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New puppy and older dog aggression

343 Views 4 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  BKaymuttleycrew
We added a new puppy to the pack last night. English Bulldog (scout) 8.5 weeks. We have 3 other dogs in the pack as well. Female Brussels Griffon (Mika) 10 years. Female Boxer (Zoey) 9 years. Male Boston Terrier (Gus) 6 years. Towards the puppy they act normally inquisitive and playful. The Boston and Boxer have their normal feuds every now and again but they have come to blood now. We have to pull them apart. Are there any suggestions out there. So very stressful. Not sure what to do or how to react when they start to fight. Once pulled apart they “kiss and make up” but I’m afraid it’s going to go too far. Please help!
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Not sure how to help. It's unusual for a male and a female to all out fight like you're saying. But I've seen or known people with Bostons that got dog aggressive as they got older. I'm afraid managing them closely or just keeping them separated is about all you can really do. That or consider rehoming one of them.
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The more dogs you bring into the family, the more you risk that there will be fights. The new puppy is stressful for the existing dogs. He's getting lots of attention and is changing the routine.

Give your dogs one on one time - which each human in the home. Make sure the puppy isn't taking over beds, etc. Even if the owner of the bed is OK with it, it can stress out one of the other dogs.

And seriously consider if having four dogs is practical. Will you be able to give each sufficient attention? If after one day, two of your dogs are fighting, it might be best to return the puppy. Make sure the dogs you have are happy and healthy.
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Too many dogs too proximate to each other.

A male dog that would fight and draw blood with a female dog is, IMO, unstable.

Separate them and keep that Boston away from the other dogs.

Return the puppy.
What concerns me most is that you state that these dogs have "normal feuds now & again." While I will agree that when you have a multi dog household, there is the chance of an occasional 'tiff', it should NOT be frequent or seen as 'normal'. This makes me wonder about the general management of the dogs, what is triggering these regular "feuds", and what steps have been put in place to minimize the problems (are we dealing with resource guarding? or.... ??)

The addition of the puppy has piled on one extra layer of stress to a household that is obviously already a stressful living situation for the two dogs in question, and that could very well exacerbate any current issues. I would personally suggest that you focus on the relationship of the two older dogs - whether or not you will have the ability to do that while also dealing with a new puppy.... that's up to you, but it isn't going to be easy, and will probably require you to bring in professional assistance in the form of a highly skilled & knowledgeable R+ trainer.
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