[Mousy]

I am new to this site and am needing some advice/opinions.

I have a 7 year old bichon that has been with me since 12 weeks old. When I got him, I also currently had a 8 year old lab. Never a problem with the two of them. The lab was very easy going. The bichon has been attached by a German Sheppard and has since been slightly dog fearful and may nip when being introduced to a new dog. But after a couple meetings, he loves to play with other dogs.

I recently thought of adding a dog for him to have as a playmate. I new it would be rough at first since he has been the only dog for the past 3 years. He and I have become "soul mates".

On Sunday I got a 12 week old Havanese. I even brought the bichon to the breeder to pick her up. Since we have been home, things have not gone well. The Bichon is VERY upset. I can just see it in his eyes. He has corrected/nipped at the puppy but nothing aggressive. The puppy has even back off from him, but she is so sweet and desperately want to play. The bichon is showing no interest in her and mopes around and is now starting to avoid her. The only interaction he will allow is when they are outside playing. But he is chasing a ball and she is chasing him and that doesn't seem to bother him but still shows not interest in her.

He is now acting scared of her. If he is drinking water and she comes into the room he runs away. He is also not eating. (But he will take a treat)

I have no idea what to do. Will this ever end or is he going to be upset and depressed forever?

Thank you for your help!!!

[cigwyllt]

You can't make them be friends. My oldest dog does not want a playmate or even a companion - she is a people centred dog. She tolerates the two terriers quite happily but has no desire to play or interact with them on a dog level. As your pup grows you will probably find that he will always be submissive to her - bitches usually like to be "top dog". Keep giving him plenty of attention and don't show your disapproval when he puts her in her place. She will soon be standing up to him and showing him she is boss. You may have to accept that he doesn't want a canine playmate but that they can live together perfectly happily.

[Mousy]

I am okay with them not being friends but would like to get to the point where he is not giving me the look of why did you do this to me. It just breaks my heart. She has only been with me for 4 days the fact he is refusing to eat makes me feel like I made a horrible decision.

[Daisy]

We went through this in my house as well. I adopted a dog from a shelter and my much smaller mix immediately was upset with me. She was used to being the baby and center of attention.

Like cigwyllt said, you will likely find that the younger of the two will be the submissive pup. Even though the newer pup is MUCH bigger, she is very submissive to Daisy, and that is alright. They will likely eventually work through their issues and may even become good friends.

One thing that I got was one of those long rope toys. I gave one end to Daisy and the other to Juniper, and I sat in the middle. Both focused on my hand in the middle of the rope and didn't even realize that they were playing together until I moved my hand away. The only problem with that is now they both carry that darn rope through the house together. If you're a human, prepare to have your ankles clotheslined by running dogs. :P

[DoggieVogue]

I've had the same issue with the new puppy/old dog situation. My boyfriend's australian shepherd absolutely hated our puppy (mini dachshund/rat terrier mix) because she annoyed the heck out of her! The good thing is, the australian kind of put her in her place as a puppy and I believe she learned a lot from it. She still shows no interest in her but she got used to her and doesn't hate her anymore! Now she's more like the annoying little sister always following her around. haha, but I think with some time your dogs will get used to eachother and over the initial shock