Expert: Delores Beck - 1/26/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have an 8 mnth cocker. She is very hyper. We also have a 6 yr old Boxer. We can't have both of them together because molly, my cocker, is in Wrinkles face ALL the time.
Wrinkles can't take a step without molly being in his face... What can we do about this ? She was just fixed a couple of weeks ago but she hasn't settled down at all yet.
please advice.

ANSWER: Can you explain what you mean by Molly "being in his face?"

Is she being aggressive?  Playing?  Just bugging him?  What?

Usually the older dog will let the puppy know when enough is enough but I guess Wrinkles is pretty mellow and letting her get away with murder?

So tell me exactly what's going on - and what you do about it when it happens.
Delores

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Molly is probably wanting wrinkles to play.She jumps to his face repeadtly. Step by step that wrinkles takes molly is jumping on his face. When she does it, we put wrinkles in his pen and sometimes wrinkles wants to go in his pen to get away fro molly. I sometimes put molly inside the house and play with wrinkles away from molly. You would think that wrinkles would growl or put her in her place but won't. He is just a very sweet and patient dog.  Thx

Answer
Okay.  You really have nothing to worry about.  Molly is being a puppy and Wrinkles is just being astoundingly tolerant.

This was the same as our first two cockers.  Chester was male and 6 years old when we got a little girl (Amy).  I deliberately picked the feisty pup figuring she'd have to stand up to him.  So wrong.
He was like Wrinkles and became her slave and just allowed her to do anything.  In time she settled down and stopped tormenting him
every minute.

You're doing the right thing in separating them sometimes to give Wrinkles a break and some alone time with you.  But Wrinkles has made the decision to allow this and maybe one day he'll tell her off...but I doubt it :)

I'd certainly have them sleeping apart and definitely pop Molly into her crate sometimes to let him have some attention and peace.
But basically dogs make their own decisions about what they'll accept and what they won't.  Wrinkles, apparently, is the Ghandi of dogs
and is just going with the flow in peace and love :)

I do remember watching Chester having his ears chewed and saying "For heaven's sakes, Chessie, assert yourself".  He never did and also became intensely protective of her.  Go figure !  She's still very young and this will stop but right now she's loaded with energy and mischief.

So walk her a LOT - a tired dog is a good dog and just have times when they're apart.

You're actually lucky here...a lot of different scenarios could be happening like real jealousy/aggression/fights, etc.  Instead you just have a darling sweet dog who's allowing himself to be taken advantage of.

If it makes you feel better, Chester & Amy were the best of friends
for their whole lives and he never stopped looking out for her.
And she did stop bugging him constantly at about one year or so.
They were inseparable.

So be calm...it's Wrinkles decision...but give him time apart and know it'll all work out.
Delores