• My dog is not getting along with the puppy I just adopted. My dog is five years old, and the puppy I just brought home is ten weeks old and quite small. My older girl is pouting and only wants to sniff and poke at the new puppy. She will also try and mount her. Any suggestions?

    It sounds like your older dog is still trying to get used to having the puppy in the house. The mounting behavior is a sign of dominance – your older dog is trying to show the puppy that she is the boss. This can be a normal behavior.

    It’s important that you watch your older pet when they are together– sometimes this behavior can turn into a fight. With the puppy being smaller, she can sustain serious injury very quickly if a fight occurs.

    It is important that you show the same attention to your older dog that you are showing the puppy. If the puppy is getting more attention it can cause the older dog to act out to try and get the attention that she feels she needs. Otherwise, it just can take time for them to get used to each other.

    I also recommend that you talk to your veterinarian about this issue. They may have some other recommendations specific to your dogs. Good luck.

Need more information or advice?

Contact your nearest Banfield Pet Hospital to schedule an appointment today.

Tags

Behavior

Back to Question List

Ask a Vet Archive

When it comes to your pet's health, there's no such thing as a dumb question. Search questions real clients have submitted to our popular Ask a Vet Q&A series, and then submit a question of your own.