# Will he hurt my small breed dog?



## Fancy (Feb 17, 2013)

Ok I have a question.
I have a small breed dog. She is a maltese ****zu mix and currently she plays with the male GSD pup that is 10 weeks old. But as we all know this puppy is going to grow fast and big. Sooo have you all heard of anyone that owned a GSD pup that hurt the owners small breed? Is there anything I need to do to make sure Max (GSD) pup doesn't hurt my mal shi? 

I didn't worry about my boxer hurting her but my GSD pup is bigger breed. Just wanna make sure this all goes smooth. 

I am home 24/7 so they are not left alone. They seem to play really rough. My mal shi will jump up on the couch for safety because GSD pup hasn't figured out how to jump on couch yet. I try to calm GSD pup down and put him into the sit position but he is only after what he is after and I can't focus him on me. He does know sit, easy and come. But you have to repeat repeat on easy sometimes. He snaps those jaws so quick and those little teeth are sharp!
Thanks!

I didn't curse up there but the program thinks I did sorry about that. That is her breed.


----------



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I advice you to hire a private trainer to help you at home.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my dog plays with our neighbors Dachshund and my other neighbors cats.


----------



## Karma6577 (Jan 22, 2013)

When he gets to the point of not listening and you having to repeat put him on a leash and continue doing what you were doing. When he is calmed down let him off and if he goes right back to harassing/bullying the little one put him back in the lead. You don't want to keep repeating the same command because he will learn that when you say it once it doesn't mean anything 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Fancy (Feb 17, 2013)

Karma6577 said:


> When he gets to the point of not listening and you having to repeat put him on a leash and continue doing what you were doing. When he is calmed down let him off and if he goes right back to harassing/bullying the little one put him back in the lead. You don't want to keep repeating the same command because he will learn that when you say it once it doesn't mean anything
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Karma
Thank You! I put him on the leash when I have kept repeating to be easy and he just keeps going at her hard. I will leash him now after the 1st warning if he doesn't listen. Thank You.

Wolfy I have a trainer to train him next week but I hate to ask her for help on everything. I figured you guys had the answer. 

doggiedad I have a boxer and a husky mix medium size dogs but they didn't play this rough as pups. They were milder in nature. This little guy is like ready to eat her but he is playing. He just 10 weeks and 3 days. 

The boxer she keeps walking in between them like she is telling him to calm down. Mal Shi is the queen and tells all them what to do. So he was hunching her a bit ago an really pulling her hair. He is showing his dominance already. 
But the Mal Shi keeps going back for more.


----------



## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

It is NOT dominance. That's just how they play. My pug and GSD rough house, and they both play rough!


----------



## Karma6577 (Jan 22, 2013)

It took my puppy 2 days to figure out that he needs to listen...our little papillon would try and stand his ground but was just over powered. He is in the process of learning leave it...which the papillon and cat will be  good luck and just stick to your guns...
Oh and you are paying the trainer so take advantage of that!! Ask anything and keep posting here too! Need pics too 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

My GSD grew up with my Papillon just fine. She (the pap) will beat him up when he's getting out of line. When he was younger I rarely had to intervene and now that he's older I never have to.


----------



## Oberan's Dad (Feb 20, 2013)

Same concern here. Female Papillon is antagonistic and really works up my pup. He's about 4 months and fearless. She's a little timid and won't put him in his place. He also doesn't seem to be too bothered when she yelps. Thankfully he hasn't had the chance to latch on. He really likes to chase behind her and does the land shark thing. I carefully stay within arms reach and try to calm him down and restrain when he starts going nuts. I let them play tug of war only when he lying down. No idea if I'm doing it right. Taking it day to day and honestly I'm losing sleep over it. I feel for you. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

I've a 9lb dog at home. The 9 lb dog got along great with the GSD puppy even when they play rough until the GSD is now bigger and more mature at 1. The GSD is learning how to use her force and developing a mentality of "I don't want you (the dog) to tell me what to do anymore." I'm now stricter than before about when the GSD must either be gentler or stop play and will elevate the 9 lb's standing for sake of keeping the GSD in check. I did have to correct the GSD very severely one time and she's since been more cautious about play and respectful of the boundary I've set for her. It is my responsibility to continually make sure the GSD understands the 9 lb dog is not for her to hurt and she answers to me. 

