# He just wont leave my other dog alone!



## JenniferH

Alright, Tanis is 5 months old and I wont even get into how much he is driving me crazy! I expect that from him so I work with it and we move on but he really is bothering Bella so much that I am starting to get upset. I do keep them separate as much as I can but ANY time that they are together he is all over her. Biting, pulling, jumping, rushing. Seems like any time they are together at all he has some part of Bella in his mouth. I have tried redirecting him to a toy, using a squirt bottle to get his attention, using the "leave it" command. If they are not together but he can see her he just fusses and whine and freaks out until he can get to her. I know it annoys her. I have watched them together and thought that maybe Bella would tell him off and if she has it certainly hasnt worked. He makes her yelp too. 

What am I doing wrong? What else should I try?

After a post I made last week it became clear to me that I was spending more time with Tanis than Bella and that Bella didnt have enough time with me. I spend so much time with him just trying to keep him out of trouble! This just makes it worse. 

I find myself getting very angry with him and honestly (I may get flamed for this) I am starting to wonder if I should have ever gotten a second dog...


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## littledmc17

He is in that stage.

put a choke or prong on him with a short leash 
and when he does it say no if he doesn't stop correct him

Brady did it to missy too 
you'll be fine you have to keep on him

He loves Bella and just wants to play


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## Jax08

Have you tried putting a leash on him, keeping him with you and when he whines redirect his attention to a toy, treat, etc and using a clicker to mark the good behavior of being quiet?

I think it's just something that will come with age but should be controlled now so it doesn't get out of hand.

how about putting him in a quiet room in a crate for awhile so that everyone gets a break?


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## Jax08

I tried the prong and correction on Jax for her to be quiet. It just made it worse. She would scream, twist, mouth, talk back. But the treat the clicker were like a miracle cure.


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## Doggydog

Or maybe she was bummed out that Tanis won't leave her alone rather than because you were spending more time with Tanis.
Many mature dogs don't have tolerance for puppies. It can be very difficult for them to endure the pestering. 
Someone will be along with advice, but I just wanted to remind you that it will pass. None of them stay pups for long. Maybe they need more exercise together to build their camaraderie. Where they'd be focused on something other than each other. If they enjoy fetch, side by side fetch would be the easiest.


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## JenniferH

Both crates are in the living room because they are so big but I wonder if I can cover him up? If I just wait it out and let him fuss he will eventually quiet down and then we all get a break. Bella lets out a huge sigh and just lays down or sits with us without being beaten up. 

I have tried leashing him to me in the house but he has yanked me so hard to get to her that I have almost lost my footing. Thats dangerous when I am tending to the baby. The other issue I had with that is that Bella wants to be near me so the temptation is always on since shes so close he can almost taste it! 

I have not used a prong. I was feeling like he is a bit young for that right now. I am really trying to just be as positive as I can be so that he will seek out the praise and treats and stuff. 

I was spoiled with Bella. She was a breeze as a puppy. Never did any of the things Tanis is doing and since it was so easy with her I thought surely it would be the same with Tanis. Boy was I wrong. 

He's here to stay so I have to figure out a way to work with this and still keep Bella in one piece. Poor girl. I'm just going crazy with this pup...he pushes me to tears at least a few times a week.


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## JenniferH

doggydog, thanks for the words of support. I try to play fetch with them both. I use two balls but you know that darn puppy will get his ball, drop it and head straight for Bella. Cutting her off as she tries to come to me and latches on like a leech! I know this will pass. Its just so hard some days. I will be the first to admit that my plate is not just full, its over flowing. But I made the commitment and I wont stop now. Some days are just really rough and I want to just give him a little suitcase and tell him to come back in a year.


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## SunCzarina

Bella needs to tell him off. When he's pestering her, have you given her corrections for growling at him and that's why she won't? Tanis needs to hear it from her that he's being a pest. Supervise them and don't let Bella hurt him but all the corrections from you aren't going to get the message across to Tanis like Bella will.

Otto was a horrible pest. From the time he could reach Morgan's neck, he was hanging off it. She'd grunt at him and he'd back off then race back in until she got so fed up with him that she'd grab him and chuck him into a wall or one time the recycling bucket.

