Puppy bitten by older dog

Question
Hi,

I have a 12 week old West Highland Terrier crossed with a Schnauzer.  He is very hyper and loves to play with my parents male West Highland Terrier. They have been getting along great for a few weeks and the West Highland Terrier has been acting like a father figure.  Today was a different story, the older dog was growling and snarling upon first encounter, but after a few hours started to play with the puppy in the same ways as before (pinning, play fighting, sharing toys, etc).  Then suddenly the adult male pinned the puppy to the floor and bit down on his neck and had to be pulled off the puppy in order to stop the attack.  My question is how should I approach situations with older dogs now to prevent a repeat? and should i segregate the puppy from other dogs for a period of time to allow for a reprieve? And lastly was it right for me to discipline the older dog, telling him he was bad?

Thank You in Advance.

Stephen

Answer

Hi Stephen,

I hope your puppy is doing okay after the attack.

Protecting your puppy from any older dogs (even older dogs you know) is absolutely necessary. It's time to separate the two dogs at the very first growl (or signs of aggressive posture) before an attack ever happens. Supervise the dogs closely, the two dogs shouldn't ever be left alone together. When the dogs can't be supervised, keep them separated, at least until your puppy has grown enough in size to not be so at risk. If your puppy behaves in a fearful way the next time you're visiting your parents, don't force him to be with their dog. It will make things worse.

You didn't say how much older your parent's dog is. Many adult and senior dogs can't tolerate the activity level of a puppy, and needs to be separated or protected from a puppy. That said, there are also times an adult dog will discipline a puppy and put it in "it's place" for bad behavior. This should be allowed, because it teaches the puppy a lesson how to behave in the "pack". I can't say if your parent's dog was doing this, or if he really attacked your puppy.

It was not wrong to discipline your parent's dog. A dog bites simply out of hostility and not because of pain or fear, needs to know immediately that biting is wrong and will not be tolerated.

Don't put your puppy and any adult dog in a situation that could provoke an attack. This is especially true anytime food is involved, as well as treats, toys, or items one dog is protective of. Congested, or crowded areas are more likely to trigger aggression because the dogs may feel forced upon each other.

Always be cautious about introducing your puppy to an adult dog, especially if your puppy hasn't yet completed all his puppy vaccines yet. Keep both dogs leashed so you can control them. Allow plenty of time for the dogs to get used to each other. Until your puppy is gown, if you don't know that an adult dog is quite docile, stick to socializing your puppy to other puppies. When your puppy is old enough (around 3 or 4 months) enrolling in a puppy Kindergarten class is a good way to socialize him to other puppies, because it's a controlled environment.

I hope I've been a help.

Best of luck,

Patti