dog versus puppy

Question
i have a 6 year old beagle/terrier mix.she is very protective when in the house and only allows certain visitors to pet her.others she will growl and warn them to keep their distance. but when she is outside i have to chain her because she wants to chase after cycles and sometimes terrorizes the neighborhood.the real problem is that i brought a puppy home,another female,part pom/chihuahua.my older dog,gabby,doesn't want nothing to do with her in the house and she wants to tear her up when she is outside when i walk her on her leash.gabby has been spayed.will this behavior continue or what's going on with gabby?thanks for any help or suggestions you can give.laura

Answer
It is normal for a dog to resent bringing another dog into the home.  The funny thing is, we frequently sit dogs for other people, and our dogs are always happy to have visitors.  But they seem to know and resent the few times we have introduced a dog to stay.  You do have the right to bring a new dog into the house and Gabbi must make the best of it.  It sounds like you are letting her be in charge.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

Any 6 year old may not be interested in puppy biting games.  When the puppy starts for her, give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and offer it a chew toy.  allow Gabbi to growl and snap to let the puppy know she doesn't want to play.  don't allow her to grab the puppy or pick her up.  When you can't watch it, crate it.