older dog/new puppy problem relationship

Question
Hi,  We have an adult pug (Mikey, 11 years old).   He is not well socialized to other dogs and has been the only dog in our house.  A few weeks ago we started pup-sitting for our daughter's new pug puppy while she is at work.  Initially, Mikey was OK with the puppy (Dunkan)but now the puppy has gotten more playful and teasing and Mikey has become more excessively aggressive towards the pup growling and biting at him.  He does this as he tries to run away from Dunkan.  He will try to "hide" under a table or behind our legs.  He seems to be totally submissive to the puppy and the puppy shows no fear from the growling, etc.  The puppy, when interacting with other dogs, always lays down and is submissive but with Mikey, he seems to have dominated already.  We want them to peacefully coexist but not quite sure how to go about getting the puppy to respect the older dog if he is cowering in a corner.  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
Your situation is a bit different than adding a permanent member to your household, but many of the tips will still apply.

In an ideal world, the older dog would be good with other dogs since this will make the transitions simpler. You have mentioned that your dog is not well-socialized, but you can still work on this with private dog classes or taking a group dog training class. I would suggest that you contact someone like me in your area to come and assist in training both dogs with you.

The pup should have some training separately from your older dog to teach him acceptable behaviors in your home and in public. This is an opportunity for all the dogs and people to learn more about training and behavior.

I would suggest walking the dogs every day to wear off some of the energy. Also, a crate for the puppy will help with some down time for your older dog.

Also, be certain that the dogs are not sharing toys or food as this can become problematic quite quickly.

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Good Luck!