It is very sad and disturbing to witness an older dog attacking the new puppy.

After all, you may have introduced the puppy in part in hopes that your existing dog will benefit as well.

Canines don’t like to be alone, do they?

Well, some do.

But many enjoy the company yet still act seemingly hostile towards a puppy.

what gives?

Reasons your older dog might attack a puppy include issues that you can easily work on.

Depending on the cause, you may need to work with one specifically, but more often than not, this is a combination of keeping the puppy in check and training your older dog to accept the new addition.

Why is my older dog attacking my new puppy?
Your older dog attacks your new puppy because of poor social relations, lack of patience with rambunctious puppies, jealousy, underlying aggression issues, or medical issues causing the pain.

The course of action depends on the cause.

Older dogs with poor socialization may require positive reinforcement to gradually learn to accept the puppy.

Madness, jealousy or a backlog of annoying chores are also common reasons why older dogs attack new puppies.

You could call that being impatient with puppies.

However, it’s not always just your older dog’s fault.

Sometimes, this comes with a puppy who is naturally very active and focused on the face, paws, or tail of your other dog.

If your older dog is not used to having puppies in his face or is not good at it at all, the tips below will work wonders for you.

Do you suspect jealousy?

Older dogs who feel really angry about having to share toys, food, or resting places may benefit from the one-on-one training and perks I discuss below.

Territorial issues require a proper introduction to prevent most issues.

Some dogs are not suitable for dogs.

If your dog has aggressive issues or underlying medical issues, you might put off getting a puppy until they are fixed.

Related : 5 Fast Ways to Get Rid of Dog Hiccups

In short, you need to determine the cause of the bad blood between your fangs.

Do you rate your older dog as socially friendly?
Do you provide a safe space?
Is your pup in your dog’s face a lot?
Do you spend time with both dogs?
Does your older dog have problems with resources (food, toys, etc.)?
Is your dog territorial?
Any aggressive problems or medical problems?

A big dog attacks the new puppy: 9 ways to stop it!

Prevent your older dog from attacking the new puppy by providing a safe and quiet space, doing one-on-one training with your older dog as well as improving the relationship between you senior and the puppy.

1. Safe Harbor
   Providing a safe haven where your dog can be on his own if your pup gets overwhelmed is key.

With a suitable space, which your older dog can access, you can avoid overburdening them.

Of course, you don’t want to separate the two.

Instead, have a dedicated area for your older dog where they can go if everything gets too much and the puppy won’t be able to follow.

2. Protect your senior dog
   Protect your older dog by understanding his body language and preventing your puppy from testing boundaries excessively.

If your furry friend shows signs of discomfort, don’t ignore them.

Instead, act and teach your pup how to behave properly.

It’s a fine line because play is natural for dogs and absolutely essential for their development.

However, your pup needs to learn to make corrections from older dogs.

Sometimes, the puppy is very resistant to accepting the cues, but other times it is the adult dog who has to learn how to correct them properly.

3. Senior privileges
   Give your older dog some favors as this will prevent jealousy and strengthen his position in your family.

Make sure your old friend doesn’t get mad because the puppy has taken all of his favorite toys.

Don’t feed the puppy constantly before you feed your first dog to avoid jealousy.

Physical attention is important to both dogs so make sure no one is left outside.

4. 1 on 1 training
   Do some one-on-one exercises with your dogs to avoid jealousy and reduce stress.

Sometimes training each dog individually allows you to focus only on them.

Puppies require a lot of basic training and it helps when they are not distracted by another dog.

Playing, doing some obedience work, or working on new tricks or commands goes a long way.

5. Bonding time together
   While one-on-one time is great, you should also go on adventures together and encourage your dogs to bond with each other.

This is probably one of the main factors to having two dogs that get along so well.

Positively reinforce each situation in which your dog interacts with the young slave.

6. Socialization
   A puppy’s socialization is crucial, but having an older dog properly socialized will go a long way.

Ideally, you have successfully socialized your adult dog well before introducing another dog.

