[simpbow]

Hoping there might be a doggy expert here, as yous know i recently got a beagle pup 10 weeks old [bitch] but what the problem is it doesn't seem to want to get on with the older dog 12 years old [bitch] & very docile wouldn't harm a fly, we know that the pup could be teething but it continuously nips at the other dog even when playing [& its not playing] cant understand this because its not in the dogs nature to do thisanyone know anything.

[Summerleft]

Its quite normal, they should sort themselves out soon, sometimes what seems to us as biting is actually nothing that the dogs worry about unless your dog is looking decidedly upset.

I would leave well alone unless skin is being broken, you could just quietly push pup away when she goes for the other dog, but dont shout or speak just arm infront of her front leg and gesture or push her.

When we got our pup our older dog was so upset, he wouldnt go near pup for weeks, now they are bestest buddies, they just need time.

[simpbow]

Cheers summerleft thanx for advice hopefully they sort themselves out.

[Summerleft]

Should do, least dogs are quicker than cats, if you have two generations of the same family in the house it can take a year after the kittens reach maturity for them to get the heirachy (sp?) sorted, Im still waiting

[Charlotte]

It's a puppy and/or newcomer thing, and as Summerleft says, the dogs will work it out themselves. I'd suggest trying not to intervene too much, unless it escalates to "scrapping", in which case if the older dog gets angry enough, the puppy could end up injured. So if things get too rough, I'd just remove the pup from the room 'til everyone's calmed down. My concern would be if you keep pushing puppy away when it nips, it may interpret this as a game (and not stop doing it).

There will be a pecking order, which will be worked out between the dogs themselves.

At one time, we had 3 dogs + 3 cats. The cat which was the first pet introduced into the household firmly established himself as "the boss" at the outset + maintained this standing until he died And some of the dogs he 'ruled' were BIG dogs.

[Angela]

Just to add to that advice, if your older dog tells off the puppy then that too is normal behaviour and she is just putting the pup in her place...just like setting boundaries with kids. So, as has been said, let them sort it out unless the older dog is getting distressed.

[b.van_der_dylan]

some good advise above.
dogs and their pecking order- this is a fascinating field of study with a lot of it based on wolfs in the wild and well worth doing more research on if you really want to understand your dogs.
internet has lots of information but I would highly recommend books by Bruce Fogle, his book the dogs mind is a classic in my opinion

[Whipspeed]

Seems the older bitch might need to assert her authority, dogs need to get their pack pecking order straight before you get harmony. Our 3 have a definate order and it never changes, the old bitch is the alpha of the pack and is now at the stage where she doesn't need to assert her authority, although if play gets out of hand, she uses body language to calm things down, just by putting her head over the other dogs shoulders. When we first got the puppies, they would not stop yowling at night, so we put the old girl in the crate with them, a couple of threatening growls and laying of head over neck later they stopped and have never disturbed us in the night again (we were of course in the background to step in if it went too far).
If she does snap at the pup, just let them get on with it unless it looks like real harm might be committed. How old was the pup when you got it? A breeder friend of mine won't let any go or have any in until 12 weeks as by then, the dam and rest of litter have taught them manners and dog social skills.

[simpbow]

Cheers guys thanx for the advice, the big dog is so docile & the wee one thinks its boss, but guess what as yous say the big one is now starting to show her authority & the pups not as smart now about nipping her.Just felt so sorry for the big one.

[Markulous]

Not much I can add to the comments/advice except agree that things'll settle (hopefully without any real anger from the older dog - but worth keeping half an eye open)

On the subject of pecking order, we had Bouviers (des Flandres) and their pecking order extends to their human family. One year in the snow, snowball fight between me and my brother and my brother got nipped (not painfully) - just a reminder that he was lower down the order than I was!

[simpbow]

Cheers Markulous hopefully they'll come round.