resident dog correcting new dog

[animalhouse]

I adopted a 1yr old female rotti a couple of weeks ago. I already have a 2 yr old male rotti. The past couple of days he has been correcting her when she breaks one of the house rules (even though they are usually his favorite ones to break). Should I step in or let him correct her? This may sound strange but he has better luck then I do. I have never had a dog like her before. She has neuorlogical problems so it's very hard to train her and she doesn't respond at all to my corrections whereas when he corrects her she tends to respond.

[kaylynn143]

How is he correcting her? What type of neurological problems does she have?

[animalhouse]

As far as the correction goes it's a quick nip and a growl. She listens very well to that. We are not quite sure yet which particular neurological disorder is. The vet knows that she has one (as he has done almost a $1000 worth of tests!) but she hasn't gone to the neurologist yet. The problems she has causes her legs to go lame from time to time and her coordination is way off. She also tires easily. Hopefully soon they'll know exactly what she has so they can maybe treat it. It makes it very difficulty to train her because she completely lacks focus.

[kaylynn143]

In my limited opinion, your male seems to be 'speaking canine' better than you. ;) As long as he doesn't hurt her, or cause her undue stress I would not worry about it. I would watch to see what he does that is effective and try to change what he does into something that you can do that would effectively communicate your needs to her.

Since she has a neurological problem it kind of goes with out saying that patience and consistency will be of upmost importance when training her. My two babies don't seem to have the problems your little girl has (sometimes I wonder though) and they are still a true test of my patience and consistency.

I also want to say, 'Hooray!' to you for adopting a Rottie with special needs. I hope your quest for a cure to what ails your girl can be solved quickly and with out hitting the pocketbook too hard.:D

[animalhouse]

Thank you! He never hurts her so that's a good thing. I know it's going to take a long time to properly train her but she is very much worth it. She has the most loving temperment. Taking her was a tough decision that became easier when I realizes that the "rescue" that had her had no intention of getting her medical help. I've already spent over $600 and the testing isn't over yet! But as I said she is worth every cent because she pays me back with kisses and tail (yes she has a tail, and wavy hair and a deformed jaw) wags. So now I have one fear aggressive but very trainable and sweet boy and a neurologically challenged but sweet tempered girl and I'm a very happy women! Thanks for your help

[BarryMcD]

ANIMALHOUSE:

It is not at all unusual for one dog to correct or teach the other. This usually occurs in exactly your situation: the older dog corrects the younger, and the resident dog corrects and teaches the new dog what's up. This occurs very often between an older dog and puppies.

I have a 54 lb, 5 year old female Heinz 57 mix who was very polite and subdued and took her place as a submissive and peacemaking dog in our household of three. (One 4 year old female Rottie included, and a shepherd mix.)

Then we acquired first a Rottweiler pup at age 8 months and about two months later, a besenji of 3+ months. Immediately, the laid back female, who had always been somewhat of an outsider with my other two, became chief protector, surrogate mother, and steadfast playmate and teacher to both pup. She has continued this role up to the present, and although the tiny basenji who will max out at about 24 lbs in another month or two is 1/4 her size, and the Rottie pup of course has been doubling in size every month or two until she is now larger than her mother and protector, both pups, at 22 lbs, and 46 lbs. get along great and continue to defer to their "mother."

She taught the pups everything a mother would teach, from proper play habits to bite discrimination. She also served as a watchdog and protector when our older Rottie started to express his dissatisfaction with the presence of the two pups by growling and lurching at them when they would approach her. Our surrogate mom took no guff grom the Rottie who outweighes her by a good 20 lbs. In the early days, she sat in front of the pups' crates for hours, just staring at them. When the Rottie would try to stir up trouble, she body blocked him and held him off without fear.

I got to watch a mild-mannered dog come out of herself and find a meaningful job in her life when these two pups arrived. When the going got rough a number of months ago, she faced off with our Rottie and they had a couple brief dog fights that made it clear that no one was going to harm her pups and proteges!

To this day, with the pups around 8 months and the Rottie pup now larger than "mom" and every other dog in the house except the adult Rottie, the sub-pack of three spend all their time together. The 5 year old female has taught the pups how to become dogs, and the pups have reawakened the playfulness and pup inside the 5 year old.

As the Rottie pup has grown in size, the Rottie adult has now accepted her, but not the basenji. I think the size is what is bothering the adult Rottie. Raised in a kennel for the first year of her life, I don't think she knows what to make a a small dog or puppy.

However, within a month or two, the Rottie pup is going to tower over everyone, including the female adult Rottie, and at that time it is going to be two against one if the adult wants to make trouble for the basenji.

The most amazing part is how well the different breeds and sizes have learned to adjust to one another. When the Rottie pup plays with the basenji, she is as gentle as can be and uses a soft mouth. But when she runs with her surrogate mom, an energetic and larger dog, they playfight at full volume! Every one of these three have learned to discriminate in their mouthing and play strategies to compensate for and create a safe and equal playing field for all.

As someone suggested above, the best human trainer in the world cannot teach a dog like a dog! We humans are just not fast enough or sensitive enough to teach the many skills that are taught by one dog to another.

So I'd say you have a wonderfully lucky situation, and I would suggest you let the two play and interact to the fullest, and see if in the end the older dog not only trains the puppy, but the puppy creates positive changes in the 2 year old!

As a Clicker Trainer and advisor on dog behavior, I have seen this phenomenon a number of times before,
and one plus is that the "master" and "student" will inevitably grow up with a strong and positive bond between them. They will be friend forever!

Your situation is not one to worry about or complain about, but it does not relieve you of the responsibility to assert yourself as the ultimate master of both dogs and to train them in a time-honored but probably relatively bumbling human manner. ;)

[animalhouse]

Thank you Barry for your insightful reply. We've only had her for a month and they are already best friends. They are completely inseperable. My husband and I are very careful to always be in the alpha role because our male had the silly idea that he would like that position! So we are very careful not to let that happen. The new dog doesn't seem to know that dominace (dog/people) exists but we still go through the motions with her just in case her big brother decides to tell her about it some day!