Hi

Have some doggie issues. We can't seem to get a hold of them.

Here's the story;

We have three dogs.

Max - 12 Year old male Lab/Shepard X - very good disposition, loves kids, loves people in general except for tha occasional squirrel.
Still has lots of character but doesn't play most of the times, likes to watch us, while sitting on the couch.

Maddie 9 year old female collie/Keshond X - very dedicated companion to my wife, loves to play, and very possessive. Visitors coming to the house can be noisy at times. We never had a problem with her taking to visitors.

enter... the new pup...

Rico - 7 month German Sheppard - very good disposition, friendly loves to play like any normal pup. Has taken to Maddie like a mother, loves to play with her.

What our problem is Maddie at first loved the pup and played with her but now within the last two months, Maddie is distancing herself with the pup..now it will attack and rip fur out of the pup. Rico(the pup) always goes back. I am thinking wanting to get acceptance from the female???.. i dunno?

We scold Maddie telling her bad. But she doesn't listen to anything we say anymore, almost like she is in a world of her own?.. When she is outside
and we tell her to come in and she won't come in, you have to physically go out and grab her by the collar to get her in the house. She doesn't listen to us anymore. Healthwise, she is very overweight (she is on a diet) She had a spell with vommitting and diarreha, but that seems to have subsided. Right now, her urine is extremely yellow but her poop seems to be fine and she hasn't vommitted in awhile.
We did take her to the vet and got her checked out and they did a whole series of tests they all came back except one showing that her kidney levels are a little elevated. Nothing to be concerned about. The vet wanted us to do more tests like MRI etc. But the vet told us that we could spending well into the thousands for treatment. We are not prepared to do that right now.

Basically, the vet thinks that with the new addition of the dog its tough on Maddie's system both mentally and physically???

We have spent more quality time with Maddie, trying to walk her, just being with her. But everytime the other dogs come around a dog fight ensues.
Luckily the other dogs don't fight "that much" just enough to protect themselves and back off.

Now, the older dog Max stays in the basement because he is scared he is going to get attacked.

The dog fight are always in the morning (once we get up) and in the evening. Never during the day...which is odd.

My wife and I are at wits end. We are wondering what we can do?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Dave