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Intro/ Puppy Question


gibson

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Hey everyone, this is my introduction here. What a wealth of knowledge this board contains! My wife and I just got a 7 week old BC puppy from a breeder here in NC. She comes from good lines of working dogs and we are so excited to add her to our family! With that being said, over the last couple days she has really come out of her shell and made our home her home. We have a 1.5 year old austrailian shepherd mix, "Dundee", that we rescued at 11 months. He is a terrific dog and very good with the puppy "Meg." We are worried he is to good with her....she has been playing with him since day one of her coming home and has gotten more and more "aggressive," for lack of a better term. She play fights with him and pounces on top of him and chews his face all while growling somewhat excessively. Dundee for the most part lays there and takes it, while only pinning her or standing up to get her off when she really bites him hard. My question is, is this normal for a BC pup? This is our first puppy from day one, as well as our fist BC. We expect the energy and welcome it, but is fighting with our older dog normal?

 

She is mouthy, as with any pup and we have been discouraging biting humans hands, but should we be doing anything else with her? Thanks so much for the help everyone! I look forward to the wealth of knowledge you all posses.

 

Ben

 

Here is Meg, looking cute and innocent, after she climbed into the toy basket:

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Meg is adorable. It sounds like Dundee is cutting Meg a lot of slack because she is such an infant. At some point he may growl at her and discipline her when she gets a little bigger. If he does, it will sound like he is killing her, but she will not be hurt, and will begin to mind her manners with her big brother after that. If he does this at some point, don't scold or discipline Dundee for doing it. That is how puppies learn. If at some point Dundee acts harassed but refuses to discipline Meg, you will than have to step in and basically do the job yourself. It will be better if Dundee does it himself, though. I do have one dog that is so soft that she will NOT discipline a puppy under any circumstances, so we have to watch her. But since Dundee is pinning her and refusing to play when he feels overwhelmed, he will probably do it in his own way, taking it slowly as Meg begins to grow. Have fun!

 

Kathy Robbins

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Welcome! It's been ages since I've had a pup of my own, but I'm around puppies all the time. What others have said about Dundee correcting her when it's time, I agree with. He likely will. Once she has all her shots, bringing her to a puppy play time, if there is one available in your area, would be an asset too. She'll get to play with puppies her own age and learn more acceptable play behaviour from them as well.

 

Getting your self familiar with play might help too! I volunteer with a local rescue and I notice that some of the more novice foster homes get all up tight and nervous when the pups play and get rowdy because they think the dog is being aggressive. Play can often seem quite loud and aggressive. Especially if you have a vocal dog. I have one dog who especially likes to play with bully breeds and rotweilers, I'm assuming it's because they tend to be physical and can take a lot, frequently, when he's playing with a dog that has a similar play style, all you can see are teeth. It looks frightening, but they are having fun. There are quite a few dogs who growl and bark while others play quite silently. Watching their body language helps a lot. If their bodies are loose and facial expressions, ears and tail are fairly relaxed and they are offering a lot of play bows then you're good. If bodies start to stiffen and the tail wag becomes rigid and slow, then it's time to step in.

 

I will second Dog Star Daily, lots of info there!

 

Good Luck!

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My BC (1 1/2 yr old) and Golden (3 yr. old) wrestle several times daily. It looks like my BC is killing the Golden when they do--growling, teeth flashing the works, but it's all play. They both love it. When my Golden has had enough, she just stands up and the game is over. I've even had to spray my Golden's tail with bitter apple to keep the BC from pulling out all her hair! I agree w Karen, if your Aussie corrects the pup, let him. Sound like a very natural comfortable friendship is being built between your dogs. If they ever do really fight, you'll be able to tell a difference between the "play" growl and the real thing. Now, enjoy that sweet baby!

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Thanks so much for all the responses everyone! Meg and Dundee have been building a strong relationship I believe. I will just always be standing by in case they get to out of hand. Meg turns 8 weeks tomorrow and is growing a ton everyday so I am savoring this time :)

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