I'm becoming concerned about Layla's behavior around small dogs. We had a crazy weekend in both the Adirondacks and the Buffalo area in Upstate New York both celebrating my cousin's wedding and mourning my nana at her funeral. We brought Layla and I kind of regret it because we spent most of the weekend in a car driving and she only got some real substantial exercise on Sunday.

She also did not get along well this time with my parents' senior small dog. They got in a couple fights, mostly food and toy jealousy and Layla asserting her authority as the larger dog, though Maggie's the only dog she's ever gotten really nasty with. It could have been from lack of exercise and Layla being wound up from all the travel and being cooped up with a lot of people and Maggie, but she lost it and once attacked Maggie for seemingly no reason at all (no toys or food were around at the time) and made a tooth mark on Maggie's head. It drew blood but Maggie didn't seem to care. I figure when Layla had Maggie pinned and was barking at her, one tooth hit Maggie's head with force, because there were no other bite marks other than this one. I was devastated and very upset. We kept the two separate as much as we could for the rest of the weekend.

I really hope this behavior doesn't carry over to the new Sibe puppy we plan to bring home in mid-June. Usually Layla is very submissive with larger dogs and fellow Sibes; Maggie is the only dog she's done this to, so I wonder if it's just a small-dog thing. Maggie was admittedly not well socialized so she has always been nervous and reactive around most dogs she meets. Oddly enough, around my parents' two senior cats Layla was largely confused and kept her distance. I think their growling and snarling scared her.

Anyone else experienced something like this? When our new puppy comes home, how should we initiate their meeting at home for the first time to mitigate any fights? Is it likely they will fight given Layla's current behavior with my parents' senior small dog?

When is the new puppy coming home?

To me, the situation above sounds like it was anxiety and stress combined with inactivity.

Is there a doggie daycare around you? It's like a socialization blitz and has been great for Diz.

The new puppy hasn't been born yet but should be any day now, so we'll probably bring him or her home the second or third week of June.

We have several daycares near us. I've been planning to bring her to one a couple times before I work on that TV show outside the home in May, and when I'm working on the show I'll probably bring her with me to work half the time and drop her off at daycare the other half. Most of the daycares do break the dogs up into groups based on temperament and size, which is good.

The whole situation this past weekend just baffles me, because Layla's been very well socialized with all sorts of dogs. Maggie is 11 and was not socialized really at all, and she's Jack Russell size so she's pretty small and nervous. They had met a couple times before and they did fight the last time they were together but it was just over food and we were able to separate them for the most part. Each time they meet it seems to be getting worse, though. I'm hoping it was just a combination of them being cooped up together and all the traveling and time in a car and lack of exercise this time, and, again, Maggie's the only dog Layla has done this to, so I really hope when the new puppy comes that the transition from single-dog home to two-dog home will be as smooth and civil as possible.

Another thing I wonder: Could the fact that they're both females have something to do with it? Both are spayed ... if that could be a factor, that may sway us more toward getting a male puppy.

It kinda sounds like maybe Maggie is just kind of a powder keg. I would suspect the fights originate from her. I think daycare a couple times a week til the pup comes home would be good. That way she can get exposed to a lot of dogs in a positive way before the new pup comes home. I think she will be fine. Puppies are totally different and I bet she will be very tolerant and patient. I wouldn't worry about getting a female, if thats what you really want.