14 week old Sophie is settling down so well, its as if she has always been here. Edie, our GSD, fell in love with her at first sight, I couldn't believe how easy it was. But the problem is, Edie is full on when she plays with dogs and she has hurt Sophie in play, not deliberate, but she forgets the size difference. She starts playing gently but gets carried away and barges or paws Sophie roughly. Sophie falls over and yelps and she limps for a bit, then after a bit of R&R she is ready for more. It happens so quickly I can't interrupt in time and it has happened twice now. Sophie does not seem too put out and will happily cuddle up to Edie for a rest or a chew of a toy straight afterwards. Edie stops playing immediately sophie yelps. They will be firm friends when Sophie gets bigger and can cope with Edie's exuberance but how do I keep that friendly interaction going in the meantime without making Edie feel excluded and, most importantly, without damage to Sophie?
Oh, you must be careful here - all too quickly Sophie could be seriously injured. You will have to keep on top of their play, and intercept it when things get too rough. I do understand; my older dog played quite roughly with the puppy, though he was up for it all the time and never whimpered or limped. However, he does have a slightly crooked tail - and I have no proof of this, but I suspect his tail got damaged in some of the rougher play... Now of course the tables are turned and he is bigger and stronger than Poppy! It won't be long before Sophie is big and strong enough to play properly with Edie, but I do think you need to be careful at this early stage.
Yes, you are right. I've introduced several puppies to adults over the years but they've always hated the little newcomer at first, and don't start running around together until a few months have passed. Now I've got a friendly welcoming dog and a happy active puppy I suppose I relaxed too soon. She is currently in her cage having fallen asleep in there. I put her there to stop them running around like loonies. Edie entertained Sophie for a bit by bombing passed the cage and yapping, with Sophie yapping back. I thought "just as well she is inside the cage out of harms way.!" They will have to rethink their friendship for a while until she grows. Thanks for replying so promptly.
Although my Bailey is an only dog, my sister has a dog that is 10 weeks older than my boy. We introduced them when Bailey was 9 weeks old and they have been firm friends from the start - more like brothers than only dogs. However, the difference in size was a challenge when they were playing initially - between my sister and I we had to keep stepping in which meant that we could not let them just play together on their own. It only lasted a short while until Bailey was big enough to hold his own (Riley loved bowling him over when Bailey was tiny). Now they will happily play bitey face, boxing and I've got this toy that is sooooooooo much better than yours for as long as we let them - yes we still have to step in every so often just so that they have a break - but this is getting less and less - they will have a long play together then flop down for a rest laying together.
Oh, that sounds like just the relationship I would like for Sophie and Edie. They are now playing bitey face while lying down together, and teasing each other with "my toy is the best", etc. but I stop them and put Sophie in her cage when they escalate to pushing/pulling/chasing. We used a cage for Edie and found it so useful at night and when she was left alone that I use one for Sophie too. I am a bit concerned that she will get to dislike it instead of seeing it as a haven. No sign of that yet though, and Edie seems a bit jealous of Sophie and has been going in it too!!
It will come, really it will and probably a lot earlier than with Bailey and Riley as they only see each other on average once a week, yours have each other every day. I think it is lovely that they like to play together and the fact that Edie is going in the crate too I think is lovely Keep doing what you are I say
Oh, a pup and a large dog who doesn't know their strength. Been there, done it. The first time we brought home Rigby (Pointer) to see Teller, T could barely contain his excitement and zoomed a quick few laps around the yard. He was actually super gentle with Rigs at first but did sniff his bottom so enthusiastically that he almost flipped him. I felt bad for Teller because being a Pointer Rigby has a much more reserved personality and wasn't wanting to be best buds at first. This changed at about 4 months when the two of them would literally wrestle like they were auditioning for WWE. I made the mistake of hosting a sleepover for the two of them one time before we were set to travel the next morning, by 9 pm I was at my wit's end. Hahaha, Teller sensed how frustrated I was because he sat down and stared at me with those sad eyes like, 'It's not me, mom! I'm the good boy here!' Like others said, I would make sure you monitor all play carefully. I'll be the first to admit my boy, T, is a big, plodding oaf! He tends to trample things that are smaller than himself when he gets excited; we have a Shih Tzu and he has literally run over the top of her carrying her along like a ball before. He doesn't even try to play with her - she doesn't play and is quick to tell him off if he initiates - but if she's standing in the way... Lucky she's not been injured by his enthusiasm and for the most part we keep them separate when he has the zoomies. He's gotten a lot gentler with age (he's now 3) but still has his moments and forgets his paws are the size of my palms! Sometimes he steps on the cats or people's feet and it's not pleasant given that he's 80 lbs. That said, I would be sure to actively watch all play. GSDs are large dogs and can easily hurt a puppy or smaller dog unintentionally. This was one of my biggest peeves when I would take Teller to dog parks (small and large dogs are separated for numerous reasons) and he would step on/bowl over some toy poodle or other small yapper, I got dirty looks/stern words for their inability to read and follow rules. It's still a good idea to continue supervising their play even when Sophie gets bigger as she'll still be growing and thus can be more susceptible to tears and whatnot; I have a few friends who learned this lesson the hard way and ended up with some costly vet bills. I don't know about ladies, all my experience is with boys, but things can get rough so make sure you have a firm handle and plan in case they get too rambunctious - Teller and Rigby used to slam into each other at full-speed. Also make sure that if there is any nipping - which is normal in play, especially for herding dogs - that Edie is good on her bite inhibition; I wouldn't be as concerned with Sophie since retrievers have soft mouths (usually!). I mention it because this was a little issue with Rigby and Teller, sometimes Rigs would draw a little blood by being too rough and GSD teeth are quite large lol. I'm not referring to actual biting, please note, but mouthing during play. It's really great that Edie has been so welcoming of Sophie! Most people aren't so lucky when bringing a new pup into the house; I'd love to see pictures of your girls! Boys will be boys!
Also, if I might add, please please remove collars during play... Nasty accidents can happen if one dog gets their jaw hooked though the other's collar by mistake (happened to my two recently, THE SCREAMING had to be believed!!!! Luckily the collar was quite old and the clasp opened...)
Good advice here, I hadn't thought about collars. Edie rarely has hers on in the house as she gets wet on a walk and we take it off to dry, then don't replace it until the next walk, but Sophie is wearing her puppy collar all the time. Poor Sophie had a case of the galloping tums yesterday. I think we have been giving her more, and more variety, of food than we should. She is the GREEDIEST puppy on the planet!! Though other pups we have had have been eager for dinnertime and not all have been fussy what they get to eat, she is a whole other experience. When she eats she is like one of those poor dogs you see on TV rescued by the RSPCA, who are starving and throw the food down. So we have had to rethink. That means she cant have a few bits of food in her cage when I call time out on play. I have put her in there, alternating with Edie behind the baby gate in the living room umpteen times this morning, and Sophie is still jumping all over Edie as soon as they are released. She doesn't want to settle down. I have now got her in her cage with a piece of bulls trachea (yuck) to chew, on the basis that she will get a lot of chewing for only a little bit of food. Hope it doesn't start her tum off again! Would love to post some pics of them, Ive got a few lovely ones, I will try!!
PS Forgot to say your boys playing are just like my girls playing - only the "little and large" version! They are very handsome.
