The calls come in daily to our office. “Help – I have a new puppy. I bought my older dog a little sister/brother and my current dog”:
- Hates it!
- Is growling at it
- Snarls and hides when it goes close
- Wants nothing to do with the puppy
- Snaps and growls when it goes near my other dogs’ food
- Has pinned it to the ground and won’t let it up
- Bitten the puppy and caused it injury
- Mothers the puppy and now we can’t get close to the puppy
- Plays so rough with the puppy that it hurts it
The expectations of humans are often mind boggling.
Why do we expect our pets to;
- Just let another dog into the space they have inhabited happily where they were once comfortable, settled and peaceful
- Expect them to share resources once their own – water bowl, food bowl bedding, humans
- Tolerate a puppy where they have not had to put up with one before
- Cope with another dog when they are already under socialised and struggling with the outside world as it is.
If you were told you were bringing home a toddler without any prior warning how prepared would you be? Would you have the patience of a saint, the energy of an ever-ready battery to chase it around all day or would you after 30 min be wanting a break, peace and quiet, time to yourself and for it to go back to wherever it came from!
Why do we expect our dogs to instantly tolerate a new addition without any prior preparation and training?