He's learned he cannot grab her neck - it's like he's thick or something how long it took him to learn that! He still likes to mess with her though, he runs up and goes all silly puppy legs, yapping at her. Usually she gives him the hairy eyeball. It goes on for a few minutes until she turns her head quick then he jumps back like RUT ROW, she's going to get me. Sometimes she gets up, he flies across the house. It's just how they've learned to play together.



> Originally Posted By: JenniferHI find myself getting very angry with him and honestly (I may get flamed for this) I am starting to wonder if I should have ever gotten a second dog...


It's okay, we've all had that moment. You've got a lot going on with a puppy and a baby and another dog and ...

Bella and Tanis just need to work it out with themselves. It'll take time. Patience too!

Morgan certainly didn't want Otto around, used to act like he was ruining her life. She's very aloof, even for a shepherd, whereas he's very playful and outgoing. He obviously adores her but you'd have to know her well to see that she does enjoy his company. She even plays nicely with him - now...


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## BowWowMeow

Try one of the front clip harnesses. That gives you a lot more control over his body without risking harm to his neck. I would not use a choke or a prong on a dog that young, especially if you are feeling frustrated with him. 

Is there a doggie day care you could take him to a few days a week? It sounds like he needs an outlet for all of his energy.


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## littledmc17

Jen Tanis sounds so like B when playing fetch!

My biggest fear is when I get the next pupper he won't be as awesome as B when he was a pup. 
they never are, hang in there he will grow out of it I promise he is just being a butthead and just playing Bella needs to bitch slap him


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## SunCzarina

> Originally Posted By: littledmc Bella needs to bitch slap him










I do believe that is the origin of the phrase. Miss Moonie says she'll teach Bella how to do it.


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## Doggydog

Tie a lightweight 20 ft line on Tanis and pull him back to you.


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## Jax08

> Originally Posted By: JenniferHdoggydog, thanks for the words of support. I try to play fetch with them both. I use two balls but you know that darn puppy will get his ball, drop it and head straight for Bella. Cutting her off as she tries to come to me and latches on like a leech! I know this will pass. Its just so hard some days. I will be the first to admit that my plate is not just full, its over flowing. But I made the commitment and I wont stop now. Some days are just really rough and I want to just give him a little suitcase and tell him to come back in a year.


How about taking him out first. Playing with him until he is tired and then taking Bella out?


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## JenniferH

I cant really recall if I have ever corrected her. I would imagine that I must have when he was just weeks old. I am sure that I may have conveyed to her that she couldnt be rough with him. I know I was very worried about that when he was little. 

The only time I have ever seen a major correction from her to him was when he approached her food. This is a dog who isnt food aggressive at all but she wont allow him near. Tanis eats in his crate now. Another lesson learned...can you hear me sighing over here? 

I will try the front clip harness. I have been reading threads and trying to figure out what would be best for us. We need it for walking as well. Thank you. 

He's just so darn obsessed with her. I'm glad to hear that its not just me with this problem. 

So, what to do if the front clip harness wont work? Baby in my arms, tending to other kid, whatever the task may be at that time I cant have him going buck wild on the end of the leash. I feel very guilty if he's in the crate for too long. I am going to stop and get some new deer antlers for them to chew on. That should keep him busy for awhile...


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## Doggydog

Yeah, lol. I agree Bella should give it to him once. She's holding back trying to do the right thing and not get reprimanded for slapping him down. It would probably take once. Come on Bella, give Mom a break and tell Tanis to quiet down.
Well, Tanis loves her and I'm sure she'll return the sentiment when he grows up a bit.


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## JenniferH

> Originally Posted By: Jax08
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> Originally Posted By: JenniferHdoggydog, thanks for the words of support. I try to play fetch with them both. I use two balls but you know that darn puppy will get his ball, drop it and head straight for Bella. Cutting her off as she tries to come to me and latches on like a leech! I know this will pass. Its just so hard some days. I will be the first to admit that my plate is not just full, its over flowing. But I made the commitment and I wont stop now. Some days are just really rough and I want to just give him a little suitcase and tell him to come back in a year.
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> How about taking him out first. Playing with him until he is tired and then taking Bella out?
Click to expand...

