Hi All,
Hoping someone can offer some advice. Ernest - our 7 month old puppy, has started to become occasionally very aggressive toward our older dog (2 year old) Monty.
We first noticed it probably about 3 weeks ago. When I was cooking I accidentally dropped some cheese on the floor. Monty went to investigate, but Ernest lunged toward the food and really went for Monty, teeth bared and growling. To avoid this situation happening again, I've been extra careful and now they are fed in separate rooms.
This morning, my partner was in bed with both dogs curled up on him. I laid down beside him and Monty came over to snuggle down. Ernest also turned round and I made a fuss of them both. Suddenly, Ernest really went for Monty, again teeth bared, growling and snapping at him. My partner managed to grab Ernest and put him down on the floor.
They will usually play fight with each other but this seems to be on a next level, and just seems really aggressive. Monty is such a softie that he will just back away, which results in me feeling bad that he has been put out by the new pup.
I'm sure Ernest is trying to establish himself as 'top dog' but does anyone have any tips on how to handle this? I don't want the situation to get worse. And it doesn't happen very regularly, but we have noticed it becoming more frequent.
Any advice appreciated as always, thanks.