New dog/issues with current dog

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Possum

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I'll give our new Newfie a proper introductory thread when I have a bit more time, but I need some advice on the situation developing between him (2yo entire male Newf) and our current dog (2yo spayed small terrier).

He's come via a private rehome, we went and spent quite some time at his house before agreeing to take him, walked them together etc and Katie got on absolutely fine with him. When he was a bit boisterous she gave him a growl, he backed off and they settled nicely. The same was true for Saturday, the day we brought him home - she loved having a friend to play, was following him around and playing with him all afternoon and seemed quite happy.

Since then, she's gradually got more and more nervous of him. If he comes up to her she runs between the sofas or under the table where he can't get her. She doesn't want to come downstairs if she's in the hallway, or go in the garden if he's out there. He is a lot of dog, not a nasty bone in his body but over-enthusiastic at having a girlfriend and when he comes over she legs it. I'm sure that if she were to give him a growl and tell him to b****r off then he would do, but she's not doing. What doesn't help as well is that discipline doesn't seem to have been a key part of his training so far and if he gets over-bouncy we're having to rugby tackle him to stop/slow him down, we can't call him off.

I wonder whether we messed up the introduction and should have done it more slowly, we're making sure that she has safe places she can get to and time when he's shut in the kitchen and she's allowed the run of the house so she's not constantly being bothered.

Is this likely to improve once she gets used to him? Obviously we'll fix his manners, and in the meantime keep him tired so he's less bouncy indoors but I hate to think that we have irrevocably made the dear little girl's life permanently worse by the introduction...will she grow to love him?

Any constructive advice, suggestions or stories appreciated, thank you.
 
I think you are doing everything you can do for now. If you don't need him entire, maybe neutering will calm the intensity of his boistrusness with her?
 
I would keep him attached to me on a lead at all times that the little one was about-was she used to big dogs before he came along?
what do you do with them when you are not supervising them?
 
Good idea, thanks. Yes she was fine with big dogs, she meets them on walks with no issues and my friend has a big collie and we go around to her house and they're fine.

We haven't left them unsupervised together, plan is when we go out to put the newfie in the kitchen behind a childgate and terrier with the run of hallway and front room which is what she's used to. Newfie has been sleeping downstairs overnight, we haven't changed Katie's routine she's still been sleeping in a crate in our bedroom.
 
Equi - thanks, he's going to the vet on Saturday for his lepto top-up so might broach the subject there. I'm not against neutering him, but it does tend to mess their coats up.
 
by big I mean newfie sized, they can be (as you are fully aware ;-)) huge and many smaller dogs do find them far too much unless they are very calm and quiet.
unless he is the sort of dog to lay down and play calmly and quietly with her then I would not allow any play unless he gets to that stage-walk them on lead together and only let her off-he would get off lead time without her and the same at home, play with them one at a time and once he has settled they would be lose together in the house when/if he finds her less exciting and will settle down for the evening and they both sleep in the same room as you once you are settled whilst watching tv or something. introductions of dogs with such a size difference have to be carefully managed until he is calm and she is relaxed in his company.
If she stays the way she is around him are you going to be able to manage it long term?
 
Possum said:
Equi - thanks, he's going to the vet on Saturday for his lepto top-up so might broach the subject there. I'm not against neutering him, but it does tend to mess their coats up.
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unless he is after her for mating cutting his bits off will make no difference-how confident is he in all stituations?
 
Sounds to me as though he has either trod on her or given her a hefty shove, Im sure with what you have in place she will come around once she get her confidence back. Our Lancashire Heeler has been shoved a few times by the Dobes but she goes back at them, its all unintentional by them but even so she could get hurt, give her a thorough going over and see if she has any sore points on her.
 
You shouldnt need to neuter him (unless hes trying to mate with her) hes just being an over boisterous big dog and having 2 dangly bits wont change that :p
It does make a mess of some beautiful coats so I wouldnt neuter him lightly at this age.Hes already gone through adolescence so it wont change much behaviour wise(marking etc)

it sounds like hes intimidated her a little either with over enthusiastic play or has managed to hurt her.shes being a smart girl and avoiding him.
Id go back to seperation where they can see each other at home and lead walks together to rebuild the bond and confidence but no off lead time for the newfie until she decides to start approaching him again and he can respond the way tou want him to(calmly unless shes instigating play) Shes a small dog and he can do a lot of accidental damage.
 
I have always been advised that having one dog on a lead and one dog off isn't fair and the dog on the lead can find it stressful so would personally stick to both on the lead until they're more used to each other.

Difficult having big overly friendly dogs! We've had this with our rescue rottweiler, there's not a malicious bone in her but she is just SO excited when she sees other dogs (we think as a result of adequate socialisation by her previous owners, they deemed it acceptable to abandon her in a park so I don't imagine they thought of training her properly.) It's taken a long time but she can now just about greet dogs calmly. Clicker training has worked V well for her, when she sees another dog we've taught her that it's OK to look at them for a bit but then to look back at us, click and reward. Every single time she looks at us when another dog is around she gets clicked and rewarded. Keeps her attention on us and also she can't fixate and over react so strongly.