A growing dog's dynamic within its "pack" can evolve over time. Just be watchful as the dog matures and always enforce your rule of when you want them to stop or slow down. Make it black and white to the dog. You must learn (ie. from a trainer) how to teach the GSD to stop immediately when you say to stop, especially important when the puppy starts to matures in his mentality and can physically do serious damage.


----------



## Justaguy (Nov 20, 2012)

Its a possibility and I don't mean purposely. My GSD with stomp all over George my Maltese mix and only because he wanted to play. Have to be careful and monitor the situation.


----------



## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

Oberan's Dad said:


> Same concern here. Female Papillon is antagonistic and really works up my pup. He's about 4 months and fearless. She's a little timid and won't put him in his place. He also doesn't seem to be too bothered when she yelps. Thankfully he hasn't had the chance to latch on. He really likes to chase behind her and does the land shark thing. I carefully stay within arms reach and try to calm him down and restrain when he starts going nuts. I let them play tug of war only when he lying down. No idea if I'm doing it right. Taking it day to day and honestly I'm losing sleep over it. I feel for you.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



HUGE red alarms here you can easily end up with a dead papillon this way and no your papallion is not going to put a dog that is bigger than a coyote in its place as it grows bigger and bigger. Whats going on here is very dangerous for your lil dog. You need to talk to some experienced forum members who have gone through this. Eventually his teeth will get in there. I don't think u should let them play tug all its doing is telling him hes way stronger over and over again.


----------



## Fancy (Feb 17, 2013)

I have him understanding easy is not to bite at me when taking his treat.
So he understands what I say but he acts like he doesn't hear me when I say stop.
So what can I use for discipline for him when he doesn't listen to me. Imagine he is playing has my mal shis head in his mouth. I say stop and he doesn't stop. Do I just leash him and make him sit and tell him soundly that he is a bad bad boy? And keep him leashed for the rest of the day? I know they are playing but a growing puppy will bite down hard if excited
Again I didn't worry about this situation with my boxer and husky. I have my mommy radar up.
I have been taking him out and socializing him he behaves well in public. Laid back kids come up to him and he lays down for them to pet him. He is just a wild child playing with the mal shi.


----------



## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

Our yorkie and Tessa were the same size for about a week. Tess has always shown a lot more interest in playing then Daisy(the yorkie). We made an early rule that while Daisy could get on the couch, Tess was not allowed. It gave both us and Daisy a break where we could all relax. Now that everyone is grown up..I just use my leave it command to give Daisy a break when she needs it. They're never going to be BFF,but they get along peacefully.


----------



## Oberan's Dad (Feb 20, 2013)

Here's my update. We rescued the shepherd a little over a month ago and he was behind on vaccines an socialization so we've been cautiously introducing him to our family pets. Looking at it through different eyes (thanks for all the tips everyone) both dogs were being playful. He's a very sweet pup and doesn't understand his size. My pap was timid because he ran her over with excitement. 

Working on his "gentle" "out" and "leave it" has really helped them get along better. Especially "outing him from his toys and food as regular training. he's not the least bit protective of them at this point. I also keep him leashed and run behind as they play so I can pull him back when needed but not hold him back unnecessarily where he lunges. So in the end still very cautious but have a better understanding that my papillon is not prey. He loves to herd her but isn't closing his mouth on her. Just doing the puppy thing. 

This isnt even my original thread on the issue. This forum is very helpful. Thanks everyone here's proof they're starting to coexist









Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Since your GSD is a pup growing up with your small dog you shouldn't have any problems. If theres unintentional roughness you can step it in and correct it. If you had adopted an adult GSD there would be a chance of issues depending on the specific dog, but nothing that training couldn't fix. 

