wont leave other dogs alone

Question
I've had my 8 month old chihuahua/pekingese for about 5 months.  I already had 2 other dogs when I got him.  One of the dogs is 6 years old and the other is 7 years old.  They do play with him, but when they're resting, they don't want to be bothered by him.  He always bites them
trying to get them to play, and they growl at him or show their teeth, but he doesn't leave them alone.  How can I get him to realize that when they growl he should leave them alone?

Answer
Dear Gina,
Thanks for the interesting question. Most older normal dogs will teach the puppy that a growl means to back off! That being said, I'm not suggesting that you let them tell him. They might accidentally hurt him.

When your pup gets too obnoxious, just take him away and play with him yourself.

Teaching a dog about self control is too complex to explain here. Basically you'll need to put into place a reward and communication system (a clicker works nicely). You'll reward appropriate interactions and interrupt inappropriate ones. Over time he'll learn.

Does he know any obedience commands? If not, start a training program based on a reward system. Teaching him to respond to your commands is the first step.

Good Luck!

Alan J Turner
http://howsbentley.com