Hello, Are the attacks play fighting and pup being too rough with the dog trying to get them to play without puppy having good self-control or bite inhibition, or are the attacks meant as aggression with harm intended by the puppy? If puppy is truly aggressive toward your older dog, I recommend hiring a professional train with experience with aggression, to come to your home for private training and assess puppy's behavior and the situation in person, so they can train with you carefully, effectively, and see what's triggering the aggression to best know how to address it safely and effectively. If the aggression is puppy's poor attempt at play or finding it fun to antagonize the older dog as a form of entertainment, I would give puppy a lot more boundaries. First, I highly suggest crate training the puppy. If pup isn't already crate trained, know that almost all puppies will cry the first two weeks of crate training - it is new to them and they have to be given the opportunity to learn to self-sooth and self-entertain to prepare them for environments they will have to be in later and prevent dangerous destructive chewing habits that happen without confinement. Use the Surprise method from the article linked below to gradually help pup learn to be calm in the crate and to relax by using rewards for being Quiet if pup isn't already used to the crate. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Crate pup at night and when you leave, and you can use an exercise pen with some toys in it also if you purchase the large sturdy kind and anchor it to the studs in the wall in a corner. When you cannot directly supervise the dogs together, puppy should be crated or in the pen. When you are supervising, teach both dogs the Out command (which means leave the area) and make whoever is causing issues leave the area as needed (which will be mostly puppy at this age). Out command: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ I also recommend teaching Leave It. Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Decide what your house rules are for both dogs and you be the one to enforce the rules instead of the dogs. No aggression, no pushiness, no stealing toys, no stealing food, no being possessive of people or things, or any other unwanted behavior - if one dog is causing a problem you be the one to enforce the rules so that the dogs are NOT working it out themselves. For example, if pup comes over to your older dog when they are trying to sleep, tell pup Out. If puppy obeys, praise and reward them. If puppy disobeys, stand in front of your older dog, blocking the pup from getting to them, and walk toward pup calmly but firmly until pup leaves the area and stops trying to go back to your older dog. Be vigilant and take the pressure off of your older dog - you want puppy to learn respect for your older dog because you have taught it to pup and not because your older dog has had to resort to aggression or has to hide all the time. If you want pup to be free but don't want to chase after them while you are home, you can also clip them to yourself using a six-foot leash, so that pup has to stay near you and not wander near your other dog. For the cat chasing, check out the videos linked below for teaching calmness around cats. If pup is chasing the cat with intent to kill, and not just for fun, I would also hire a professional trainer to help you address that too. Mild cat issue - teaching impulse control: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWF2Ohik8iM Moderate cat issue - teaching impulse control using corrections and rewards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dPIC3Jtn0E Work on impulse control in general with pup, by teaching things that increase impulse control and calmness - such as a long Place command around lots of distractions. Practicing the command until you get to the point where pup will stay on Place while you are working with the kitty in the same room. I recommend also back tying pup while they are on place - safely connecting a long leash attached to pup to something near the Place just in case pup were to try to get off Place before you could intervene. Make sure what the leash is secured to, the leash itself, and pup's collar or harness are secure and not likely to break or slip off. This keeps kitty safe while practicing and reinforces to pup that they can't get off the Place. The leash should be long enough that pup doesn't feel the leash while they are obediently staying on the Place because it has some slack in the leash. You want pup to learn to stay due to obedience and self-control, and the leash just be back up for safety. Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg5DVPWIWo Out, Leave It, and Down-Stay are also helpful for manners around the cat too. Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Oct. 17, 2022

Hello, Did she nurse the puppy or did you have to bottle feed due to rejection? Was she fine with the puppy up to this point then began growling at him just recently? If she previously nursed fine and did alright with him in the past, she may be deciding to wean him now and is growling at him when he attempts to nurse. Four weeks in when most puppies will start to wean. If that's the case, begin feeding him Gruel - which is a mixture of puppy milk replacement formula and puppy kibble - making a soft cereal pup can practice eating. Monitor him to make sure he is getting enough food and fluids if mom is weaning him too abruptly. Reward her to being calm around him, but I would also take some pressure off of her to care and feed him by helping supplement with gruel if he was previously nursing from her. I would also see if she needs to be taken to the vets if the behavior is new. She could have an infection like mastitis from the weaning process and her teats may be super sore or painful and she is telling him to stay away due to the pain he causes her when he touches her in that area. If that could be the case, take her to your vet's right away. Monitor her health, food and water intake also, to be sure mom is staying healthy during this early pregnancy process. If she is feeling poorly, then that can effect her behavior toward the puppy. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Oct. 3, 2022