I wonder what I did with some videos I had of when my last roommates dog was a puppy.... But I have this slideshow of my adopted adult GSDs with small breed dogs I used to foster:


----------



## Fancy (Feb 17, 2013)

Lin said:


> Since your GSD is a pup growing up with your small dog you shouldn't have any problems. If theres unintentional roughness you can step it in and correct it. If you had adopted an adult GSD there would be a chance of issues depending on the specific dog, but nothing that training couldn't fix.
> 
> I wonder what I did with some videos I had of when my last roommates dog was a puppy.... But I have this slideshow of my adopted adult GSDs with small breed dogs I used to foster:
> My German Shepherds w/ various fosters - YouTube


I will watch video in am tomorrow. Can't thank you all enough!

I just got Max to sleep on the floor in our bedroom. YaY! He had to sleep in crate upstairs because he howled so much. He hates that crate but mom and dad need to sleep too!
He was sleeping in the puppy pen but he learned how to climb out. So this is big step
Him sleeping on floor. Of course he has his puppy bed and I have him leashed to the
Hope chest. I knew I would figure out how to make him understand we cant howl and sleep downstairs.
Now if I can stop the mal shi snack I will be feelin better.


----------



## Curtis (Jun 9, 2013)

Any update on they get along now? I'm in the same position. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

It's a problem that has to be attacked from a bunch of different angles. If the small dog shows any kind of antagonistic behavior and attempts to correct the puppy you probably want to separate them completely and stop letting them play together. Either way you need to correct the puppy physically if it will not listen. You will also have to correct the small dog if the small dog tries to start play up if you are doing a zero tolerance on that kind of physical horseplay.

This does not mean hit the puppy, this does not mean slap the puppy. A light leashpop or a firm and quick touch (think cesar millan) should be enough to snap the puppy outta drive. When that puppy is in a high state of prey drive or play he might not even hear you if you only do a verbal correction.


I've seen a maltese that played fine with a GSD pup until the GSD pup started to get larger and more powerful. The maltese didnt think it was so fun anymore because he was suddenly faced with a dog that was stronger, larger, and that possessed a much higher energy reserve. On top of that puppies often dont pick up on the subtle (or even blatant) signals that the other dog no longer wants to play. In some cases I'm convinced some puppies understand the signal but just don't give a **** and continue to harass because they know they can get a rise out of the other dog. The maltese started trying to bite the pup to get him to stop and essentially escalated things to a real fight. The GSD pup rose to this challenge and decided to show the maltese how strong he had really become and then the maltese was terrified of him for a while. Post fight the GSD pup wasn't even slightly phased by being in his first dogfight he thought it was good fun. The GSD pup saw the maltese's fear as weakness and just went after the maltese even harder (out of prey drive but still.)

With young puppies I prefer to not allow them to play with other dogs at all. Socialize them enough with other dogs so that they aren't afraid of them and can coexist together, but outside of that I want the pup to bond closer to me than to the other dogs in my house. This is especially prudent in the case of such a size and power differential with a GSD and a dog like a maltese. That maltese will not be able to sustain the entertainment value.


----------



## Oberan's Dad (Feb 20, 2013)

Here's my update: 7 month old 79lb male GSD vs 2.5 year old 10lb female papillon. Both get along quite well now. Looking back I was over thinking it a just little and they were feeding off of me anxiety. My papillon has a high play drive and so does the puppy and thats all they really want to do. My GSD isn't trying to eat the papillon. I never let them work out their differences until recently (post landshark phase) and now the papillon isn't afraid to put him in his place when he gets too rough and they can coexist for hours so long as I'm in the room. 

At first I kept the puppy on a leash because he had that uncontrollable crazy puppy energy. He used to love to grab a mouthful of hair which made the papillon squeal and that really excited him. Around 5 months old I let them play a little longer together without thr leash and after about a billion times working on his gentle command I realized his mouth was the problem. 

I then trained my pup to pick up a toy when he plays with the papillon. That made him slow down just a little and keeps him from completely losing his mind. Once we had the mouth under control the papillon got the confidence to come unglued when he played too rough and send him running for cover. My only real concern now is trampling. They're not allowed to play unsupervised and I still have to tackle and pin him into submission when he loses it chasing the papillon around the yard. I can always tell when its about to happen because he lets off a frustrated whine just like after 20 min of trying to fit three tennis balls in his mouth at the same time. He even lets her steal his bone or chew on the same one that's in his mouth. It freaks me out but they seem to have it worked out. 

