Older Male Dog Hates New Puppy

Question
QUESTION: We have recently obtained a male jack russell terrier puppy.  We already own a 5 y/o male Siberian Husky that was once part of a 2 dog household (our other pet passed away 2 months ago).  While Koda (our husky) is tolerant and playful with our cat, he is somewhat aggressive toward the new puppy.  We tried introducing them under watchful eyes but I feel that Koda would kill the puppy if he could get to him.  We've scheduled Koda to be neutered this week.  Will this tame his aggression toward the new pup and what other suggestions do you have for introducing them?   Thanks so Much.

ANSWER: It's not at all unusual for an older male dog to have no use for a puppy - to, in fact, tell the puppy to get away from him in no uncertain terms. This may involve some fairly scary looking communication. Neutering isn't a bad idea, but it may not help particularly in this situation (Koda will be less enthusiastic about having the puppy near when he is uncomfortable from just having had surgery). If you truly believe that he would kill the puppy, you need to keep them separate, and I'd suggest calling in a local professional to tell you if this is normal dog behavior, or not. With Siberians, you not only have social aggression to think about, but also high prey drive - small moving objects are to be hunted. So, I would keep them separate for now and get help. Because over the internet I can't tell you if you are seeing scary toothy displays or something more serious. And I don't want to give advice that might get a puppy injured. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com

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QUESTION: Huskies seem to be quite "sneaky" so it's more of a matter of reading his "thoughts" if that were possible.  He's not growling or "chomping" at him; more the look in his eyes that is telling the story of how he feels about the puppy.  Also, the day we brought the puppy home Koda "calmly" reached over to take the puppy's head in his mouth.  Koda is a BIG baby and still sucks my thumb when he is laying in my lap: yep, you heard right. Therefore there is probably a large degree of jealousy there.  Thanks again for your help.  J.

Answer
I had an Aussie who did that to his 10 week old son. Puppy panicked, I panicked, and when the adult dog let go, there wasn't a mark on the pup. Just a little spit. He could have easily killed that pup if he'd meant to, and I couldn't have stopped him. But he didn't bite down. And the puppy learned the lesson that he needed to refrain from bothering the old man. But if you are concerned, do look into getting some in-person help. Sandy