I will try this again. I have tried it in the past and Bella broke out the door to get to us. She wont have him stealing her thunder. I could crate her but I hate to add to her jealousy...


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## JenniferH

> Originally Posted By: SunCzarina
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> Originally Posted By: littledmc Bella needs to bitch slap him
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> I do believe that is the origin of the phrase. Miss Moonie says she'll teach Bella how to do it.
Click to expand...

Why dont you send Miss Morgan down here to teach her? I told Bella last night that she had my permission to set him straight. I dont think she heard me.


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## JenniferH

So, basically, this is a phase and I should monitor but not freak out? Tanis needs other fun things to do besides eat Bella. I'll start there...different dog equals different needs...more control on my end and some quiet time for Bella should help us all keep our sanity.


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## BowWowMeow

The best front clip harness is called the Sense-ation harness. You can also clip the leash to the regular collar in order to get more control. 

Is there another dog that Tanis can play with? He really sounds like he needs more exercise.


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## Baby Byron

Jennifer,

It's just puppyhood and it will go. I've raised several GSDs (always at least 3 at a time) and leave to the older ones to bring the young gun up to speed on play rules. In 25 years it never failed. Bella won't take more than she can take. Mark my words. Especially being a female. She will draw the line and it's OK. I'm a firm believer that the dogs in your pack should build and develop their dog-to-dog relationship within their own set of rules. Our dogs know their dog-human rules as well as their dog-pack rules. Don't worry. It's just a phase. Take that as the dog equivalent of Terrible Twos!








Hugs,
Ana


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## Ruthie

> Originally Posted By: JenniferHI find myself getting very angry with him and honestly (I may get flamed for this) I am starting to wonder if I should have ever gotten a second dog...


First want to comment on this... Don't feel bad. I think we all get there sometimes.

My crazy Bison did the same thing to Moose. Couple of suggestions from experience...

Totally agree that Bella needs to step up. You might want to think about planning some training time with Bella and Tanis together. Let Tanis annoy her supervised and see if she will put him in his place. If she is going to tollerate him, then YOU need to set the boundry. If he tries this with another dog outside his pack, he could get hurt.

Essentially, you need to teach Tanis self control. The leash as mentioned above worked well for us. Using treats to mark good behavior is important. Also, body blocking has worked.


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## Doggydog

I am a fan of the sense-ation harness also. 
When Cherry was 13 years old I found 1 yr old untrained Rita. Rita was relentless in pestering my old girl. Biting her ankles, pulling on her neck scruff. I felt horrible that I'd brought this brat into Cherry's life. But before long, Rita settled down and matured and they enjoyed a beautiful relationship. In the end I was glad I did bring canine companionship to Cherry.
I walked them separately most often. When we were outdoor together, I engaged Rita in activities that would switch her focus off Cherry. They also got alone time in the house. It was difficult, but it worked out in short time.


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## JenniferH

Thank you all! 

Ruth, I bet he does need more exercise. I am sure that would help. He is going to be getting to know the neighbors boxer puppy. They have they same issue except their other female rules the roost and Paisley wont push the limits. We have talked about getting them together to play. No better time than now. 

He has been with other dogs and does not behave this way. 

Again, thanks for the help. I love the little guy but there are days that I really wonder what the heck I was thinking...


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## Jax08

A boxer puppy is the perfect playmate!! We have two of them! A year from now when Tanis will lay quietly, the boxer will still be doing the tornado twirl!!!


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## Doggydog

That last post reminded me of how I solved the feline version of this problem.... when my younger kitty relentlessly tormented my older cat and made her miserable, I adopted a 3rd cat the same age as the demon. The two youngsters became instant playmates and they ignored the old one who could then peacefully sleep all day without getting pounced on. 
I'm not seriously suggesting a 3rd dog, but it's a funny thought.


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## JKlatsky

I've got to say, and many might disagree with me, but this is why in my house we raise our puppies separately from the adult dogs and teach them to ignore the others in the house. 

We started out raising the puppy with more access to our older female dog and it was rough. Everyone always said "Oh don't worry, he'll lose the puppy pass and then she'll correct him." She never did. He would draw blood from where he'd grab her on the neck and she might grumble at him, but never with enough force to get him to quit entirely. I ended having to step in and correct him. I would body block him from her and had to eventuallly physically reprimand him myself. I would reward him for leaving her alone, but nothing I had could lure him away from her to start with. And I had to catch him every time which meant ALOT of supervision. I had to try something else.

