My Puppy is Terrorizing My Adult Dog!

by Heidi Atwood

Your brand new puppy comes running (blasting?!) into your house, and you’re not worried about your older dog loving the puppy because your dog has plenty of experience with other dogs. Maybe your existing dog even has a young friend, and they play well together. But this puppy is here to stay and will become a long-term part of your dog’s life. 

The excitement and energy of a young puppy is quite often too much for an older dog to handle, and they can quickly become uncomfortable with the lunging, nipping, and tackling type of play that your puppy learned with their littermates. They may even look at you with worried eyes that say, “Help! Get this monster away from me!” By older dog, I don’t necessarily mean dogs that are considered senior. I have found that even a young adult dog is not interested in puppy-like play. Those puppy teeth are sharp!

Take this SLOWLY, and limit the puppy’s freedom a LOT at first to prevent it from randomly running at, biting, and pouncing on the other dog. Use gates, crates, pens, separate rooms, and a leash to help the puppy learn that they can only interact with the older dog if they are calm or if the other dog is willing to play. Using a leash or barrier will allow the older dog to get closer if they want to, or to remain safely out of reach. Pay attention to body language and look for signs that your dog is interested in interacting with the puppy. You may find that, over time, even a senior dog might engage in some gentle play, provided we prevent sudden and rambunctious behaviors from becoming long-term habits. 

With close supervision and limited freedom, the dogs can create a relationship that works for both of them, provided we encourage and reward calm behaviors whenever they handle time together well. You can even reward both dogs for this. 

• Keep the puppy busy with other forms of entertainment to help keep their focus off constant play with the older dog. 

  
  

• Give both dogs time to get acclimated to the changes in their lives. They are going through a big transition, so keep your older dog’s schedule as normal as possible, and help them see that having a puppy in the house can actually be more rewarding for them as well. Eventually, you may see a wonderful bond between the two, which may include more gentle play and comfort for each other. 

  
  

• Be sure you aren’t getting your dog a puppy! You are starting from the beginning, and this can be quite different from how you started with your existing dog. We can’t help but compare our puppies to previous pups, but you may be surprised to find that they are very different, as puppies can differ drastically in personality and activity levels. Plus, there is the distraction of having another dog around that might further complicate training, resting, and excitement levels. 

  
  

• You may need to work a bit harder at establishing a great relationship between the two dogs, but don’t expect this to happen as soon as you bring your puppy home. 

  
  

• If both dogs seem to want to play, offer very short, supervised play sessions, even 5 minutes or less, since playing can increase energy levels and cause overstimulation, leading to excess roughness, biting, snapping, and similar behaviors. If you are ever in doubt about appropriate play, make a video and email it to us to analyze. 

Puppies are easily distracted when we are trying to teach them about potty habits, training cues, and even getting the rest they need. If the puppy is unable to focus on the task at hand because they can see or hear the other dog, more separation will be necessary. Young puppies also need a lot of rest, so make sure you are offering several crate sessions for sleep and downtime throughout the day. Your older dog will most likely appreciate these rest breaks as well!

Puppies can also learn by watching other dogs. For example, when our family was raising litters of Labrador Retrievers, we didn’t need to show the puppies how to use the door to the backyard potty spot, because they simply followed the adult dogs and mimicked their behaviors. I realize now how much easier that made house training!  I do recommend using a leash for backyard visits to help prevent unwanted behaviors and wandering while encouraging fun and appropriate activities.  

You may also see that your “older” dog is acting younger and is more interested in playing or even training. I have noticed that when working on a training session with a young puppy, the older dogs will stand behind a gate watching the puppy earn rewards, and look forward to their “training session” because of those rewards. That’s fine…I am happy to go through a few training cues with the older dogs so that they can earn a few pieces of kibble, and the puppy might even learn by observing them. 

When I see my elderly dog allowing a young puppy to curl up for a nap with her, it is a sign of success! This was something that comforted both of them, and the puppy learned that this was the only way she could interact with the senior dog, who didn’t want to be jumped on or played with. Note, they were separated quite a bit until the puppy figured this out. They eventually formed a lovely relationship that benefited both of them. 

I love the companionship and interactions between multiple dogs, but if we don’t get our puppies off to a great start, limit their freedom (a lot!) at first, and encourage calm interactions between the two, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the effort it takes. Encourage the dogs not only to coexist but also to become lifelong companions to each other and their human family.