puppy vs puppy- help!

all_smilz

Hi,
i have a 14 week old Cavapoo who we felt needed a little playmate so we got a week 7week old terrier.... Lebowski (cavapoo) is mad to play but Jackson (terrier) gets rather snarly and is a bit more bold (? for want of a better word).... we are trying to stop Lebowski humping him but also jackson is just nippy and narky in general so we dont want to make Lebowski feel left out if we concentrate on disciplining nipping or snarling. I know that there is a certain amount of roughness in dog play and they are both boys but should it be SO aggressive? what can we do? other than that they get on well in general and thats why we brought in a 2nd dog so they could occupy one another.

*Lebowski was not being left on his own for long periods of time- I bring him to work and we organise our day around them to a fair extent.... we just want them to be good friends and not constantly fighting like our neighbours dogs......

i'd appreciate any constructive suggestions!

wolfsshadow

your problem is that the cav thinks he's the boss and the terrier doesn't agree, neither should be the boss it should be you, my wife and i show dogs, we have 11, 6 of them male and they all get on together becuase my wife is the boss ( even i know that), they are at an age that you can sort this out, but you need to do it soon becuase the first 6 months are the most import for a pups training, are you taking the cav out and leaving the terrier home,that will make him think he's more important, they need to be treated equaly and not spoilt, small dogs and puppies tend to be more spoilt because they are easy to hug, only give them treats if they behave and make them sit and wait for food until you tell them they can have it, if they have to behave and do as you say to have anything this will help you establish yourself as the boss, 2 puppies are more than double trouble, have you lead trained the older one, if not that will help, but make them walk to heel, never let them play on the lead.

all_smilz

Hi, the older one Lebowski, is almost lead trained- he does pretty good.
I am the one who disciplines mostly- my bf has recently learned to say OW in a high pitched tone if they are a bit toothy.
if we cuddle one- then we cuddle the other and this is done in no particular order, there is less humping going on....
The newer smaller guy is more growly in play but we dont want it to escalate to bad behaviour and Lebowski is not naughty-snappy he is just teething chewy at times but he understands the word "NO".
They slept together last night and we are feeding them from seperate dishes. Jackson hasnt been vaccinated yet so we cant walk him til after next week, Lebowski will still need his walk so how do you suggest we handle that?
I will treat them fairly and have read a good bit about being Pack leader and occasionally roll them over and hold them firmly on their back to make them see who is boss....
i just want to do this right. thanks for the advice so far!

peasant

all_smilz wrote: »

occasionally roll them over and hold them firmly on their back to make them see who is boss....

Stop doing that ...you'll just make them afraid of you and lose what little authority you have.

You become their leader by being reliable, dependable, fair, consistent and patient.

It doesn't happen by force, nor overnight.

wolfsshadow

if you do the high pitch ow the pup has shown he's bigger, adult dogs don't do it so you shouldn't, a firm "no" is needed and sometimes a slight tap on the nose with 1 finger, this should be just hard enough to make the pup pay attention and used as little as possible, that way they learn they really have gone to far, if you do have to tap the nose say "no" at the same time they will learn the word has more meaning then, terriers can be very stubburn but can be well trained, you need to be more stubburn than him, i partialy agree with peasant if they become afraid of you you will lose their trust, rolling over can be used but i really wouldn't recommend it. a lot of people writing articules about training and the pack leader seem to miss the point that a wolf pack is a family, the alfa male and female are farther and mother and the others are generally offsping and cousins, it's more complacted than that but think of it this way, when would you roll your son on his back? with the walking do you have a garden you could walk them around together or could one of you stay and play with the terrier while the cav is having his walk. you're right about the vaccination, glad you're keeping him home till then

WalterMitty

I've heard many experts say it is not ideal to have two pups together in a home. Better to get one and then another when the first pup is an adult.

lrushe

all_smilz wrote: »

Hi,
i have a 14 week old Cavapoo who we felt needed a little playmate so we got a week 7week old terrier.... Lebowski (cavapoo) is mad to play but Jackson (terrier) gets rather snarly and is a bit more bold (? for want of a better word).... we are trying to stop Lebowski humping him but also jackson is just nippy and narky in general so we dont want to make Lebowski feel left out if we concentrate on disciplining nipping or snarling. I know that there is a certain amount of roughness in dog play and they are both boys but should it be SO aggressive? what can we do? other than that they get on well in general and thats why we brought in a 2nd dog so they could occupy one another.

At the age you're pups are they are not really capable of any true aggression so I wouldn't be so quick to interfere. The behaviour the 7 week old is showing does sound a little strange though, was he an only pup, what age was he taken away from his mother/siblings? He sounds a little under socialised?

Sigma Force

Once the pups are fully vaccinated (if not already) enroll them in puppy classes either way, it will help answer your questions and show you different methods of managing the two. Only choose a trainer that uses humane methods of training.

morganafay

Are you sure he is being aggressive, or is he just growling and biting. Because that's what puppies often do when they're just playing. I think if they play bite each other it's not a big deal (if it is just playing and they both don't seem to mind) but if they're nipping you I understand that you'd want to train them not to.

Are you going to get them neutered when they're old enough? That might help.

boomerang

At this age - before puberty kicks in - the mounting behaviour is just part of play. It has nothing to do with dominance. Don't worry about it. Also as there is an age difference, it might just be that your terrier pup feels a bit overwhelmed sometimes when your other puppy wants to play. Also puppy play is very mouthy and growly, so don't be too concerned about that. It's also a personality difference - a terrier is going to be a bit more fiesty and bold than a cavalier/poodle mix.

boomerang

wolfsshadow wrote: »

a firm "no" is needed and sometimes a slight tap on the nose with 1 finger, this should be just hard enough to make the pup pay attention and used as little as possible

Never, ever hit, tap or slap your dog on the nose. It is a very sensitive and fragile part of their anatomy - as you know yourself, a slap or dig in the nose is much more painful than say, a slap on the shoulder. The underlying cartilage and bone is easily broken.