New puppy with old pom

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have recently rescued a stafforshire bull terrier mix male puppy. I got him when he was 8 weeks old and he is now 4 months, I have had him for about 2 months. I also have, and had before the new puppy, a 6 year old male pom. At first the new puppy was smaller and the pom would be curious and everything seemed to be ok. Now, the new puppy is bigger, much bigger, and everytime he tries to play with the pom he overpowers him. The puppy never has shown aggression and previously the pom has been ok with the behavior. However, now the pom seems very irritated with the puppies behavior. Recently, the pom was eating a bone and the puppy simply came to see what was going on and the pom got very angry and barked and grawled at the puppy. I am starting to get very concerned. The puppy is going to be around 40 lbs if not more and I want them to at least get along. I know they may never be friends but I need them to be able to coexsist. How can I avoid or teach the puppy to leave the pom alone? The puppy either tries to get food from the pom or just overpowers the pom without realizing it due to the puppies size. Also, how can I help the pom better understand to tolerate the puppy? Are there any steps I need to take to ensure that they at least coexsist safely? PLease help, I love both dogs and simply want to prevent the situation from getting any worse.

ANSWER: Dear Rachel,

Older dogs often don't take to pups the way we humans do, and the best thing we can do is to stay out of it.  However, you can dramatically reduce the number and severity of problems by taking food and animal-based chews out of the picture.  Feed the dogs separately from now on, and don't leave food or animal-based (rawhides, bones, etc.) around.  Often non-animal-based chews are OK between 2 dogs (such as Kongs, Nylabones, plush toys) so you can keep those around for now, but you'll have to remove them as well if you see any arguments over them too.

This is normal.  Some dogs can share food and bones nicely, but most in my experience do not.  You are going to see a lot less problems when you take them out of the equation.

You can also give your Pom a place of his own which the pup doesn't have access to, where the Pom can eat his bones in peace or at least get a little rest.

Growling and snapping are going to happen.  The pup may yelp as a result of the Pom's corrections, but he'll learn gradually what the Pom will tolerate and what he won't.  If you end up with an injury that requires veterinary care, you've got a bigger problem however and it's time to find a good behaviorist at http://www.apdt.com.  (I wouldn't worry about that now, but keep that site for possible future use.)

Your new pup needs a playmate, and the pom will probably not be it for several reasons.  He's much smaller, he's much older, he doesn't have nearly the energy level of the pup, and he doesn't think pups are cute.  You also happened to choose one of the most high-energy dogs for your pup.  Get your pup out for (at very minimum) 3 hours of vigorous exercise every day.  He needs this anyway, but if he doesn't get it the pom will be suffering through the pup's antics even more.  You're going to need the pup to get rid of that energy as well because he's entering adolescence and the energy level will continue to increase until he's 2 years old.  Bully breeds and terriers can run for 6 hours straight and still have energy for more, once they're a year old.  Be prepared for this because if you can't give him energy-burning activities such as long walks or runs he may find other ways to burn that energy such as chewing furniture, barking, or aggression.

Find a dog park in your area and bring him there to run in addition to his long daily walks.  If there isn't one, find a good dog daycare where he can run and play all day or at least for several hours with other dogs.  Always check out any facility like this; depending on where you live some may actually crate the dogs for part of the day, and that's not what you're paying for nor does it do anything to help you.

Get the pup into an obedience class right away so you can have good communication with him and nip anything in the bud before it becomes an enormous problem.  Go to http://www.apdt.com to find good trainers in your area.

Go to http://www.dogdaysUSA.com for a lot more articles on puppy training using positive reinforcement.

Good luck and thanks for writing.
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysUSA.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answer. I know he has a lot of energy, that was one of the reasons I got him. He is a mix breed but I can tell by his appearance and personality he is a mixed bull/terrier. Lately, things have been going pretty well. The pom only snapped once in reference to a bone but I took your advice and the pom can only have a bone when he is in his bed area, where the pup cannot get too. An interesting things happened today, I gave my pup a bone and sat with him to monitor his eating and the pom came and sat down right next to the pup and they both sat there while the pup ate the bone. It was clear that the pom's goal was to sneak away the bone but he kept his cool and they co-habitated in peace very well. Also, yesterday was the first time the pom initiated play with the pup. The pom went and jumped at the pup to play, which was the first time he had done this, I was very pleased and praised both of them. I have noticed the pom likes the new pup he just is taking his sweet time warming up to him and handling his size and strength. Other than walks and dog parks do you have any other fun ideas to keep my pup exercised and stimulated? I have noticed the pup loves to play but gets bored very quickly with his toys and plain old fetch, which I have read is a characteristic of terriers and bull breed. He is very smart and I can tell he loves to learn new things. Any ideas for fun interesting new games or activities? Thanks again.

Answer
Dear Rachel,

I'm glad to hear things are going better, but I'm nervous that you're still experimenting with bones around the two of them.  When they are both around, my advice is to remove all bones and food-based items.

In the meantime, the running at a dog park or daycare cannot be replaced with any other activity so you really need to make an effort and commitment in that area.  Additionally I'd strongly recommend getting him into a positive reinforcement obedience class (go to http://www.apdt.com to find a good trainer) which has several other puppies in it, so that he learns to pay attention in the presence of other dogs and distractions.  After the obedience, you can get into things like agility, flyball, tracking, etc. which will help him to channel his high energy.  Always utilize your obedience commands through the day to exercise his mind.

There are also tricks classes and even dancing classes for dogs, which a lot of dog owners really enjoy as well.

As far as getting his energy exerted without your participation, get a Buster Cube or similar toy which drops a piece of kibble on a variable schedule when he knocks it around (again, not with the pom around please!)

The main thing you've said is that he's smart and loves to learn, so teach him everything you can!  Sources for training are Dr. Ian Dunbar, Jean Donaldson, Patricia McConnell, and clicker trainers.

Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysUSA.com