Introducing my 3 year old rescue Staff to a new 8 week old puppy.

Question
Hi,
We have had our Staffordshire bull terrier girl since she was about 11 months, so I missed out on her younger years. She has a fantastic temperament and is lovely natured but for some reason she doesn't get on with other female dogs. As she was a rescue dog we don't know if there is a specific reason for this.

After much thought my boyfriend and I decided to get an 8 week old staffy boy puppy as she is fine with males on walks etc, although this may be partly my fault as she has never really been socialised properly other than on walks.

We have had him a couple of days now and he is lovely, but it's weird behaviour from my older dog that is confusing us. The puppy isn't bothered, he just wants to play with her but she is all of a sudden extremely excitable and screams literally whenever she sees him,even barks sometimes and charges at him and knocks him over.

If they are out in the same room together he is playful and she just sniffs CONSTANTLY all the time even after 20 minutes she will still be sniffing, then she arches her back and nudges him underneath her as if to attempt to "milk" her. This is really weird to us, she hasn't had a litter before as far as we know and if he doesn't go along with it she gets frustrated and growls at him, she sometimes backs him into a corner and does it and it makes him uncomfortable!

We have to be out of the house at certain times, so I am concerned about leaving them together, i have bought a baby gate to separate them - or should i just let them get on with it? I am scared it will result in a fight?
What are we doing wrong?

Look forward to your response.
Thank you

Answer
Hi Nikki;
Well, it is kind of hard to give an opinion without being able to observe the dogs for a time, but here goes.
The sniffing is, she is getting to know him, and maybe she wasn't sure exactly what he was at first.
Sounds like when she figured out what he is, she is filling some repressed motherhood feelings.
Was she spayed when you got her?
At 11 months, if she wasn't spayed, she was certainly in season once, and she may have had a litter.
If she was a stray, or mistreated and not fed well, she may have miscarried a litter.
If that is true, it would explain a lot.
As long as she is not aggressively biting and attacking him, she will pronbably calm down soon and be more comfortable with him.
When she crowds him into a corner, you could separate them and firmly but not harshly tell her "NO! leave the puppy alone."
You don't say how old she is.
Age could be a factor. If she is an older dog, she just may not remember puppies and this one has her very confused.
I think the idea of the gate when you are gone is a good idea.
That keeps them apart so she can observe him, and sniff, but he doesn't have to worry about being sqwashed by her sitting on him.
That behavior must have the puppy confused too.
If she has not been spayed yet, I would do it as soon as possible.
Spaying females keep them from having breast cancer, and the younger it is done, the better.
It just adds some years to their lives to spay and neuter them.
Neutering males keeps them from having Prostate cancer, and some other illnesses.
A couple of days isn't very much time for her to get used to this little interloper. She may think you brought him there for her to raise, so she is trying to do it.
Oh, if we could only know what they are thinking.
Manmy years ago, my daughter had a cat, and she had a litter.
Of course, they were indoor animals, and she was well fed and did not have to hunt for food, but mother cats will go hunting and bring the catch to their kittens, so she would get a small stuffed toy, a pen or pencil, almost any little thing, and bring it into the hallway and call her kittens to come and eat the mouse she caught.
The kittrens would come running, and look around for it, and look puzzled like, "What are we supposed to do with it, ma?"
SAhe was answering some primitive call.
It was funny because , when my daughter got pregnant, she said the cat woke her every night, calling, and there would be one of her strange "mice" on the floor beside Terri's bed.
Give it a little more time. If after a week she is not more comfortable with the puppy, write me, and I will call some of my friends in the cat rescue groups and ask what they think might help.
Charlotte