We couldn't even get into our companion dog training class before, she'd be up on her hindlegs pulling at the lead (not funny in a dog that size!) but gradually built it up and she is now totally capable of ignoring the other dogs around her when we need her to, or calmly approaching them to say hello and have a play.
 
Thank you all so much, lots of really helpful stuff here. She doesn't seem to have any sore spots, I think he just gave her a scare. I'm really hoping that once the excitement of having a new family and a sister wears off he'll calm down. This has been a bit of a shock - his previous owner, without any prompting before I even said we had a small dog, said that he was absolutely great with little dogs, that she has a friend's JRT puppy round to play a lot and it was the Newfie that had to tell the puppy he'd had enough.
I'm just a bit frayed at the moment, not least because he decided that spending an hour barking last night between 3 and 4 was acceptable. Little Katie wee-d on the floor upstairs this morning rather than coming down first thing, even though he had already been out and was shut in another room, it's making me feel horrible. Certainly we're going to give him a fair chance, he needs a good dose of ground rules/manners which we should be able to provide but he's a very different dog to the one we visited - I hoping it's a good thing and means that this crazy uber-excitement is a reaction while he's unsettled at the change in owner, home and routine.
 
Have you tried an Adaptil diffuser? It should help plugged in the room where he s shut at night. Another. May also help with Katie's anxiety too. You can get collars and top up sprays too.
 
Agree with the Adaptil diffuser - has helped with Mollie (our rescue rott)

It sounds really daft and spoiled but we also leave the radio on Classic FM overnight. She used to bark at any old sound outside before but since we've left the classical music on we haven't had a peep! You can always find her in the morning sleeping with her head right by the radio and she is much more chilled in the day - probably as a result of sleeping more and the diffuser helping her calm down!
 
Hang in there ...it took us three weeks for my dog to really accept my new pup We had a big size difference..22 kg dog and then 2 kg pup...he thought she was a bouncing toy. definitely keep the safety gates in use...strict rules and routine for the big boy...get him into a training class would be my best suggestion at this point.Keep walking both dogs,on lead and establish some idea of your pack and expectation of him.
The nighttime barking should abate..remember he is new in your home and bound to be unsettled.
I hope things calm down for you soon ,as I know you wanted this dog so much.
 
Thank you so much for the suggestions and support. Big woof is asleep in the kitchen with classic fm on for company. Adaptil diffuser is ordered and should be here on Thursday. Keeping everything crossed that he has a settled night, have left a filled kong in the freezer in case of emergencies (we can't leave him barking indefinitely overnight - neighbours) but I really don't want him to learn that we come and give him food when he makes a fuss. He seems pretty knackered after a busy day so hopefully he'll sleep though...

Thank you again and goodnight all x
 
He was better I think :) had a bit of a woof around 2am but his heart wasn't in it, and he seemed calmer this morning :)
 
Morning I've gone through something very similar brought a pup (cocker Spaniel) in to the house with an established small breed x. He has always let other dogs stay in his house but the pup upset him for about a week he properly sulked, I have a similar routine to you original dog sleeps on my bed, pup is crated downstairs, they do play but buz (original dog) often jumps up where Beau can't get him and I ensure he has a break. Luckily the pup doesn't bark at night he is brilliant. But I'm having trouble with buz toileting last thing at night but I'm sure we will get through it!
 
Size doesn't always matter!, my PRT loved to play with my brothers mini JR, but she soon gave up and went under the sofa as he was just too rough with her, he loved to bowl her over! She won't even walk around the yard if he's off lead, and sticks to the edges out of the way (8 years later)

We often have one or two on lead and one off - not unfair on the dog at all
 
TDA I'm only giving the advice I've been told by the dog behaviourists and trainers who helped us with our rottie. :) Each to their own and all that.
 
A positive update - Katie is getting more confident with him by the day, they're currently both asleep next to me. She doesn't play with him, but is back to pretty much acting like she did before he arrived which is a really good step. He's stopped annoying her unless he's having a manic moment, but even then he's a lot less intense and we can call him off. And he's sleeping through, I slept through my alarm this morning so didn't come down until 8:30...he was still snoring on the kitchen floor.

Thank you all so much for the advice and suggestions, proper introductory thread for the great lummox to follow later.
 
What a good update...it often takes a while for everything to settle down.Im really happy for your little dog.These big guys do need a lot of structure,but once you give them a good routine,they are often easier and less invasive to have around than having a tiny ,busy,dog.I miss my dogue de Bordeaux very much and am pleased your dream boy is going to have a good home with your pack.
 
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