I have one adult female dog (standard poodle) and a female puppy (golden retriever) that is 5 months old. The golden has shown a few signs that she will be an alpha female and we have been working on her like crazy to keep her in lined and trained and she’s doing really well. My question is, both females like to romp and play just like any normal dog and I’ve heard that a romp can turn into a fight very easily. The golden is only puppy, but I want to know if it is okay to let them romp like normal dogs or if I should make them stop. They have never had trouble with eachother or anything and my poodle is REALLY well trained, but I’m afraid it might be teaching the puppy how to fight. She’s a smart girl and really sweet, just some pre-aggressive signs have been displayed that we are trying to weed out. If you have had experience with this and youre a trainer please help.
I’m glad to see that you can recognize that there will be a pecking order. Please let them play,this is a normal part of canine behavior and actually helps establish the alpha. I dont see it turning aggressive with an adult and a puppy,especially thoes breeds of dog. Generally fights are over other things and if you dont have two strong personalities let them play! Relax and enjoy
Trainer for over 10 years
We have two males. The first dog we adopted was a Beagle and neutered, the second was a German Shepherd and we had him neutered.
I was always afraid of the play the dogs would get into with the growling, nipping and so forth because I didn’t want the GS to hurt the Beagle. My husband would tell me to let them go, they’ll work it out, the GS won’t hurt the Beagle.
I let them go and lo and behold–the Beagle showed/let the GS know, you’re getting too rough–chill out. They’ve had some times where I’ve had to use that rough voice but, that get along great!!!!!!
Just watch the girls and when YOU feel like it’s getting out of hand then say something. Otherwise, let them get the feel of each other.
the pup and adult are ok to play together. what aggresstion is being shown? is it outright attach like behavior? or is it one that the adult says hey kid knock it off, much like a mother pup would do to her youngsters? if it is like a mother pup then you are ok, if more of an attack behavier then I would worry. keep an eye on them and let them know when you choose enough is enough play. a big cue to watch for is the back of the poodle, does her fur stand up, does she stand tall and stiff? these are both aggressive stands.
When I took classes with my dog the trainer said that when your dog is learning to play with other dogs to stay in the mix and touch them so they know that you are supervising their contact.
If things turn aggressive you can separate them right away because you are there and put them into “time out.” Then they learn aggression stops your attention, which is a negative outcome and will not encourage them to repeat it.
You need to understand that in doggy language “Alpha” is head of the pack. Whenever you introduce one or more dogs there will be a standoff at one point or another to show who will be top dog. It’s a very natural way of doing things and will happen whether you want it to or not. 99.9% of the time, it’s harmless growling, barking, handling, and muzzling. Muzzling is huge for a puppy because that is the way they have been shown they are the lesser dominate dog (one dog take their mouth and covers the other dogs muzzle while pushing down.)
Don’t worry! Everything will be OK. They will work it out on their own, and you should not need to interfere unless one becomes severely abusive. It just sounds like natural “play” and really, it’s VERY normal 🙂
let them duke it out its important for them to know whos boss, but stop them if they are causing injury to each other, i suggest a pro dog trainer if your having trouble with aggression because they older they are the harder their habits will be to break