male dog hates new female pup

Question
One of my 2 Pointers (male neutered 3yrs old) HATES my new female 11week old bulldog pup. He refuses to have anything to do with her & acts like he gets an eletrical shock if she touches him. He runs and hides and is just miserable. We fostered a male beagle pup before we got the bulldog and he was great with him, was clearly in charge. This dog is 'the boss' with all other dogs he meets and we thought a female would not challenge him for top position. he snaped at her the first day when she tried to play with him so I scolded him and he retreated upstairs. Now he seems to avoid her at all costs, not be in the same room as her and as she gets older she is beginning to bark back at him and he runs upstairs. We've brought them togehter and praised him for not growling at her but as soon as we release him, he's outta there! I laid the pup on her side and coaxed him to come have a smell but this hasn't helped. We put a gate up to stop him from hiding upstairs to force them to at least be on the same floor of the house. The pup is getting really playful and barking at him and making it worse. The male is a very sensitive dog, he is terrified of thunder and other loud noises, and this is making him worse. My other male has no problem with the pup, he is lower in the pack than the other male. It has been 9 days and no progress. Loose in the yard the pup plays with the other male and this dog does his own thing. (retreiving sticks etc)Should I continue to force them in the same room, bring them together etc, or let him hide? I don't understand why he acccepted the young male beagle and not the baby female pup?

Answer
The key to success is helping your older dogs be content with the new dog and keeping the puppy on a path to good socialization and training. Here is a link to my website page with lots of good articles.
http://www.outlawchinooks.com/articles.html

Your puppy probably still has puppy "vampire" teeth so teaching pup not to bite will help. Here's a link and I'll post the information too. http://www.outlawchinooks.com/dog_puppy_biting_prevention.html



Please take time to read through the articles on my web site and let me know if you need additional information.

Good Luck!

Dog - Preventing Puppy Biting and Nipping

Your puppy bites and nips with those needle sharp, vampire-like teeth in order to learn more about their environment. They have been practicing this skill with their litter mates since they were born and they don't understand that humans are not as durable as their fur coated family members. Pups need to learn to inhibit their bite and to be gentle with humans and eventually to not place their teeth on us at all.

Over the years, lots of people have received the advice to flip their pup on his back every time their puppy bites. This is called an alpha roll and was quite popular in the 1970's, but for most people, this is not an effective training tool. Many dogs will react badly to the alpha roll by becoming more aggressive because they now see their humans as being unpredictable, frightening and possibly even as threatening their very existence. Fortunately, there are alternatives to the alpha roll that will help your pup to learn how to have a soft mouth.

If you pup puts his mouth on you in a gentle manner, ignore it. You can teach him that teeth aren't allowed on human skin. What you are teaching now is that any bite contact should be soft. If you are petting pup and you get a bite that hurts, respond in a higher pitched voice with "Ouch" and walk away. If pup follows and continues to bite, you will want to tether pup to a solid object so you can move out of range. Wait 30 to 60 seconds and then interact in a calm fashion with your pup. If you get another hard bite, say "Ouch" and walk away. You are teaching pup that this behavior makes you go away and your clever pup will begin to understand this very quickly.

Every time pup bites hard, say "Ouch" and walk away. If pup mouths you gently, say "Good" and reward with a treat and keep on paying attention or playing with pup. You pup will quickly figure out that being gentle brings treats and continued interaction with you. This method uses the language your dog understands -- pup's littermates cease playing when the bites get too hard, and you are now speaking that same language. Puppies learn a soft mouth from their littermates, and they need 8 weeks with their dog family to understand soft mouth and proper interaction.

Once your puppy has learned the basics of gently mouthing, you can require softer and softer contact to keep playing and interacting with you until there is no mouthing allowed. Once you have taught your puppy that teeth are not acceptable, you will have effectively conditioned pup with good bite inhibition.

Basic Tips

   * When playing with your puppy, have a soft chew toy available to offer before pup puts teeth on your hand.
   * If your puppy bites when you are petting, give treats with one hand while petting with the other hand.
   * Plan your petting sessions when your pup is tired. A tired puppy is a good puppy.
   * Don't play games that involve face grabbing or pushing pup's head as these encourage biting.
   * Always supervise puppies and children. Children often do things wrong when a puppy bites like screaming, jumping and running  -- all of which encourage inappropriate puppy behavior.