Hello, my lovely boy Monty was 14 weeks old when he first met my In laws 8 year old Cocker spaniel. Unfortunately it didn't go very well - she didn't 'tell' him she wasn't interested she actually went for him a number of times. Even when we put Monty in his pen she was trying to get to him through the bars! Monty has had a lot of interaction with all aged dogs, especially my Mum's Golden Retriever and so he knows when he's being told enough is enough, but she gave no warning and just went at him full snarl trying to bite. I thought we may have a problem as she has barked/snarled at my youngest and my in-laws don't do anything, in fact they act as if she is the one scared. The dog has complete control of the house - barking incessantly, jumping up and going on all the furniture. My question is do we keep trying or will this lead to, as someone has suggested, Monty reacting aggressively back? He is such a happy bouncy little chap I don't want to put him in a situation he can't cope with. Thanks (and sorry it's so long!)
Hello and a warm welcome to the forum. I would say without hesitation to keep your boy away from any nasty dogs. You need as many positive associations as you can, without this nastiness. I understand this could be potentially awkward with your in-laws, but better that than have a dog who ends up reactive towards others because he's been scared or pushed to the edge by a nasty encounter. It may well be that she's scared (my two dogs can bark at children because they're scared of them), but that doesn't make it acceptable behaviour, and it's the responsibility of the owners (of both dogs and children!) to ensure they behave appropriately and have positive encounters.
Thank you for your advice, I will keep him away which was my instinct, I just didn't know if I was being overprotective! I took Monty to see Harvey my Mum's dog after this so that he could have a good play and throw himself around happily which seems to have overridden his bad experience. Luckily he's very easy going
Please don't like let the cocker him near him. she clearly has issues and its not up to you to deal with their dog. You do need to protect your pup, from this type of thing as it can do lasting damage. It can be awkward so rehearse what you are going to say first. It very hard
Yes, keep them apart. The negative impact will manifest itself in other ways further down the line. Puppy's are like babies and need you to protect them.
