# my dog is a bully



## chocolat (May 23, 2010)

My one young girl about 8-9 months old now, has started bullying and teasing another cockapoo we have here.
It isnt aggressive(yet) but she likes to make the other dog squeal and hide. She doesnt do it when i am around, I look out the window after hearing the squeal and see what is going on. This is currently more like a game to her. Much like a brother who pokes the other brother in the back seat of the car just to get the other one to scream and the parents to get mad.

Do others have dogs that do this? is this a stage or do i need to start getting concerned?
She will easily call off and come if I am out with them(or I go out to diffuse the situation)
over 80 acres to run and other dogs to play with a life spent coming in and out and going to the pond etc.. it isnt boredome, but it is creative thinking that needs channeling.


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

wow 80 acres! those dogs got it made. 

my puppy "bugs" our 4 year old the same way. i think it's just having too much puppy energy and wanting to play...


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

You need to always supervise when the two are together. If The big one starts to bully the small one, you step in and intervene. It's your job to look after both dogs and correct this type of behavior.

As you can see from my avatar, i have a shepherd whos 70+ pounds and a cavalier king charles spaniel thats 20 pounds. The shepherd would always try to paw the cavalier to get him to play when she was younger, but the cavalier wanted no part of it. Everytime she tried to paw him, i'd step in and give a correction. Lucy (the shepherd) no longer even attempts it.

It's really not fair for a little dog to be bullied (play or not) by something 4 to 5 times it's size. That's why you need to always be there, so this doesnt continue to happen.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Think about it in your cockapoos perspective. I'm sure it doesn't like being picked on or it wouldn't be squealing and hiding. 

It's your job to make sure you don't have a bully in the future. Even if it mean not letting both dogs out together unsupervised.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

chicagojosh said:


> my puppy "bugs" our 4 year old the same way. i think it's just having too much puppy energy and wanting to play...


You're right, thats probably all it is, but that still doesn't give the puppy the right to do what it's doing. If the little dogs squeeling, it's obviously not willing to play or the play is way too rough.


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

lucy, you helped me remember a key point i failed to type during my comparison to my puppy.

- my puppy weighs about 75, my 4 y/o weighs about 70 (so no major weight diff right now)
- my puppy (the bully / instigator) will be the one that ends up squeeling eventually. the 4 y/o will play for a bit, but when she gets sick of it and the puppy is still persisting, she'll give him a nip.

we just look at it as the 4 y/o (big sister) finally punching the annoying little brother. 

i never thought i should intervene in this, but rather let the two dogs sort it out. bad approach? and again, this is friendly, no blood, nothing like that.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

chicagojosh said:


> lucy, you helped me remember a key point i failed to type during my comparison to my puppy.
> 
> - my puppy weighs about 75, my 4 y/o weighs about 70 (so no major weight diff right now)
> - my puppy (the bully / instigator) will be the one that ends up squeeling eventually. the 4 y/o will play for a bit, but when she gets sick of it and the puppy is still persisting, she'll give him a nip.
> ...


That's up to you really. I think some people will say to let the dogs figure it out and others will say you need to figure it out for them. 

By letting them sort it out, you risk a fight breaking out. Once one fight breaks out, that can lead to more. That's why I'd say you need to intervene, but that's completely up to you. 

I'd also need to see the situation. Is the older dog squeeling like the OP's little dog is or is it just play? When the dogs squeeling and hiding, there's obviously a problem. If it's just a puppy being rambunctious with an older dog, but the older dog plays back, it's completely different. It really depends on the situation.


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

i highly doubt a fight would ever break out between these two. they really are best buds. puppy will just bug the 4 year old to play sometimes and if the 4 year old is sick of it, after a bit she'll put the puppy in his place. but the 4 y/o is such a sweetheart she would never try to hurt the puppy. and likewise the puppy just wants to play, tails wagging etc.. and no running off, the puppy will squeel and then come right back for more most of the time...and again puppy is the instigator

and we do occasionally step in, but i like to let them handle it without us. after all they do spend 9 hours a day together without us (which has had it's own issue's i may post a new thread about....puppy's destructive chewing!)

thanks


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

You know your dogs better than anyone else. Puppies are going to be puppies. You're there just to make things don't get out of hand. Sounds like you've got everything under control.