I eventually got him to behave when I started full-on separation. One in crate, one out. I increased his ball drive so he became very toy focused and then started to work with him with her out. Eventually he was too busy going after the ball to go after her, and even if he did he wouldn't drop the ball, so she was safe from puppy teeth. So I eased them back together and once he was more settled everyone could be out without trouble. But with him, I had to make it clear that it was MY Pack and that they would interact how I wanted them to or they wouldn't interact at all.


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## SunCzarina

> Originally Posted By: JenniferHWhy dont you send Miss Morgan down here to teach her? I told Bella last night that she had my permission to set him straight. I dont think she heard me.


lol, Morgan doesn't travel well, she'd be pretty cranky by the time she got there. Then she'd set the pair of them straight and turn into a puddle of butter for your adorable baby.

Careful about redirecting Tanis. With Otto, I made the mistake of grabbing a toy and playing with him when he started pester Morgan. That made him think, 'I want to play with Mom, so I'll bug Morgan and Mom will play with me.'

One thing that works really well when he gets rough with her is booda tug. They both LOVE tug so I take them to the basement, get out the tugs and let them yank my arms out for 15 minutes. Really gets the yayas out. 

I know that's not exactly going to work with a baby you need to attend to. It's a tough one having a human and canine baby at the same time.

Have you tried getting Bella to play tug with the puppy? Morgan wouldn't have that, play tug side by side yes but it made her very angry the day he saw the neighborsdogs playing tug together and tried to play with her that way.


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## JenniferH

I have tried to get them to play tug together. They DO play with each other so its not like she is avoiding it. He just wont give her a break. I think I have some ideas on what to do and I am not going to let myself get stressed about it. When I stress then they both can feel it and my message doesnt get through. Dh is available to help with the kids and I'll just take advantage of that more. Its the mom or nurturer or whatever in me that takes on the task of the kids and the dogs and cats and the bird etc and sometimes I get overwhelmed. I have help here so I will use it and go work with the pups even more and see if I can figure out better what makes that puppy brain tick. Doc has put me out sick tomorrow so its a great time to go get more interactive toys and start working on this.


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## JenniferH

> Originally Posted By: Jax08
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> A boxer puppy is the perfect playmate!! We have two of them! A year from now when Tanis will lay quietly, the boxer will still be doing the tornado twirl!!!


Jax...just had our boxer play date! They got along great and Tanis is crashed now. This will be a daily thing. Thank goodness she lives just next door! It was great for the boxer too! Cant believe how well they got along!


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## Jax08

That's wonderful!!! Waht a great solution for both puppies!!


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## Ncoles

JenniferH said:


> Alright, Tanis is 5 months old and I wont even get into how much he is driving me crazy! I expect that from him so I work with it and we move on but he really is bothering Bella so much that I am starting to get upset. I do keep them separate as much as I can but ANY time that they are together he is all over her. Biting, pulling, jumping, rushing. Seems like any time they are together at all he has some part of Bella in his mouth. I have tried redirecting him to a toy, using a squirt bottle to get his attention, using the "leave it" command. If they are not together but he can see her he just fusses and whine and freaks out until he can get to her. I know it annoys her. I have watched them together and thought that maybe Bella would tell him off and if she has it certainly hasnt worked. He makes her yelp too.
> 
> What am I doing wrong? What else should I try?
> 
> After a post I made last week it became clear to me that I was spending more time with Tanis than Bella and that Bella didnt have enough time with me. I spend so much time with him just trying to keep him out of trouble! This just makes it worse.
> 
> I find myself getting very angry with him and honestly (I may get flamed for this) I am starting to wonder if I should have ever gotten a second dog...


Random because this thread is so old, but going through the same thing. Did things turn out? Any update? What did you try?


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## Fodder

Ncoles said:


> Random because this thread is so old, but going through the same thing. Did things turn out? Any update? What did you try?


Member has not logged on in over 9yrs.. will have better luck starting a new thread if your answers can’t be found in the replies.


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