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new female puppy with our other female

18 16:57:03

Question
Hello,
We have a  5 yr old yorkie/poodle and recently got a golden doodle female she is 3 months old. I cant seem to keep the two from wrestling with each other. They constantly fight over chew sticks also, even when both have them. The older dog seem to not want her having them. not sure how to resolve. It is getting so  disruptive to the household.

Answer
It's rarely a good idea to introduce another female when one has an adult female, however that's a moot point now.  It's unusual for a 3 month old puppy to "fight" with an adult dog over any resource.  If these two are actually "fighting": growling, biting, with injury: you have a huge developing problem.  Even if what you're seeing is an older dog removing resources from a juvenile, and the juvenile giving chase, this is an indication that temperament in these two is quite close, and that also can be a sign of future problems.  It's perfectly acceptable for the older dog to establish rank with the younger, providing physical injury is not occurring.  Normal juvenile behavior would be the younger dog acquiescing without a struggle, especially given the enormous age difference.  You'd best get some control of both these dogs by working with each of them independently with positive reinforcement training.  You might also want to read Patricia McConnell Ph.D.'s book on multiple dog households.  Withhold resources such as treats and chew toys for a couple of weeks (young puppies need to be carefully monitored with rawhide anyway) until you have a better understanding of rank and how to read dog body language.  It might be advisable to find a clicker class to which you can bring both dogs at the same time, thereby allowing both to interact with other dogs in a positive reinforcement training scenario and giving the trainer the opportunity to observe temperament in both and offer suggestions.