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new pup, 2 older dog not accepting

19 11:53:41

Question
I just got a  wk old Scottie, already have a 4yr and  6 mon.old who do not accept her yet. I understand they must establish their set their own top dog lineup, but they do not play or let her have access to any toys, new or old. They both growl at her when she gets close and watch her constantly 'suspiciously'.  The oldest is female, the 'teen' is male and the youngest is a female. I've given all lots of attention and scolded the two for overt aggression which there has been lots of. Any suggestions? Its been 8 days so far. Thank You, DJ.

Answer
This could be difficult.  You had the best mix, a male and a female.  They have things nicely sorted out and then you add another female.  A sharp toothed puppy that expects them to enjoy puppy biting games like its litter mates did, the only other dogs it knew.  Many dogs by the time they are 3 years old lose interest in biting games and want nothing to do with a puppy and certainly don't want a new one in their home.  Not too much you can do except try to keep the puppy from bother them.  Every time it starts for one of the older dogs, give a sharp ''Ut, ut, ut!'' and offer it a toy.  If one of the older dogs tries to take the toy, give it it the ''Ut, ut, ut!'' and offer it another toy.  Repeat hundreds of times.  The only hope for it to go better is to firmly establish yourself as the leader.
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