[bonnie connors]

I have a one year old, female. I got her at 6 wks old as my 8 year old smaller mix lab was grieving for her life long doggie companion had to be put to sleep. For the first six months the Labradoodle stayed in the laundry room and my older dog with me under the bed. When we returned to my winter home I keep the Doodle in a huge kennel here in my room. Every time I let her out she pulls on the tail or grabs the older dog by the back legs or nips at the neck. The older dog tollerates it as she knows the Doodle is just playing but it happens ALL the time. When will she just lie down next to the older dog and take a nap?? If I just let them continue, the older dog just looks up at me saying" Put her back in her kennel". When I give her freedom to roam, she goes outside thru the doggie door to poop just fine. But if I'm not watching her constantly she might come back in with the doggie door flap to chew on. During this "roaming time" the older dog is safe under the bed because her first choice is mouthing the older dog. Most of the time she is lying down, sometimes even on her back bitting on the Lab but it's still very anoying to me and the Lab. Do I just let them "duke it out" and hope she out grows it? I'm now walking them both together and she's good not to jump on the Lab during the walk but that's the only time. Any thoughts????

 

[2doodsmom]

Hi! I can imagine how frustrating it is to see your pup torture your lab. I wonder if your older lab is ill? If not, I would be tempted to let them "work it out." Usually dogs get their idea across to other dogs if they don't want to be messed with... Sometimes I think humans have such a low tolerance for the conflict that we don't let them go through it and figure it out. I hate it when my dogs growl at each other and they do it all the time. My husband always says I need to let them work it out.

That said, if your 8 yr old is really not able to deal with the pup, you might try an indoor radio fence. There's a transmitter that you put in your house somewhere and a collar with a receiver that gives your pup a static correction. It's just a little jolt of static electricity that is unpleasant, but doesn't harm them. If you put the collar only on the pup, your older dog can get away from the annoyance if she wants to in the zone created by the transmitter, but will still have run of the house herself....

We have used the indoor fence with great success to keep our two doodles confined to one area of the house without having to put up a physical barrier.

Just a thought.

 

[Ronnie]

I have also noticed that dogs seem to have a greater tolerance for being annoyed than we the 'parents' have. I have had two sets of 2 dogs at different times--the first set there was an 8 year age difference. With them, the older was the dominant dog, and made it clear when she had enough--with the younger obeying. My current dogs are 4 months (Betty, a 9 pound chiweenie :lol: ) and 18 months (Fred, a 73 pound labradoodle). We have not figured out who is dominant, but it might be Betty--BUT I was getting kind of upset that Betty would constantly try to steal Fred's chew toy and just flat out annoy him constantly. I would try to stop Betty, or try to convince Fred to go up on the couch where Betty could not reach him--but he would keep on going back to the floor where Betty would appear to annoy him. I am now convinced that he actually likes her taking the bone, because when she leaves him alone, he taunts her into trying to take his bone. The situation could be different with your dogs, but I would try not to worry and see how they work it out.

Also--your Doodle might be bored. My Fred is a lot more active than a neighbor's Lab andneeds more amusing than the Lab. Fred gets three good play sessions every day where we make sure he runs around the yard at breakneck speed, plays catch, or one of our other games--i vary things. In the house, I hide things in boxes or put treats in the Kong, or give him a few tennis or hand balls to play with.

 

[bonnie connors]

Thanks for both comments. Lab is actually getting stronger since "the play bouts" and the daily walks. She just has arthritis in one hip but between the walking and Cosequin it doesn't seem to bother her. There isn't any growling between them. Jo, the Doodle puppy has NEVER growled. When the old Lab grabs a toy (which she really doesn't chew on hard toys) and Jo wants it from her, then the hair comes up, teeth show and growling from the old dog but that excites Jo even more that she got some real "emotion" out of the old dog. I think the "bored" thing is right too. I guess walking, playing then eating in that order so toys, even with food in them isn't as much fun as pulling on Sandy's tail and chewing on her. I do go out in the back yard with her several times to let her, if she has the need, to tear from one end to the other several times, then she comes at Sandy full speed so I have to stand in front of Sandy so she doesn't flatten her. This usually only happens once in the morning. I think you are both right to let it go since there is no dominanting or harm involved. I've never had children so I guess not all dogs are going to be well behaved couch potatoes. Do Labradoodle take longer to get out of puppy hood? She is my sixth puppy and never have I had so much trouble from any of the others. It's got to be the Poodle in her, huh?