7. Puppy exercise
   A tired puppy will not be able to provoke the older dog thus avoiding the need to attack in the first place.

Related : Help! My Dog Snapped at Me for the First Time

If your puppy is not being exercised both physically and mentally, it will cause your older dog to become unwell.

8. Presentation on a neutral basis
   To rule out territorial issues as a reason for your older dog to attack the puppy, you should introduce the dogs on neutral grounds outside.

However, this ship may have sailed if you’re already in a tense situation at home.

9. Exclusion of medical issues
   If you have an older dog and he attacks the puppy, be sure to rule out medical issues.

Older dogs get disoriented easily and if a puppy startles them when sleeping or resting, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Active puppies may accidentally cause pain by scratching or biting reasonable parts of your older dog’s body.

If you cannot rule out medical issues as the cause of your older dog’s behavioral changes, see your vet.

The puppy bit the older dog and drew blood
If your older dog bites the puppy and draws blood, you need to separate them to avoid future accidents and begin aggressiveness training with your older dog.

An incident where an older dog causes serious harm to a puppy is not simply due to the anger that can accompany old age.

Sure, the pup may have triggered a response.

However, a bite that draws blood is not a calculated response to the puppy being agitated.

That is unless you suspect that your puppy himself is suffering from puppy aggression.

Puppy aggression must be dealt with immediately, but it is not the root cause of an older dog biting a puppy.

Serious accidents have underlying causes.

Your older dog may have a social impairment or was not properly introduced to the puppy.

Lack of a haven, jealousy and excessive puppyhood, in general, may contribute to this problem.

But there is no excuse for an adult dog to have taken a full bite.

So let’s start improving the relationship and making sure your adult dog never does that again.

If your older dog hits the puppy hard, ask yourself the following questions:

Has your older dog picked up puppies before?
Is your senior dog properly socialized?
Were resources used in the incident (toys, food, etc.)?
Is your pup high on energy and testing boundaries?
Are you working on socializing your puppy?
Have you provided the older dog with a quiet place?
Can you rule out medical problems?
All of these questions will help determine if your dogs have been poorly presented, your older dog is not familiar with puppies or perhaps even unsuitable, or if there have been signs all along.

Your ultimate goal is to get your older dog to accept your puppy.

By following the steps above, most owners can achieve this.

However, since an actual bite has occurred, you may have to step back and assess whether your older dog is suitable for a puppy.

If there are high chances that your small dog will attack again, you will have to hire a professional trainer.

Should I let my older dog pick up a puppy?

It’s okay for an older dog to correct a puppy and spanking or growling can be part of that, but it should be a measured response and never leave a physical mark.

Is biting a puppy normal?

Related : How To Discipline Dogs After Fighting

A lot of adult dogs have a very short fuse with their puppies.

Understandably so, when laid-back older dogs meet energetic pups, worlds collide.

Usually, the growl and body language signal that the older dog is uncomfortable with the puppy’s energy precedes the growl.

It is perfectly fine for a dog to occasionally jump up in the air if a puppy is misbehaving.

However, if you notice that your pup isn’t doing anything and your older dog is looking for your pup, that’s a problem.

Likewise, if your older dog leaves a physical mark and seems to be going beyond what is reasonable, that’s a reason to talk to a professional trainer.

Should I let the puppy and older dog fight?
Never let a puppy and an older dog fight in any way unless it’s play fighting which should be accompanied by relaxed body language.

You shouldn’t just let a dog fight.

Whatever happened before, you need to stop any serious fighting and seek professional help.

How do you know that fighting is dangerous? body language.

Signs such as freckling, snarling, stiffness, and a whale’s eye are indications that a fight could be serious.

Dogs with a relaxed attitude, healthy mouth behavior, and playful vocalizations are usually just fighting for play.

If your older dog is fighting with your puppy, this is a great sign that they are bonding.