Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 8:35 am Post subject: Please help!
Hi
I bought a 2 year old labrador from a lady yesterday and took my own lab to meet him where they got on fine. However, since coming home, she is very snappy and territorial. She is running back to her crate to hide and he wont leave her alone.
I knew taking on another dog would be hard work but my daughter is scared to be around them and wont come downstairs because they are jumping around everywhere. I've had to separate them but is no life for either of them. I realise I made a big mistake.
Am at a loss as what to do as lady isn't returning my calls or texts. The poor dog is very obese and she didn't look after him properly anyway.
I know its very early and I probably should give them time to settle but I have to do whats best for my daughter and given their ages (2 years and 9 months) they are going to remain playful and boisterous for a while and will knock into her a lot. Having called rspca, they told me to call dogs trust who are only open week days.
He has been neutered. She was selling him due to her relationship breakdown and being put on benefits, she was unable to afford to keep him and that she will have to go back to work. He is very overweight and I wanted to help him and give him a better life.
If it was just me, I would give them both a chance to settle but my daughters reaction has worried me. She loves our own girl and has no problems around her but is scared of coming downstairs and wants to go live with her dad until he's gone. She's only 5, so this breaks my heart that she has reacted in such a bad way.
I can separate them but this doesn't help with my daughter. She absolutely wont come downstairs and I don't particularly want to give up my daughter to home a dog if that makes sense because that will essentially be what happens.
I feel bad enough as it is that I'm even considering this so early on and was financially and mentally prepared for another dog. Unfortunately I didn't apprehend my daughters reaction to it.
New boy is probably very excited to be in a home with another resident youngster pup, his going over the top is not surprising.
Your little girl has got used to Star as she has been with you since puppyhood, if you sit her down and explain that new boy is so happy to be in his new home and showing this in the only way he knows how, and Star is just being a bit unsociable at the moment but will come round when they have been out in open space for a nice run -around I am sure they will get on fine.
If you can arrange to do this as soon as possible atleast you will know if it will work before having to rehome the poor chap yet again.
It will calm down very quickly with the odd nutty spell, don't give up till you have tried, your little girl is understandably over -whelmed with the sort of behaviour she is seeing but it will get better.
Ok, so you got the dog yesterday. It can be very scary for kids to see dogs bouncing about when they are in full play mode. My own kids (who are 3 and 4) used to get a scared when my two were doing it. I have a 6 yr old Lab and a 4 month old puppy who is getting fairly big, and my dogs have a couple of rough and tumble sessions each day.
When the dogs are doing this, I put them outside if the weather is nice. If not, I simply encourage to kids to give them a wide berth until the dogs have settled down.
Have you talked to your daughter about it? Does she realise that the dogs are playing? It can look a lot like fighting to a kid, and maybe you need to explain that it is normal, but that they could knock her over so she might want to go and play with some of her toys until the dogs have had enough. My daughter thought that Indy was trying to kill our puppy at first, because she could see him biting him. She screamed and cried the first couple of times. Once she understood that it was playing she calmed down.
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