Two dogs introduction

Question
Hi Sandy, Currently I have a 2yr old fixed male shih-tzu. He is quite spolit and has all that he wants but is very sweet natured, though because my husband and I work we're not there most of the day and thought he may like a pal to play with.
Which is why we recently brought a 12 week male pomeranian, he is very lively also. What I found is that my shih-tzu keeps following the pup around and most of the time they are snapping at each others face but not really aggressively. Is this all a part of determining where they sit on the house hierarchy? Do we let them growl and warning biting at each other or stop it? How long would the breaking in behaviour last avg?

Is there any key signs behaviours that we should be looking out for to determine if the two dogs will get along in the future?

Answer
Hello Cassandra,

It appears from your question, that you are aware of pack hierarchy issues. You get a gold star!

However, with a puppy and an adult dog I don't think that this is what you're dealing with. Your two year old would unquestionably have top status over the puppy. Probably the friction you are seeing is because of the fact that your shih-tzu is "spoiled". A two year old dog may show irritation at a puppy, but proper dog behavior would be for the two year old to simply ignore any display of bad manners in a puppy. If your shit-tzu is acting really aggressive toward the puppy, then this is not entirely normal behavior.

To correct the situation, now is the time to start treating your dog like a dog rather then a little human. His aggression probably stems from viewing you as his puppy rather then his master. Dogs need leadership, rules and boundaries. They display stress otherwise. Now with another puppy in the house, his stress is increased and he acts out aggressively.

Your strategy should be favor the 2 year old in terms of feeding him first and giving him increased attention through more obedience training. Now is the time to teach or fine tune his heel, sit, stay, etc. Tell him "NO" when he displays aggression and praise him when he shows calm behavior toward the puppy. Kick him out of your bed and assert your leadership position. For more information on being a leader, read my article called "Training Tips" at http://perfectdogtraining.com

Finally, regarding a time frame for them to get along, it is up to you. Dogs can change long standing behaviors in minutes. People take much, much, longer. Change your behavior and your dogs will change.

Good Luck,

Sandy Finley