What happens when you have an older dog and bring a new puppy into the picture? Sometimes, peace and harmony but more often it is chaos. Some older dogs find a new puppy to be very annoying, and puppies can often torment an older dog. Read on to find tips on How to Stop Your Puppy From Tormenting Your Older Dog.

It’s important to remember that your older dog was there first. He was just going along, minding his own business, enjoying the luxurious life when, BAM!! Enter someone new who is so cute he seems to get all the attention all the time. And on top of that, the puppy does not just stay to himself. No, he is curious and has to learn everything about his new older “playmate” firsthand. This is completely normal, but what about when the puppy gets out of hand and crosses the line into being aggressive with your older dog?

Of course, you shouldn’t allow the puppy to torment, anger, or injure your older dog. It’s cruel and it’s just not fair! Your older dog will not understand what’s going on, and after all, he deserves his last years to be his best. He also needs to know that you are protecting him right now if he can’t/won’t assert himself. Some older dogs have such a great personality, and you don’t want the puppy to change that. On the OTHER hand, most older dogs will finally assert themselves against a puppy if it goes too far and they have had enough. It’s their nature and maybe the puppy hasn’t pushed it past the limit yet, but when she does, she will get a mother-like “nip” from your order dog that will help take care of this.

Always make sure the puppy has plenty of exercise, toys, and playtime. Bored puppies will often act out in aggression, but tired puppies often will not. If there is any way to get your puppy out and around other dogs her age and speed BEFORE she unleashes all that energy on your older dog, that would help. Part of the problem is just a puppy being a puppy and he will outgrow it. There comes a point when it’s not so much fun to torment, annoy, harrass the older dog anymore.

The part you want to control is when it goes beyond “puppiness” and becomes harmful. For this, you can use a can with a few pennies in it taped shut. Shake the can when your puppy is aggressive to your older dog and say “No!” loudly. This works best when there is only the puppy involved but you really don’t want to punish the older dog so try to shake the can in the puppy’s ear. A different approach is to get a spray bottle with water in it. Spray the puppy (try not to spray the older dog) and say “NO!” loudly. The goal is to startle her. You have to be consistent and do it every time.

You will also want to act like you are leaving them together alone and then jump in at the first sign of aggression and spray her. Use your firm voice, not your sweet voice.

And lastly, continue giving your order dog LOTS of praise and attention throughout this stage, a few extra treats won’t hurt either 🙂  Most likely when he sees that you are there to protect him, he will begin to exert himself and feel the confidence to take up for himself more. And the hope is that soon the puppy will grow and mature out of this stage and these two will live a long happy life together.