Grr! He's a killer!... ...

I volunteer to be Dudley's GodMother.. I know he will be a little angel... heheheheh

Congratulations on the new addition to the family!  

Skid Mark wrote on 05/20/10 at 21:14:28:


Well, crap, I wish I had asked you first!  The theory sounded good though, right?  But my younger dog (Roscoe) is not getting along with the new pup.  Still growling at him.  Dudley tries, but Roscoe runs/growls/barks.  Old dog (Jake) is doing fine with the pup, but pup is aggravating him more because Roscoe won't play.  Now Jake is shying away from him a little more.  

Spoke to the prior owner yesterday about shot records, etc. and she missed this little guy so much, her husband agreed to get her another one.  I might just sell him back to her.  This is stress that I don't need.  I'm going to give it the weekend, and see if I can coax them together a little more.  I realize these things take time, but I have never seen Roscoe act this way around any other dog.... extended family has lots of dogs and Roscoe has been around all of them with no issues.
 
Maybe I should give the pup a bath?  Maybe Roscoe just doesn't like his smell?  Grasping here, so any insight would be appreciated.  I don't want to get too attached to the new one, and I don't want to alienate Roscoe.  I've been trying to split my attention and petting time.  Showing each that they are important.  Maybe its just two personalities that don't belong together.  Help?  Just wait it out and give them time? 
   

Nice looking pup! Hope things work out. Can I assume from the names the two that are fighting are both male? Dogs ARE pack animals and Roscoe could be trying to establish the pecking order and the pup doesn't get it yet! I had a heck of a time with my corgi and my daughter's pit. Her dog has been VERY well trained and my "wouldn't harm a fly" short stuff wouldn't let it alone! It took several months before they tolerated each other with mine usually instigating things!  

That's the right idea Babyhog. The dogs will sort out who's who in the pack. It does take a bit of time. The young one will soon learn where he fits in. You just have to be top dog and intervene where required. I find Its a lot of  fun is watching how they all interact.
One thing is for sure; no one will be in our houses without us knowing it!!!!

EJID, I found this pup on Craigslist, posted by a friend of the girl that I got him from.  The friend, with whom I swapped the initial emails, breeds Great Danes.  Since her kennel web address was attached to the emails, I looked at it... I have never been a big fan of big BIG dogs.  I had a yellow lab, and a husky, etc, but nothing like a Great Dane.  Looking at the pics on her website, I think the Great Dane puppy is about as sweet looking as any puppy I have ever seen, so I understand your wife's reaction to its puppy eyes...  sweet story, thanks for sharing.  Maybe some day you will have another Maltese and Great Dane together.  Browse this.      http://www.renegadegreatdanes.webs.com/

Ok, so here is the latest.  Dudley has been doing fairly well.  Roscoe is becoming more accepting, but still growling a little.  They are playing a little, so I believe it will eventually work out.  BUT... Here's the next kicker.  My yard has an in-ground invisible fence.  So now I am into the step of teaching the pup the boundaries.  He got shocked yesterday, ran past the line, I called to him, and he came back, through the shocking again.  But he was ok after that.  Then last night, I took him out back, and he got shocked again... trying to get to my water fountain, which I had always stopped him from drinking from before.  I had never let him, so it wasn't like he was doing something that he had been allowed to do before.  
Also, he had been using a puppy-pad very well while I had been at work.  But yesterday while I was gone, he chewed the puppy pad to pieces!    So today, while I'm at work, he is crated (I had been been using a baby-gate to keep him in a hallway).  But while I was getting ready for work, the dogs are usually eating, going out to potty, playing, etc, but Dudley stayed in his bed.  (Oh I bought Roscoe and Dudley new beds.... guess which one chose which one to sleep in?  Dudley.)  I don't know if Dudley was just tired from an active day yesterday, or what, but I took him out twice this morning and he came straight back in.  

So the saga continues....  Sorry, didn't mean to write a book, but this will be good for me to look back at and laugh.... when/if it all works out....