lockie and georgia

[ferrar]

georgia is 2 yr old female staffy and lockie is 7months old male staffy they have adapted so well together but now when playing or at meal time georgia has started to actually nip/bite lockie causing him to squeal and it has started to happen more frequently now we are unsure of what to do.we have tried to seperate them as soon as this happens but then they whine for each other to they are back together.... please help

[Todd]

HI there and thanks for the question.

Sorry the reply has been a long time coming i am trying to get back through all the emails to find ones we have missed.

This is often a problem that puppies suffer at the hands of older dogs. Older dogs eventually either get too rough or too tired of that puppy enthusiasm.
So we need to teach both to get along and not play roughly.

The best way to do this is to take away any toys that are causing aggression issues, whether this be a chew toy or even something like a blanket.
Taking these things away can often halve the problem.

Also it may be a good idea to start feeding them further apart to avoid any problems. Start with them say 2 metres apart. After a few days of this you can start to inch by inch push the bowls closer and closer together. Go at a slow rate say 2 inches a day to make sure they don't realise what is happening.

MAke sure you are watching them while they eat so you can break up any problems quickly. The best way is with a water pistol or a large blanket. If it gets serious try keep out of the middle to avoid issues.

Now we need to make sure that you can tell them off when things are getting out of hand. It may be a good idea to leave their leads on when you are around so you can quickly separate the two.

When a fight does break out you need to tell of the instigator (from the sounds of it Georgia) with a loud GRRRR or AHHH. Again the water pistol is great. Then separate the two as you have been doing. Leave them apart until the whining stops, if you put them back together when they are making noise they won't learn.

You need to be very consistent with reinforcing nice gentle play as well as telling off rough play and hurting. Good luck and please let me know if i can help anymore

Todd