Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone! I'm new here today and seeking some advice/info.
I have a gorgeous 15 month old male German Shepherd who is INCREDIBLY spoiled. We just got a new Shepherd puppy last Friday, she is 10 weeks old. The Problem?? My male is SOOOO upset with me!! He has truly been my best friend, he will hardly look at me. He used to get on the bed with me all the time and roll over on his back with his legs in the air and "talk" to me. He would say "Momma", kiss me, snuggle. NOTHING now. He mopes, he will hardly eat. I can't beg a kiss out of him. I have been VERY careful to give me LOTS and LOTS of attention since the pup has been here but boy is he ever put out!! He doesn't seem as upset with my husband, he will kiss him and just stare at me!! My husband is definately the "alpha" in the house and the dog KNOWS this and accepts it very very well. This male is an awesome dog, the smartest I've had and he has been spoiled beyond words. I'm feeling extremely GUILTY right now because I got this new pup. Will my male (Fritz) ever get back to his "old self" with me?? The female (Natasha) is adorable, she is used to BIG dogs as where we bought her the lady had 6 full grown Shepherds. She tries to play with Fritz and he WILL tolerate her, he even looks like he is having fun BUT today he started growing at her when he was given a "Cookie and a pig ear." The first few days he would share with her but now he is growling and barking at her when he has food. I don't know whether I should disipline him for this or not. He COULD literally bite her head off if he wanted. He is about 115 already with lots of filling out to do. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!

>>Hello everyone! I'm new here today and seeking some advice/info.
>>I have a gorgeous 15 month old male German Shepherd who is INCREDIBLY spoiled. We just got a new Shepherd puppy last Friday, she is 10 weeks old. The Problem?? My male is SOOOO upset with me!! He has truly been my best friend, he will hardly look at me. He used to get on the bed with me all the time and roll over on his back with his legs in the air and "talk" to me. He would say "Momma", kiss me, snuggle. NOTHING now. He mopes, he will hardly eat. I can't beg a kiss out of him. I have been VERY careful to give me LOTS and LOTS of attention since the pup has been here but boy is he ever put out!! He doesn't seem as upset with my husband, he will kiss him and just stare at me!! My husband is definately the "alpha" in the house and the dog KNOWS this and accepts it very very well. This male is an awesome dog, the smartest I've had and he has been spoiled beyond words. I'm feeling extremely GUILTY right now because I got this new pup. Will my male (Fritz) ever get back to his "old self" with me?? The female (Natasha) is adorable, she is used to BIG dogs as where we bought her the lady had 6 full grown Shepherds. She tries to play with Fritz and he WILL tolerate her, he even looks like he is having fun BUT today he started growing at her when he was given a "Cookie and a pig ear." The first few days he would share with her but now he is growling and barking at her when he has food. I don't know whether I should disipline him for this or not. He COULD literally bite her head off if he wanted. He is about 115 already with lots of filling out to do. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!

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Never ask your dogs to share food or highly desirable toys. That could be fatal. You're calling up primal dog instincts that need to stay dormant. Separate your dogs completely for meals and highly desirable treats and toys. This means your male will lose some of his time with you. Sounds like he understood more than you did about how his life would change with a new dog coming in.

Take him to training classes weekly and out in public for practice of the class homework daily--even if you have done this in the past. He's a very young dog, not nearly mature, and will benefit from the training. He also needs this one-on-one time and attention from you.

I'm not sure what you mean by the dog being spoiled, but German Shepherd dogs require a serious commitment to training--and this will go for both dogs. They need their classes and their training outings to be SEPARATE--individual attention for EACH dog. They also need separate crates. You have a lot of work ahead of you! And absolutely no more giving the dogs food when they are together. That could easily be fatal.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Thanks so very much, that was extremely helpful information! I found out yesterday that the pup being out when the older dog was eating was definately a NO NO. He has always been so gentle, we can pet him when he is eating and he never has growled like MANY dogs I've seen. By spoiled I mean that Fritz had ALL the attention. We NEVER leave home without him, he is constantly with us and loved very very much. I understand what you were saying about the primal dog instinct, I guess I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I just thought since he was so nice and gentle he would be with the pup too. He likes playing with her, he will get one of her chew toys and bring it to her so she will grab on and then he will play tug with her. He is letting her know when she is bothering him by barking and growling at times. One thing that puzzles me is that he will open his mouth wide and put it right over her head, back...all over. He don't bite down but this is strange to me. Is it a sign to her of his dominance?? He is being alittle more receptive to me today, it seems he is warming back up. I just feel bad for him, like you said he still is very young. My husband and I both are taking him at times alone to remind him that he is still very very special. I often put the pup in her crate to rest so he can have his alone time with us. I want to do all this right as I love this breed greatly. I grew up with Shepherds and now I am sharing the love of this very devoted breed with my children. ANY more advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so very much!!

Quit spoiling the male. He's not a human child. We all tend to treat our dogs as children at times. I do it myself. If your husband is the alpha in the house, your GSD might think of you more as a sibling than a master.
There's the boss and then there are the buddie's. I don't think that the dog surrounding the puppies head in it's mouth is anything to be concerned with, my shepherds do that all the time with smaller dogs. I think there just amusing themselves and teaching the puppy how things go when they wrestle with a bigger dog. I think your'e doing a good job so far, just make sure male keeps his order in the hierarchy. If you don't, he might. Craig

He is definately keeping his place in hierarchy. He is doing
alot better. The pup is not really submissive to him, I mean she will back off him when he growls or snarls at her but she will not roll over on her back. We let him direct her as to what he feels is "enough" He's not an aggressive dog and I think his young age helps the adjustment as well. It's hard to tell people not to "spoil" their pets. I know MANY pets that live better than ALOT of people. If you own an animal it DESERVES to be treated as well as a human in my opinion. I've had German Shepherds all my life and I KNOW the intelligence of the breed.
I appreciate your comments. Advice from other Shepherd owners is very helpful. Thanks.

The biting of the head and neck of the pup is actually just what the mother dog does to reprimand a pup and keep them in line. It was even the reason pinch or prong collars were invented- to mimic the corrective behavior of the bitch. Which is why it doesn't cause physical damage to the dog and why it can be so effective in training. Both of my GSD's have done this to each other and/or the incoming pup. It is just a way of keeping them in line. Your older dog needs time to adjust to this "intrusion." It has disrupted his idea of life and routine. The growling and snarling at the pup are just warning signals for the pup to get out of my space and don't even think about getting near my food. It is dog talk and the fact that the pup backs off is a good sign- he understands the language! Dogs do not have to roll on their backs to show submission. Just backing off of food or toys. the lifting of one front leg, the licking of the other dog's mouth- these are all signs of submission to both humans and other dogs. It sounds like they are working it out pretty well by themselves which is great cuz dogs teach other dogs alot faster and alot more effectively than we can!!! Let them do their thing cuz it sounds like they will be just fine.
Nancy