My new puppy growls at my older dog when I'm nearby. What should I do?

Question

We have a 4 year old great dane RaeRae and a barely 3 month old Presa Canario. When the Pressa is sitting with me and RaeRae, my Great Dane comes over to play the Pressa growls at my great dane. This concerns me. When it happens I set Pressa, who's name is Karma, down or away from me. I know Pressas can be naturally animal aggressive and would like to know what I should do. I have not had 2 dogs at the same time before. Thank you Carol

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Hi Carol! You're right that this behavior is somewhat concerning in such as young puppy - some lines of Presa Canarios can be quite dog aggressive, so this is something to keep an eye on as Karma gets older. Growling or lunging at another dog who gets close when she is sitting with you is a form of resource guarding - basically, she wants you all to herself. To improve this behavior, you want to teach her that good things happen when RaeRae approaches. If RaeRae starts to walk over to you when Karma is sitting on your lap, praise Karma, pet her, and tell her what a good girl she is. If she growls and RaeRae leaves, just say something like "Oh - too bad!" and calmly put her off your lap or on the floor. Basically, you want her to learn that if she growls at RaeRae, she loses your attention and the opportunity for snuggling - but if she allows her to come over without growling, you fuss over her and pay lots of attention to her. You could also try using a DAP pheromone collar to help reduce Karma's stress about this and encourage more social behavior. If you don't see any improvement in this behavior over the next few weeks, or if things seem to be getting worse, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist sooner rather than later - early intervention gives the best chance of a good outcome with behavior problems in puppies, just like human kids.

My new puppy growls at my older dog when I'm nearby. What should I do?

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