# Training puppy to be respectful to other household dogs



## tncb3 (Mar 16, 2012)

Our puppy, Koda just turned 10 wks old today. He's been doing really well with potty training, sit, down, walking nicely on a leash and recall. The problem I'm having with him is to learn to leave my other dogs alone. I have 4 shelties who are about the same weight that he is right now and he is just going to keep getting bigger. I want to train him to behave with them and not become a big bully. Basically, he is just asking them to play with him but naturally they don't always want to oblige. He will bark in their faces, run around them or sometimes paws at them trying his hardest to get them to play. I do let the shelties discipline him in their own way but sometimes he just doesn't get it. I have trained all of my dogs using positive reinforcement methods and don't believe in harsher methods of training. 2 of my shelties had roles in a movie & 1 was in a petsmart commercial that aired in Texas, so I'm not new to dog training; I am however new to this breed. At those times I have taken him outside by himself to play fetch with a ball or Frisbee or have taken him for a good walk to tire him out a little, this does work, but I am not always able to do this so the other option is to crate him until he settles down a bit. I know that this behavior cannot be fixed overnight, but curious to see if others have gone through this & what suggestions you recommend. I just enrolled him in a puppy class that starts in about 2 weeks, so hopefully I'll get some insight from them too, but what to do in the meantime?
Thanks in advance,
Chris


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would let the other dogs put him in his place(within reason) As long as you are supervising, let the other dogs control the relationship, but don't let them gang up or bully your pup. I would limit how many he gets to play with at any one time, til you see how they all interact with him.
If pup gets out of hand, crate him for a calm-down time. 
Use his meals as training time and that will work his brain. Mental exercise is very important and will wear out a puppy as quickly as a physical outing. I like to crate after a training session as well so pup can process what they've learned.

Once his adult teeth come in,that 'puppy pass' will be void and the other dogs won't appreciate his size or his strength....so they need to establish the rules with him now(with your guidance).


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I have three dogs and the GSD puppy just wants to play, even now at 7.5 months. The older dog plays when she wants to play and the GSD puppy has learned how to respect that on her own. The GSD and the golden retriever spend a lot of time playing, but when the older dog has decided its enough and barks at them, they all lay down The GSD really did get more calm as she got older and went through obedience school, she doesn't disrespect the other dogs and vice versa.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

tncb3, I think you are doing great and managing the situation the way I do when I get a new puppy.

I remove it from the house to exercise and wear it out. Because I do so much off leash hiking, I can actually bring the other dog(s) because when off leash and outdoors, the older bigger dogs can easily run faster and escape the bothersome pup.

I do let them work out some of the issues between themselves, but I always have the puppy in the same room I am in so I can keep an eye on things. Puppy teeth hurt and puppies can go to far, and just as it can get me angry (and injured) it can do the same for my older dogs. So I keep the play at a dull roar and if I think it's getting too rough, GAME OVER. I just step calmly in and 'split' the dogs. No one is in trouble or 'bad' when I do this. It's just a bit of a 'time out'. And if the puppy continues, I just calmly pick her up and crate her for a bit. NOT as punishment, just as a cool down period.

Classes will help. Bonding and training and socialization and all things good  .


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