Dog bit puppy

SaleAgreed

Hi everyone, havn't posted in a while but I just need some advice.

I have a male French Bulldog who will be two in april, and a four month old GSD bitch. Last night he was having a drink of water and she came over for a sip and he bit her. he got her tongue and it bled for a minute or two.

Up to this they had been getting on grand, playing together and cuddling up. They have their seperate bowls, bed and toys but the like to share most of the time.

I'm in shock that he did this to her, he is a bit spoiled, and sometimes she does annoy him when he's tired or worn out from playing and she wants to keep going. But all was calm and then he just bit her, i dont know if he meant to do it or what but i'm worried now. We did have another dog when he arrived, she was 16 and we had to have her PTS last october from old age.

Has anyone else had this experience.

kylith

He probably just wanted to drink in peace. It's not unusual for dogs that live together to have the occasional set of cross words. Keep an eye on them to see if there are any other signs of aggression, but it's more than likely that the puppy's licence to act the maggot has run out and he's now telling her that he expects her to act like a grown up and to respect his space.

andreac

I wouldnt be overly concerned if you ask me. One nip doesnt warrant any drastic action. Puppies sometimes can push the boundaries with older dogs and he was probably just putting some manners on her.

Just keep an eye on them both but dont panic just yet. They are animals at the end of the day and this can be normal behaviour as long as it doesnt get out of hand.

Whispered

kylith wrote: »

He probably just wanted to drink in peace. It's not unusual for dogs that live together to have the occasional set of cross words. Keep an eye on them to see if there are any other signs of aggression, but it's more than likely that the puppy's licence to act the maggot has run out and he's now telling her that he expects her to act like a grown up and to respect his space.

I agree with this, it's not unusual for them to have little disagreements. Drawing blood would worry me, but the way it happened he got her in a delicate place and probably didn't mean to cause harm as much as give her a warning.

How have they been getting on since?

If this is out of character for him, make sure he's not suffering from any illnesses or pain. I have two dogs too, and we make sure they get a bit of time away from each other. If the younger dog is annoying your older fella a lot, make sure you give him a chance to get a bit of space. He'll appreciate it.

Melion

Whispered wrote: »

I have two dogs too, and we make sure they get a bit of time away from each other. If the younger dog is annoying your older fella a lot, make sure you give him a chance to get a bit of space. He'll appreciate it.

I wish we could seperate our 2 If we put them in seperate rooms for any reason the 2 of them start crying for the other.

Whispered

Melion wrote: »

I wish we could seperate our 2 If we put them in seperate rooms for any reason the 2 of them start crying for the other.

Ah sorry, yes I didn't say what I meant properly. I didn't mean the OP should just stick them in separate rooms. I'd separate them but interact with them.

With my boys, in the mornings, I bring one for a walk while the other has a kong. Then when we come back, I give the walked one a kong and bring the other. At the moment they're playing together on the sitting room couch, but I know they appreciate one on one time with my husband and I too. It's also much easier to train one dog at a time.

SaleAgreed

Melion wrote: »

I wish we could seperate our 2 If we put them in seperate rooms for any reason the 2 of them start crying for the other.

This is the thing, they have a kinda cant with him, cant live without em' thing going on. I do let him have his own time for a while in the evening, plus i walk them seperatly now so he has that time without her too, so he can sniff and pee on lamposts to his hearts content. He has done this a few times to her, like lunged at her but his mouth is so small he cant really grab her, as such. It was just unlucky last night.

Its more the fact that he has drawn blood that im worried about, he does warn her off a good bit and the she leaves him alone for a while.

Shes a real nervy little thing, she litterly grabbed my leg with her two paws last night and clung to me so I just put him out to utility room for a while and kept her with me. she sleeps in a crate at night, so they didnt hang together at all after that last night. But this morning they seemed fine apart from her poor little tongue looking a bit sore

andreac

Trust me, a little bit of blood isnt that bad. If he caught her tongue then it prob just broke the skin.

You will prob see a big change in dynamics in another year or so. Females tend to end up being the bosses of the males.

Dont worry too much and try not let them see that you are worried as it will only cause a vibe around them. Just leave them as normal and if you think theres going to be an issue then you cna take it from there.

jimf

the fact it happened near a bowl drinking or eating i would just put it down to a manners lesson but as others have said keep a close eye just in case its the start of a dominance battle you will know soon enough

SaleAgreed

Thanks everyone, I just got a bit of a fright the my lil bud would do that, probably my own fault for spoiling him so much.

I'm just worried that he's turning into a bit of a grump with other dogs. My otherhalf has a GSD and his father has another 2 GSD's (we're a bit mad :P) and the other day they were all hanging out (minus the puppy) and he was snapping at the older GSD when he came near him too, to the point where we had to put frenchie away for fear that the big GSD would snap back.

So when that happned last night it took me back a bit, as I had kind of just been brushing it off and letting them get on with it in their own little doggy way.