Big vs Little

[jesday]

I keep asking inane little questions and I'm trying not to be so boring, but we had a huge ruckus this morning and I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with this.

We've had the pups for 7 months now and we are still having problems with them and our 13yr-old Chihuahua. They think he is this great little wind-up toy when he is on the ground. They just want to play but those huge paws will snap his back.

Chili does not tolerate them at all and bites and barks and stirs up everyone. Chili knows his safe zones but refuses to stay there. As a result for his own protection he spends a good deal of the day in the bedroom with the door closed.

Chili also has heart and throat problems and the barking sends him into little wheezing spastic attacks.

Most of Chili's life has been around other dogs, including a large 120lb lab mix, so I didn't expect there would be a problem. He's been an only child for the last 5 years.

I hate for his last few years to be shut up in his own house. And I suppose I was hoping they would at least tolerate each other by now. Will the puppies outgrow the appeal of the little guy? Any other solution suggestions other than locking up the grumpy old man?

[kathryn]

Try teaching a settle or gentle command.  My rottie/shepherd that I used to have was taught the gentle command when a friend would bring over her pomeranian puppy.  Her puppy had a broken leg and Bear would try and bat Jet with his paws too to get him to play.  Once Bear understood the gentle command he was really good about laying down or just running around Jet and being very careful where he put his feet and body.  It probably helped that Bear was raised around cats/kittens so he learned gentle from about 10weeks old when I got him.  Should be the same thing for a 7 month old.  It may just take a little longer for them to get the hang of the settle/gentle command and what you want them to do.  Maybe make them lay down to interact with your little one.

[kealoha812]

I had the same issue with my pup and my 2 cats. He thought they were the nest toys in the world and chased them at high speeds every time he caught a glimpse. The ended up spending weeks under the bed. At one point they peed on the couch when they couldnt get to the litter box without passing him! What we did was begin to give the pup treats while bringing the cats closer and closer. He was so focused on the treats that he started to ignore them and focus on me instead, With time, they lost their appeal. The mere sight of them before would send him in to a frenzy, but once the treats were introduced he would be able to handle them in the room, then even next to him. Now - they can sleep together on the couch! Maybe teaching them to leave the old guy alone is the safest option? Just a thought...

[VdogLover]

Do the pups know the Leave It command?
May not be a bad idea to just have them think he is simply something they can not play with at all.

[jesday]

Chili has two chair/sofa's spots and I do use the 'leave it' command when he is there. They want to sniff, but do a pretty good job of leaving him alone when he's in the chair. It's when he gets down that the havoc starts. Nobody listens then. Chili knows where he is safe but kind of instigates it.

How do you teach the 'gentle' command? Getting them to control their power?

[ZooCrew]

Depending on the dog, it may or may not be easy to teach.

It was easy for me, b/c they dogs had to learn how to nicely take a treat from my hand w/o trying to take my fingers with it (of course they aren't that nice with anyone else handing out treats, go figure  )

Another thing you can try is keeping the pups on a leash while Chili is in the room.  If they start acting up or bothering him, remove them from the room.  Try again in a few minutes.  Continue removing them every time they act up or act roughly.  They (hopefully) will soon realize that if they are not nice to Chili, they have to leave. 

Depending on how well they do together in a room by themselves, you may have to separate them into different rooms.  That might be an even greater punishment, depending on how well bonded they are to each other.

[jabear]

How do you teach the 'gentle' command? Getting them to control their power?

Besides the "leave it" command I'd also try teaching them Bear's trick with small dogs. He loves, love, loves them but can be overwhelming since they are so small. So, I taught him to "be easy, they're babies" phrase which means that he has to lay down and stay there until they are comfortable with him. He is very gentle and moves slowly from then on unless they are not intimidated by his size and beg him to play. Good luck!

And to teach it, practice, practice, practice, and reward when it works. It is not instant but if you are consistent and do it everytime they see each other it will become routine. When Bear sees a little dog he immediately lays down- many times without a word from me.

[Lyn]

Bubba and Lola were both raised with an elderly Toy Poodle. Lola respects the poodles space, but Bubba is a doofus and still very puppyish even at 3 years old. He still stomps and pounces at her on occasion. His maturity took a permanent leave apparently. LOL He also still pesters the kitten.. He knows 'leave it' and 'gentle' but he just can't help himself.

In my experience with spazzy Bubba it's best not to seperate him from whatever excites him, in this case the kitten. The more they interact the calmer he gets. There's alot of 'Hey! NO leave it! D*mn you Bubba.. Bleep bleep bleep. LOL But each day gets better as he gets used to the fact that 'his' kitty will still be here tomorrow. LOL

[VdogLover]

Breeze loves my cat (old man) so much she tries to carrying him around (by his head). Since I use "Leave it" for things my dogs will never be allowed to touch, I use "enough" instead. Meaning she can say Hi but when it gets to rough or the cats just had enough of her kisses she is to walk away. I train it with a squirt bottle.

However if my cat was more frail and I feared real injure I would use the Leave It command and she would simply learn the cat is something she will never get to play with.