Young puppies like Willow are keen to play and can be very boisterous with other dogs and it is up to you to manage the interactions between Poppy and Willow to make sure that your older girl has space and privacy when she wants. I can understand that you do not want to keep Willow crated too much but the other option is to use a playpen which will give her more space than a crate but where she is confined for times when you are not actively engaged with her.

It may not be jealousy that Willow is exhibiting but just puppy hi jinks and possibly trying to assert herself over Poppy seeing herself as the "young pretender" to top dog position. As puppies mature even before they leave the breeder, they will have been testing out their litter mates to see who can be "top dog" among their siblings - the rivalry is often fleeting and can change from day to day or play session to play session but it is a growing up stage which they all go through. Poppy is really too old for such shenanigans at her age and should not be put in a situation where she needs to physically restrain or confront Willow. You must always make sure that Poppy has a safe place higher than Willow can reach ( such as the sofa which you mention) or in a different room. Make sure the girls eat separately from each other so that Poppy can eat in peace and try to avoid situations where Poppy and Willow are both trying to enter or leave at the same time. If Poppy needs to go out in the garden for example, let her go out while Willow is in a crate / playpen / other room and make sure that Poppy has been able to come back in before Willow is let out. It sounds as though it is too early to allow the two of them to be outside playing if Willow is too boisterous for Poppy and, although you need to train and interact with Willow as much as possible in these early weeks, it must not be at the expense of Poppy's wellbeing.

With dogs who are closer in age and size it may be possible to allow them to sort out a "pecking order" between them but ultimately you are the head of the family/pack and must look out for the most vulnerable one in your household which is Poppy. I would invest in a playpen for Willow where you could also if need be put her crate too if there is not enough room for both. She will need regular rest periods in any case throughout the day and, at any time when you are not playing with her or training her, she should really be in the playpen or crate so you know she is safe, she cannot get up to mischief and Poppy can have some time to wander freely without a puppy bothering her.

It is not easy when you have two dogs with such a large age gap between them. Hopefully Poppy may warm to Willow more as she matures and is less boisterous but do bear in mind that not all dogs in a family do become best pals and Poppy may always need her private and safe spaces to rest away from her young "sister" as she is so much older than Willow and she will look to you to provide these for her when she needs some peace and quiet.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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carken
Posts: 4
Joined: 03 Dec 2017, 15:02
First Name: Carol

Re: New puppy jealous of older dog

Post by carken »

Thank you for your reply.
Poppy is fond of Willow and gets really concerned if Willow cries out so I know she will be ok with her. My concern at the moment is allowing play whilst still protecting Poppy from our little piranha on legs. Like I said Willow is not phased in the slightest when Poppy attempts to put her in her place. Willow hates the crate and gets quite frantic when we put her in it...we've put treats and favourite toys in with her but once the treats are gone she starts again. I've read that antlers are good for teething so would they work well for distraction too.
I feed them separately as Willow is so greedy she tries to muscle in when Poppy is eating. I have a small house and I will have to find a place for a playpen in the living room as my kitchen is not big enough. What type of playpen is best? Baby or pet?
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