From the sounds of things, your dogs situation is much different than the situation of the OP.


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## chocolat (May 23, 2010)

GSDSunshine said:


> Think about it in your cockapoos perspective. I'm sure it doesn't like being picked on or it wouldn't be squealing and hiding.
> 
> It's your job to make sure you don't have a bully in the future. Even if it mean not letting both dogs out together unsupervised.


 
I agree totally with this! I think, the shepherd finds it amusing she can make the little dog scream, the little dog is not so amused. It is funny tho are our schnauzer who weighs like 12lbs can "beat' the shepherd up..throw her on the ground and make her cry..She is allowing it obviously, as the 12lber couldnt really throw the 50lber over, but it is amusing to watch.

I dont mind correcting her or seperating them. I am just curious if this is a stage or a sign of trouble to come? do other people gsd like to tease other dogs like this?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

chocolat said:


> I dont mind correcting her or seperating them. I am just curious if this is a stage or a sign of trouble to come? do other people gsd like to tease other dogs like this?


Puppies like to test their boundries. You're letting your puppy get away with too much. Like I said in my earlier post, you need to step in and intervene. Your little dog is being bullied by your big dog, so it's your job to supervise and set boundries.


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## JudynRich (Apr 16, 2010)

I think you should step in and make sure your dog knows this behavior is not acceptable. I think at this age older pups test to see how far they can go...and she may be vying for alpha status. Mia came into a housefold w/ a 5 pound 18 yr old dog...and she learned, so it can be taught! OUr Bella is about 9 months now and she started to show the behavior w/ my daughter, but it was immediately corrected. We never spank or hit our dogs, but our tone of voice let her know this is definitely out of bounds. We stop the play.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

GSD's do like to play very rough and some of them are really like that. We have a 2 1/2 yo male who plays very nice with little dogs but with other GSD's he likes to really play rough with body blocking and paws on the back. Often the other dogs (esp. females) will react and bark at him in which case he just looks at them - no reaction just looking and then he often will start again (until I intervene!).


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## VChurch (Jun 14, 2010)

My 4 year old will paw at the puppy to get her to play -- he's learned that usually instigates a reaction and 'game time' to any dog he meets, just as he learned that little dogs will only play with him if he lays down. We allow the pawing, as he is NEVER rough with it, it's a very gentle 'hey I want to play' and it does not hurt her.

It goes back and forth though, because the puppy has grabbed the back of Sobacca's leg before while he was sleeping and startled him, but he got up and played with her. We only allow her to bug him so much, and vice versa.
I cannot wait for the day that Sobacca doesn't outweigh the puppy by 30 pounds; will be nice to have a more even game, right now it takes one paw hit from him and she's on the floor -- which I don't particularly like, but I know when she's bigger that game will be perfectly fine for them.
They do enjoy teasing each other sometimes though, Sobacca will have a toy and Minna will run up steal it and run away, so Sobacca will catch her and steal the toy back, and then eventually that turns in to tug-of-war and then whoever wins will eventually lay down with the toy and the other dog gets a different toy. It's quite entertaining to watch. Sobacca actually lets her have the toy sometimes.

However, my general rule is that I control the play...when I say game time is over both dogs are instructed to go lay down; also if one dog is not having 'fun' then game time ends; or if game time escalates to a level I do not like.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

GSD's play very rough. Sinister is very careful with puppies, kittens and cats. He is somewhat gentle with small dogs but he can start to become rowdy and I have to step in and calm him down. When he is with big dogs he plays extremely rough but it's always monitored. If the other dog is not engaging in play, it's getting too rough or if it looks like the other dog is annoyed then play time is over. He has not gone overboard before but it's always better to be prepared.


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