Here they are taking a break from freaking out. He's about 6 months in this photo. 










Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Curtis (Jun 9, 2013)

Thank you both for the thorough updates. In my case I'm not sure how this will play out in the months to come, but right now I'm very hopeful. 

This is just a case of my ignorance. My Min Pin was my first dog and I could not have been more clueless. Just when I thought I had things figured out and was ready for a second pup I am again faced with how ill prepared I really am. 

My GSD is exceeding my expectations so far, and if the worse case scenario is that I have to keep the two dogs separated then I will consider myself lucky. 

In the meantime I will continue to devour books and scour the internet. I can't wait for training classes to start. 

Thanks again. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Im so glad things are working out. Don't feel bad. I did the same thing. I was even thinking about giving my gad puppy away. I was new to it too and probably didn't help the issue with being anxious. Almost 3 months later and things are going great.


----------



## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

If they are raised together from the GSD being a puppy it will be fine. My tweo other dogs are 30 and 20 pounds and the GSD grew up with them. They play together and he does not hurt them. He also plays with my mother dachshund. 

He has never hurt my 20 pound dog, but I can tell when she no longer wants to play and we do make him stop at that point.


----------



## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

Oberan's Dad said:


> Here's my update: 7 month old 79lb male GSD vs 2.5 year old 10lb female papillon. Both get along quite well now. Looking back I was over thinking it a just little and they were feeding off of me anxiety. My papillon has a high play drive and so does the puppy and thats all they really want to do. My GSD isn't trying to eat the papillon. I never let them work out their differences until recently (post landshark phase) and now the papillon isn't afraid to put him in his place when he gets too rough and they can coexist for hours so long as I'm in the room.
> 
> At first I kept the puppy on a leash because he had that uncontrollable crazy puppy energy. He used to love to grab a mouthful of hair which made the papillon squeal and that really excited him. Around 5 months old I let them play a little longer together without thr leash and after about a billion times working on his gentle command I realized his mouth was the problem.
> 
> ...


Wait...are you literally tackling the dog and holding it down until it does what? Looks away from you? Calms down? What is your definition of "submission"?

Just trying to get a bit of clarification is all.


----------



## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Yeah pinning has to be done very very carefully or it easily ends up counterproductive. You have to train it like you would anything else. With puppies you can hold them down by shoulders and hips and when they stop squirming tell them "relax." If done correctly you can train them to relax on the word relax and the pinning is usually no longer necessary maybe a touch on the shoulder is enough to snap em out of it. You have to be relaxed yourself or you won't get it out of them though. Done angrily you can just make a fight or bite happen.


----------



## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

One thing we had to do was get rid of all the small balls and toys. We didn't want the GSD to choke on them.


----------



## Oberan's Dad (Feb 20, 2013)

Wait...are you literally tackling the dog and holding it down until it does what? Looks away from you? Calms down? What is your definition of "submission"?



Just trying to get a bit of clarification is all. 


Guess i should watch my creative license here. Not literally tackling him. That would be way excessive. When he gets to the point where he doesn't hear me anymore I have to stop him from chasing at a full sprint. Usually as he runs by i'll grab him one arm around the chest in front and one over his back just behind the shoulders. Ill pull him in and stop his momentum. If he's still struggling to get the small dog ill push him over and pin shoulders and hips with my shins as I kneel across him. Just enough weight to keep him down. Then once the lights come back on and he loses the intense prey drive ill let him back up. It's very rare that I have to do this. When I do, it lasts just long enough to change his energy and stop the chaotic struggling. Longest was about 20 seconds. 

And for clarification I only repeat a command once. When he doesn't listen I stop the play and he pulls it together again. Only when it's becoming dangerous will I pin him. Pinning for submission is much more meaningful when its rarely done. I've pinned him about five times since I got him in January. All were for times he was completely out of his mind not listening. 

I failed to mention in the update that playing with the papillon while on a leash was standard for the first few months. That control during landshark phase was mandatory for this pup. Hope I answered your question. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------

