Transition from 1 dog to 2
Hello!
I am new to this forum, but wanted to reach out to see if anyone else has experienced the same issue we have recently. We adopted a 1 year old rescue (Kona) in July. She is a sweetheart and has and still follows commands and is really well behaved for a puppy! We would take Kona to the dog park multiple times a week and she did well socializing with other dogs ( playing, chasing, etc.). Fast forward to November, we rescued another dog, only 5 months old (Gracie). Gracie is slightly bigger than Kona. The two get along and partake in quite a bit of rough play (teeth clicking, light neck biting), nothing to the point where either gets injured or yelps in pain. You could definitely tell Kona wanted Gracie to know that she was queen of the castle (haha) and gave off a slight territorial vibe. However, Kona never showed an extreme or concerning aggression towards Gracie (or any other visiting dogs for that matter). Once Gracie was fully vetted and vaccinated, we began taking both dogs to the dog park. Immediately, Gracie was excited to play with other dogs and socialized so well! As of late, Kona seems to gravitate and only want to play with Gracie now at the dog park. They will do their usual rough play and when another dog tries to join in on the fun, Kona begins to bite at the other dogs feet/legs. I don't think it's to the point where it's too aggressive, however I think she is being territorial/protective over her new sister. I want the two to be able to play friendly with other dogs at the dog park in order to continue developing social skills, but I'm worried about Kona's latest actions and desire to only play with Gracie. Honestly, we have lucked out with two sweet and smart pups and we love their energy and playfulness, however we are new to puppies so we want to be sure we are training them properly to not develop any aggressive and excessive territorial habits.
Any advice?!
Thanks in advance!
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Kona (left) & Gracie (right)
I am new to this forum, but wanted to reach out to see if anyone else has experienced the same issue we have recently. We adopted a 1 year old rescue (Kona) in July. She is a sweetheart and has and still follows commands and is really well behaved for a puppy! We would take Kona to the dog park multiple times a week and she did well socializing with other dogs ( playing, chasing, etc.). Fast forward to November, we rescued another dog, only 5 months old (Gracie). Gracie is slightly bigger than Kona. The two get along and partake in quite a bit of rough play (teeth clicking, light neck biting), nothing to the point where either gets injured or yelps in pain. You could definitely tell Kona wanted Gracie to know that she was queen of the castle (haha) and gave off a slight territorial vibe. However, Kona never showed an extreme or concerning aggression towards Gracie (or any other visiting dogs for that matter). Once Gracie was fully vetted and vaccinated, we began taking both dogs to the dog park. Immediately, Gracie was excited to play with other dogs and socialized so well! As of late, Kona seems to gravitate and only want to play with Gracie now at the dog park. They will do their usual rough play and when another dog tries to join in on the fun, Kona begins to bite at the other dogs feet/legs. I don't think it's to the point where it's too aggressive, however I think she is being territorial/protective over her new sister. I want the two to be able to play friendly with other dogs at the dog park in order to continue developing social skills, but I'm worried about Kona's latest actions and desire to only play with Gracie. Honestly, we have lucked out with two sweet and smart pups and we love their energy and playfulness, however we are new to puppies so we want to be sure we are training them properly to not develop any aggressive and excessive territorial habits.
Any advice?!
Thanks in advance!
Kona (left) & Gracie (right)
