Free Tips to Help an Adult Dog Get Along with a Puppy

For this Omaha dog training session we shared some tips to help an adult dog get along with a puppy. 8-year-old Peruvian Inca Orchid named Andrea has been trying to dominate her 3-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog roommate named Luna.

How to Help an Adult Dog Get Along with a Puppy

I knew Luna very well as she has been taking our puppy classes the last few months. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that her energy had dropped a bit. She was also amazing with Andrea most of the time. Despite Andrea trying to hump, nip and bark at her, Luna mostly ignored her.

Luna had not reacted to Andrea’s aggressive behavior. However, she recently started to respond. Due to the size difference, it’s obviously important to stop the older dog from acting aggressively to the puppy.

I also made sure to say that the guardians need to disagree right away when Andrea tries to hump or dominate the puppy. Failure to do so can easily be interpreted as approval of Andrea’s actions.

I think Andrea feels insecure. She is confused about her role in the home.

She is also trying to control the increasingly independent Luna. Getting these dogs to get along will be a little abstract and mostly on Andrea’s side of the street. I shared some tips to help a jealous adult dog learn to like a puppy in the free dog training video below.

Andrea has experienced changes in her household dynamic, including the passing of a previous canine companion and the introduction of Luna, a growing puppy.

Easy Ways to Teach an Older Dog to be Nice to a Puppy

The two dogs have had problems. This is mainly because Andrea gets jealous and protective.

She can also be a bit too possessive over things. She is allowed on the furniture, but Luna is not. This creates tension.

She shows aggressive behavior when she is up high or near her guardian. This is especially true around the family’s father and young child.

Though she has only one tooth and can’t inflict serious harm, we need to address her behavior to prevent escalation. To handle the situation, I suggest enforcing rules consistently. Remove furniture privileges for Andrea for one or two months to change her behavior.

Also, make sure both dogs have safe spaces in the home using baby gates.

Positive reinforcement and structured activities, like walking the dogs together on short leashes, can help improve their relationship.

Andrea’s limited training and low confidence add to her behavior problems. Teaching her new commands and doing confidence-building exercises, like focus training, can help.

Additionally, redirecting her behavior with alternatives like bully sticks in designated areas rather than allowing her to react negatively toward Luna will be beneficial.

Consistency, structure, and positive reinforcement will be key to fostering a peaceful coexistence between Andrea and Luna.

Simple Trick to Stop a Dog from Trying to Dominate a Puppy

Later in the session, we found another way to stop the older dog from acting aggressively towards a puppy. This is the first time I have filmed this tip to stop a dog from trying to dominate a puppy.

This is one of the easiest ways to teach an older dog to be nice to a puppy.

Andrea has developed dominant behaviors toward Luna, including placing her chin or body over Luna to assert control.

To fix this, we use a conditioning exercise. Andrea loses attention when she shows dominant behavior. She gets attention back when she stops. This method reinforces positive behavior without punishment, helping Andrea associate non-dominant actions with rewards.

The guardian has unintentionally encouraged Andrea’s unwanted behaviors. This happened when they petted or comforted her during her possessiveness. Using paired petting and treats aims to change how Andrea sees her role. This will encourage more balanced interactions.

Luna, on the other hand, remains calm and neutral, making her a good candidate for this exercise. With regular practice, Andrea will learn that being dominant means losing attention. In contrast, being relaxed brings rewards.

This solution will only work if the human is exceptionally observant. They must stop petting the older dog right away. This is a wonderful operant conditioning exercise.

We went over a number of other dog and puppy behavior tips in this in-home dog and puppy training session. To help the guardians remember all of them, we recorded a roadmap to success video below.