It’s been three days since I introduced my new 8 week old puppy Deezel, to my resident dog Shila, which is 8 months old. They are constantly going at it and I’m worried the puppy is becoming way too aggressive. I’ve read numerous forums on introducing new puppies as well as how they play but still can’t find any answers. Shila plays very well with other dogs and I understand that huskies play rough but Deezel seems to be taking it to a whole new level with constant growling and snipping at Shila when she wants to play. Shila NEVER leaves the puppy alone, but for the few moments she does, Deezel will begin to instigate her. Will Shila eventually relax and leave the puppy alone? Is this normal for an 8 week old puppy to behave?

What type of training have you done with the older dog? Does she have any boundary based training?

The worst thing to do is to let them have a free for all, constantly. They both need to learn, from you, how to have an On/Off switch for high energy play time.

With the two of them now you will be best served by upping your game on Inside=Calm and Outside=Play.

The trick for this is to Prevent their antics from escalating, because once it ramps up, bringing them down will be extraordinarily more difficult.

It's your job to specifically advocate for the puppy by controlling the older dog better.

Yes, the nipping and the mouthing and the rough housing is normal, but that's not the point. The point is more boundaries from each other, which will start to create a more calm, peaceful scene in your house.

If I were you, or if I were there training them, I would have them both on leash for a week in the house so that you can better communicate with them and respond instantly to their antics.

They need to be regulated in their energy levels around one another and they definitely will not do that on their own if given free reign and and constant access to one another.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff.  When Archer and Ami get too rambunctious, their frisky butts get booted outside.  In the house is quiet time.  And I don't let the little one annoy the redhead.  We use the laundry room  as a "crate" for Ami where he can get respite from the energizer bunny   Makes life much easier on the humans.

Yup.

Excitement just elevates the energy, especially with 2 dogs.

Between them both in the house:

Zero play. Zero chase. Zero wrestling. Zero biting or mouthing. Zero barking.

In the yard outside: free time, let them have at it and go to town.

The second they step through the back door, it's Off time, boundary time, and correction time.

seattlesibe wrote:

Yup.  

Excitement just elevates the energy, especially with 2 dogs.  

Between them both in the house:

Zero play.  Zero chase.  Zero wrestling.  Zero biting or mouthing.  Zero barking.  

In the yard outside:  free time, let them have at it and go to town.  

The second they step through the back door, it's Off time, boundary time, and correction time.

The tough part is resisting those big brown eyes that say "pretty please, let me play..."

Cristina, I'm not going to disagree with Jeff and others too much, but I will some. I have two, an alaskan and a siberian, who will play in the house in the evening. Generally it's not all out hyper but sometimes they do get wound up. As long as they're not being destructive - running into things, jumping on things they shouldn't - I'll let it go for a while. When it reaches the point of chaos, I have one command "enough!" and that ends it.
It took time to get them to recognize what I wanted but once they did I don't even have to raise my voice, a quiet "Okay, kids, that's enough." will stop the play dead! Part of teaching them meant that I had to raise my voice some, to get their attention but now we all enjoy the horseplay (yeh,sometimes I get into the fray with them).
You need to decide if you're going to allow any horseplay inside, some owners do others don't, but more importantly is finding a workable way to stop it in either case.

Thank you all so much for your help! Jeff, once I brought Shila home we began obedience training and also enforce the NILIF. She also knows that furniture as well as certain rooms in the house are off limits. I immediately took your advice and put leaches on them both and that helped tremendously. Amy, it is so hard to say no to them when all they want to do is play Shila has calmed down a lot since we brought Deezel home, I kept consistent with telling her "enough" and she is beginning to understand that once they get too wound up, play will be stopped. Al, I definitely am okay with play in the house as long as it doesn't get too hectic. Just as you had said, they are picking up very quickly on "enough" and seems to make everyone happy in the end

Thank you all again for the advice, it was all very helpful!

Christina - I really have to laugh, husband doesn't tolerate much commotion around him, dogs start to play, he hollars "enough", they look like guilty pre-teens, I laugh, say "outside?" and they head joyfully to the back door.