Interacting with another dog

[lailasmommy]

How can I go about training my puppy to interact with another dog. We have another dog that is 2 years old that is a female that is lab and german shepard. They interact like they are playing but to me they are fighting but they aren't really biting each other. The other dog has an issue with Laila and half the time Laila doesn't want to be bothered. I think they have about 5-10 minutes of at peace time when they are both out and about. Any suggestions. We don't have them out together too long.

 

[ELubas]

How old is Laila? When you say the other dog has "an issue" with your pup, how do you mean? I think a little more detail on thier interactions will help people advise you

 

[lailasmommy]

Laila is 6-7 months. for example when I take laila out to go to the bathroom the other dog would get in front of laila and start growling and then try to play with her in a mean way and sometimes the other dog wants to bite laila or tries to be real mean to her when she is with me. I don't know if the other dog is jealous. I just want them to get along. Thats the best way I can describe it. The other dog been alone for 2 about a year and half and then 2 cats came in the house and it took sometime for her to warm up to them but now the other dog doesn't chase them and now the other dog has a puppy in the house. I just needs to find ways to have them interact without looking like they are fighting.

 

[ELubas]

Hmmmm... Both are spayed? You have two females here which can be problematic. Does you older dog like dogs in general, play nicely, etc? Does Leila seem intimidated or does she growl back? Leila is no longer a puppy so to speak so your other girl may not be as tolerant. How long has Leila been with you?

 

[lailasmommy]

well everytime Sugar (the other dog's name) see does she growls and wants to go over to them. Once time she stepped on a small dog that lives next door, but Sugar never lived with another dog. Laila doesn't growl back, she plays back and sometimes can be a bit rough with Sugar (tries to nip her ears, which we stop) or she just keeps walking especially on the leash because I am taking her outside. I just seems like Sugar is extremely jealous.

 

[ELubas]

Well it sounds like Leila is playing but I am not getting the feeling that Sugar is crazy about other dogs (though I assume the stepping on incident was an accident?). At any rate really hard to know without seeing the dogs so I think you may want to get a behavorist, or a very good trainer, to observe the two of them and see how much of this is normal old dog stuff and if any of it is cause for concern. You may just end up with two dogs that peacefully cohabitate without much interest in each other-which is fine as long as there is no animosity. Good luck

 

[lailasmommy]

I guess we have to take everything one day at a time.

 

[lailasmommy]

Okay so Laila and Sugar was playing last night for about 15 minutes everything was going good until out of nowhere Laila and Sugar was really fighting. It scared the crap out of me. I don't know who initated but all I know they both were in the wrong. So we put Laila in her cage and Sugar downstair to cool off. But what makes it soo bad it is still carrying on. When Sugar came back upstairs to go to sleep they were trying to go at when Laila was in the cage which was an all time first. My girlfriend said if it doesn't get better Laila has to go and I don't want her to go but I don't know what to do. Can someone please help with some type of advice.

Lailasmommy