[ieneco01]

Sorry for the long post!

Basically, my dad adopted a puppy recently. Turns out he wasn't ready for all the work. He feeds her and takes her out, but is not really exercising or training her.... and his method of discipline is yelling and slapping her on the butt. (I've told him many times that is a horrible way to treat and train a dog, but he doesn't take me seriously even if I show him what experts say. It's really frustrating)

So I decided to take up the training and positive reinforcement with treats. The thing is, my dad is around her more than I am because I work and he is retired. And that kinda messes up my training attempts.

So now, the puppy obviously follows me around when I'm home because I'm nice to her and treat her a lot. The problem is, I already have a dog of my own, a very small one, and she is going to be much bigger than him soon. She constantly tackles him when he isn't looking, tries to play with him, and pushes or nips at him when he comes near me. He will snap and jump at her but she keeps coming back. I tell her to stop and she will listen, but start over again. Is it because she thinks she will get treats when attacking my dog somehow? Anyway, when she doesn't want to stop, I separate them, but she is getting hard to move away from him as she grows.

My dad claims he doesn't have these issues with the dogs when I'm not around. So should I just hang with my own dog and keep them separated when I'm home so the puppy can get attached to my dad, and let my dad deal with her? How long should the separating go on? I'm scared she won't learn to play properly with my dog and will end up hurting him by accident, or become aggressive since my dad uses outdated and mean methods. Also, I doubt he will keep them separated when I'm not home, so the risk of my dog getting hurt is still there.

I don't know what to do about this whole situation...

Oh and on an unrelated note, how do you stop the nipping? All the sites I've read say to not say anything, just pull her off your pant leg and walk away but she will literally run and grab me when I try to leave the room...

Thanks for reading!

 

[BigBlackDog]

So, just to clarify, your dad's puppy is how old and what breed? And the same questions for your little guy?

Size matters, but it's far from everything. Ages matter, personalities matter, breed traits matter, socialization matters, etc., so it's impossible to say how these two animals will be together without more information; and even then without seeing them together actually we can only guess based on what you tell us.

 

[Shadowfox]

Is it because she thinks she will get treats when attacking my dog somehow?

Unlikely. To help both dogs either way, when these things happen, separate them immediately. Or probably better, keep them separated and only allow short supervised interactions that stop when inappropriate behavior occurs. How long depends on them.

My dad claims he doesn't have these issues with the dogs when I'm not around

Dogs often act differently depending on the person. But who is to say how checked-in your dad is to the situation? Or if the puppy isn't being kept mostly in the yard or confined while you're at work? He might be boring, so they might be sleeping while waiting for the fun to start. And some of the interactions described sounds like resource guarding with you as the resource.

Your main duty is to you and your dog. If she really is going to be bigger than him, modifying one of those gates with the little door to separate cats and dogs can be worth a look.

A multi-prong approach at the nipping works best ime. Persistence and consistency on removing yourself. Offering a toy or appropriate object might be an option. Working on impulse control when faced with movement. I'm quite fond of putting them in a sit-stay then showing a ball or something exciting. Then making it more dynamic (shaking, a bounce, more bounces). Then making myself more dynamic (bouncing on my toes, walking around, jogging). All while adding the duration of the sit-stay--which takes time. Giving her outlets of things she is allowed to chase and bite. This sounds like a lot, but with a puppy and just starting, it's really like 15 minutes. With 1/2 or more of that being play.