Aggressive Puppy

[ginger's mom]

I need advice. My best friend has a puppy that is a little out of control. She is a 9 month old cock-a-poo, Cady. I have a 4 month old malti-poo, Ginger who just got her shots and I was so happy for them to become the best of friends. We took them to the park together so that they could play together and Cady was ridiculously jealous of Ginger. Whenever she or I would pet Ginger, Cady would come over and want to be pet. And she would steal all of Ginger's toys and her flossie. One time, Cady was chewing on a toy and had her paw on her flossie. Ginger went over to chew on the flossie and Cady dropped the toy and lunged at her and bit at her face. My friend was completely surprised as Cady had never been agressive toward another dog before and this was definitely aggressive. We spent about an hour more at the park watching them carefully and Cady was not ever aggresssive against Ginger again, but they didn't play together at all and Ginger would crawl into my lap scared, whenever Cady would come close to her. Can I not have these two together? Is there any advice you would give me. I was so hoping they would be the best of friends.

 

[Zoom]

It seems to me that Cady is viewing Ginger as an interloper and doesn't appreciate having to share. She's also trying to establish that she's the Top Dog and feels that she should get first grab at everything. Still, 9 months is a little young to be getting this pushy. But on the other hand, Cady has gotten everything without problem up until now. They may still end up being friends, but you and your friend are going to have to both let those dogs work out their own pecking order and/or let Ginger know that she can't just take toys. At the same time, let Cady know she can't hog all the attention. She has to wait her turn too.

I've seen this happen a couple of times, where best friends get dogs and think the dogs will automatically be best friends as well. Dogs have their own likes and dislikes though, and this doesn't always match up to their owners wishes.

 

[bubbatd]

They'll work it out .......... have your friend socialize Cady more.

 

[casablanca1]

Cady was ridiculously jealous of Ginger. Whenever she or I would pet Ginger, Cady would come over and want to be pet. And she would steal all of Ginger's toys and her flossie. One time, Cady was chewing on a toy and had her paw on her flossie. Ginger went over to chew on the flossie and Cady dropped the toy and lunged at her and bit at her face. My friend was completely surprised as Cady had never been agressive toward another dog before and this was definitely aggressive. We spent about an hour more at the park watching them carefully and Cady was not ever aggresssive against Ginger again, but they didn't play together at all and Ginger would crawl into my lap scared, whenever Cady would come close to her.

It sounds like Cady's being possessive - of her owner, of the toys, of petting, etc., - and of course that's going to scare the younger puppy. Little dogs can be monstrously posessive of their owners and they need as much positive, outgoing, friendly interactions with strangers and the outside world as possible. But if you want to hang out with your friend and her dog, the easiest way to reduce the tension is to exercise the heck out of both dogs before you meet up. When they're tired, they're less full of it. Sure, that means they don't get to play together, but at least for now, that's probably for the best. It'll give them a chance to get used to each other while they're
just hanging out in their owners' laps. With any luck, Cady will end up accepting Ginger, and then the trick will be getting her to quit defending this new 'posession' from others.