need help..from forum...
I am granddog sitting while my daughter is out of town until Sunday. Domino is the Am. Bull Dog, 12 pounds, 8 weeks old. She is the sweetest thing. When I take her out, and say 'go pee' she squats..I have had her since Tuesday night and she has peed in the house about 4 times..2 of which were Dino's fault as he didn't take her out when I went shopping....  She goes in her crate at about 10:30, no crying or whining..I wake up at about 2 to take her out then at 6. She is very smart and seems to get things rather quickly.
Here is the problem...::::NOT with her, but with the other 3... They won't play with her!!! They either ignore her or kind of growl (warn) for her to stay away. They will play with each other in front of her, but if she tries to join in..they won't have it!!!! I knew there would be a transition period, But this is day 3 and it is NOT getting better....Domino has visited a couple of time before she came so this pup is no stranger around here. I feel so bad for her. She is just a baby and needs to interact ...HOW do I get mine to accept her???? Is there something I can do to help them accept her??? I am giving all of them equal time for hugs and pets, it doesn't seem to matter at all. Domino is a very calm puppy. She plays alone with all the toys, and most of the time, one of mine go up to HER, so she is not being a pest or aggrevating them at all!!! Pearl....will engage in a play bow, but when the puppy advances, she just runs away and is done. Coz...he will follow her around and if she turns to look at him or try to play, he growls at her and walks away. Heart..It looks like she really wants to play with her, but again, if Domino tries to run after her, or tries to play, she hightails it outta there!!! 
I know many of you take in rescues and I just want to know if there is any hope that my pack will accept this sweet little pup who needs playtime desperately!!!!! ((My only hope for play is HARRY~~~ the lover of puppies!!! Hopefully we can find 20 minutes to get together so she can have some fun while she is in my care......))) HAPPY THANKGIVING TO ALL OF YOU!!!! ONE OF MY BLESSINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR IS THIS WONDERFUL FORUM!!!!!!! |
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Well, you really can't make them play with her. 
With Pearl and Coz, I'm not surprised. I really wouldn't see them playing with a little puppy. Heart - well, she follows the other 2 in example, and they don't play, so....... Truly, if they are getting along and they aren't picking on little Domino, that is probably as good as you can hope for. It took several days for Martha to play with our puppy Biscuit (Martha is the "player" at our house, just like Harry...LOL). Now occasionally Maggie will play too, but she's just as likely to snark at him (Queen B thing going on). Chewie, Riley, Simon and foster Harley NEVER play with him. Chewie occasionally puts him in line when he's being too rude (very clumsy, space intrusive lab pup!) They all peacefully live together though, that's the important part. Sounds pretty similar to your house..... And Happy Thanksgiving back at you!! |
| Dawn's right. You can't make it happen. I've got dogs that take time to warm up to a puppy... weeks!... and others that immediately interact with puppy bows and shared toys.
Have you had them outside to play gently together? One-on-one. Sometimes play will develop if you can give them one toy to play with together (don't do this if dogs are toy possessive of course) and they don't feel they're forced to play in close quarters. Sometimes a long toy so they can keep their distance from what they my perceive as a little monster 
Sorry... gotta go stuff a turkey. I hope this makes sense when I read it again   |
| Seeing how close Heart and Harry are, maybe if Heart sees Harry play with the puppy, she'll follow along? |
Darth Snuggle wrote: Seeing how close Heart and Harry are, maybe if Heart sees Harry play with the puppy, she'll follow along?
That is a very good point. |
Dudster wrote: Darth Snuggle wrote: Seeing how close Heart and Harry are, maybe if Heart sees Harry play with the puppy, she'll follow along? That is a very good point. everyone once in a blue moon, I get it right.  |
| I would try putting Heart and Domino together without the other two in case Heart is just sticking with the party (pack) line.
Maybe they're just aware that she's little and they're big and they're keeping her safe. Now the bad news my dalmo took months before he would play with Tiggy. She was just like Domino, would follow Rastus around at a distance and sometimes bring him a toy but he wouldnt play. In the end I did lots more pack leader stuff than I usually did with him and around that time he started to play with her. They're playing tug of war with her favorite tug toy now. |
Mim wrote: I would try putting Heart and Domino together without the other two in case Heart is just sticking with the party (pack) line.
I was thinking the same thing. One on one is sometimes a lot easier than three against one. |
| sometimes its a valuable lesson in socialization to learn that mot all other dogs are playmates. Its often a lesson that is skipped. So play with puppy and then play with your guys - it will be good for her to learn she has to wait her turn as well.
Happy Turkey Day! |
| Iwould start with interaction on a One on One basis with the puppy and the older dogs.
At the moment your 3 are a pack and know the pecking order. Start with Heart, outside or inside with the puppy, others away not to distract heart from interacting with the pup. Start with some toys and treats. If that progresses well, then use the same technique and pop heart away and bring one of the other dogs out to interact with the pup.
Eventually as a pack of 3 they will all start to interact with the puppy together, but you need to introduce them on a one on one play basis firstly with the pup |
| Thanks...to everyone...you gave me some great suggestions that I will try..it does make sense that, if Heart and Domino were left alone, they may play... |
| Patch is always a third or fifth wheel - she loves other dogs, big or small, but when she tries to join the party, they either ignore her or run her off. Her size is very intiminating to many dogs, they do not think she is a dog, but some kind of huge mammal. BUT, in the end, she finally finds a friend to run and chase with so all is not lost; she is not as sensitive to the situation as I am, but it does break my heart to watch her try to join in the fun. |
Sheepie2 wrote: Patch is always a third or fifth wheel - she loves other dogs, big or small, but when she tries to join the party, they either ignore her or run her off. Her size is very intiminating to many dogs, they do not think she is a dog, but some kind of huge mammal. BUT, in the end, she finally finds a friend to run and chase with so all is not lost; she is not as sensitive to the situation as I am, but it does break my heart to watch her try to join in the fun.
Tonks and Luna are pretty small for sheepdogs, but we have this same problem as well. Alot of dogs at the park are intimidated by their size, and it takes a while to get them to play. |
| I have to disagree that you can't make them play... I literally put one end of a toy in each dog's mouth to start a play session- otherwise it does not happen. We also push Marley towards Rudie to make them do a little play shuffle. Granted it doesn't last long, but it works for a minute or so!
We've taken in quite a few fosters and even though Marley is very playful she typically takes a few weeks to start playing with a dog if at all. I've found that they tend to play more if they are outside and if we are not around. We had a psychotic pitbull pup for a few months last winter. Marley would cower from him in the house and we felt so bad for her to the point we almost had to find a new foster. One day I let them in the yard, looked outside and found them playing tug o war, chasing, and romping around. They were bust buddies outside, but inside she continued to keep her distance. Conclusion: dogs are weird |
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