I’m hoping for some much needed advice.
i have an 11 year old desexed female Cocker Spaniel and a 7 year old male Cavalier that are a completely bonded pair. I have also just got a 9 month old female Newfoundland puppy that I have waited years to get. I am having some trouble introducing them as the two females are getting into quite a few squabbles. At first the Newf would just watch the Cocker carry on, but now she’s starting to growl a bit and the problem feels like it’s escalating. The male Cavalier is generally uninvolved in all of it. At first I put it down to the old dog being scared of the Newf’s size and bounciness, but now i’m Beginning to wonder if I have two dominant girls on my hands. The breeder did mention a similar issue with a girl of the same age and my puppy at her house before she came to me, and my Cocker has always had a strong personality..
The fights generally appear to start over jealousy, and this afternoon there was a bad minute when the Cocker accidentally got cornered behind a garbage bin.
i obviously don’t leave them alone unsupervised, and keep them separated much of the time, but I am really hoping to help them find a way to coexist peacefully.
any suggestions?
