Any advice is welcome/old dog vs. pup

[chocolatepuppy]

I too am having a bit of a problem with my 9 month old puppy Jake and two other dogs. Lacey is almost 8 and Layla is 2. They are so much bigger than Jake and it seems Jake doesn't heed their warnings when they don't want to play. They are always supervised and I'm sure you already do that. I too find myself getting nervous when one of them warns the puppy, like "is she going to bite him?" We are trying to train Jake to leave the girls alone when they warn and the girls are told "don't you dare" while I get him away from them. Lacey is very good at the "don't you dare" command, Layla is getting there.
My best advice is to wear the puppy out as much as you can and teach Boomer to respect Cassie's warnings. Hopefully, in time, when Boomer settles down a bit, they'll get to be friends.

[boomersooner]

It just is nice to know that others have or are experiencing the same problem. I just don't want him bit the way I think she would bite him...I guess it is just going to take more time and patience. Boomer's increasing (yeah, right....) maturity will help also. Thanks!!! Good luck with your kitten/cat and jake and his siblings!!

[AllAmericanPUP]

My old lab, maggie was the same exact way. She hated puppies in her old age.
luckily our pups got the idea when she would snap at them so we didnt have any real problems.

[lizbud]

My best advice is to wear the puppy out as much as you can and teach Boomer to respect Cassie's warnings. Hopefully, in time, when Boomer settles down a bit, they'll get to be friends.

I agree.Older dogs often have aches & pains that aren't really noticed
much & she's just not in the mood for a "crazy" puppy.

You could devote extra time just training the pup & wear him out some.
I'm sure Cassie would appreciate it.

[boomersooner]

Thank you very much for all of the advice and kind words! I really appreciate it.....I think I just have to be patient, and Boomer needs to grow up a bit. Thanks again!!!

[Giselle]

Her waning sight is definitely a factor. For that and many other age-related reasons, I definitely would supervise them at all times. Whenever you hear Cassie give a warning snap, re-direct Boomer and give him something else to do. It's just like regular training: whenever you give a correction, like Cassie's warning snap, you have to give the dog a positive alternative behavior, like giving Boomer a toy or playing fetch with him.

[boomersooner]

Oh, yes, they are definately supervised at all times..in fact, when they are together, Boomer is always on his lead so we can control how close and friendly he gets.....we sort of take Cassie's lead...if she snaps immediately, we know she wants no part of him at the moment. There are some times when she will tolerate him standing next to her or even sniffing her. She has actually wagged her tail, so in these instances we try to really encourage her and brag on her behavior while at the same time telling Boomer to "be nice".Thanks again for everyone's help!

[MoonandBean]

Awww Shannon...I'm sorry that things aren't going perfectly smooth for y'all. You are such a dog lover and I wish things could be nice and smooth for you and Boomer and Cassie but...reality stinks I'm sure it's RARE for people to bring home a puppy to an older dog (especially a dalmation) and have it go well at first. Moon and Bean are still hissing and slapping at Sunny but we're getting there...slowly. Here's my thought and Sunny is my first puppy so this is purely just a hunch: I think you need to find some older dogs who ARE good with puppies (maybe talk to people at petsmart; are you going to stay in touch with any of the people from Boomer's puppy kindergarten class...do they have older dogs too who are now used to a puppy?) put up a notice in petsmart "looking for puppy/dog playdates" or try to find a dog park) etc... Maybe if Boomer gets used to playing with other older dogs, he will learn how to heed their warnings and may get better at "playing" with Cassie. I can imagine how hard it must be for Cassie that Boomer is taking out all of his puppy energy on poor Cassie. You have to give him an outlet for that somewhere else.
Good luck/ it WILL all work out

[boomersooner]

That's a good idea....We are actually going to take Boomer to a place called Dallas Dog Sports for his next round of obedience training. His instructor would be the lady who trained Cassie. We weren't real pleased with Petsmart this go around...it just wasn't all it could be....anyway, Boomer is going to be in like a pre agility class where he will learn some more obedience but some agility stuff, too. So, long story short, I'm sure there will be some older dogs there as well as some instructors with dogs they could hook us up with, maybe. Thanks again for the great advice....I'm really glad things are working out with Sunny and Moon and Bean.....