Meet Biscuit! (Oh, and help me with some questions! :)

Submitted by Sarah P. on February 26, 2012 - 12:00pm

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I just got a new addition to the family yesterday. Meet Biscuit! He's 11 weeks old and hops around like a little bunny rabbit.

Cupcake has not been very nice about the whole thing. She's been in doggy day care three times a week since she was 9 weeks old, and she goes to dog park every other day, so she loves other dogs....but she's never had another dog come up on HER turf. That's a whole different story. She does not like brother Biscuit one bit right now. She doesn't want him touching her toys, or sniffing her water bowl and food bowl, or getting any attention from Mom and Dad. Even though my husband and I have been very careful to reassure Cupcake and love on her way more than on him, she doesn't like for him to get any attention whatsoever. Kinda being a butthead about the whole thing.

Here Cupcake is telling Biscuit, "Get your own mommy and daddy."

So now for my questions:

1) For those who own 2 or more bulldogs, how did your older bulldog handle the new addition? In other words, is it normal for an otherwise friendly and sociable bulldog to be so territorial and hostile? Like don't touch, everything's MINE MINE MINE? And if so, when will this phase pass?

2) For those who own 2 or more bulldogs, do you feed them in separate bowls or from the same bowls? Right now I have their food and water in separate bowls of His and Hers and in separate areas. I thought that allowing him to eat from her bowls would upset her too much. But now she's being a butthead and doesn't even like for him to eat from his OWN bowls. And when he does try to eat from his bowl, she'll go over to him and shove him out of the way and stick her face in his bowl and just guard it. In other words, being a total butthead. Of course I scold Cupcake and pull her away, but I have to do this several times and I know as soon as I turn my back, she'll eat it. I kept thinking how much easier it would be if I just bought a bigger food and water bowl and they just shared, I wouldn't have to guard her from his.

Thanks for any help and suggestions! So I'm back to the whole letting the puppy out every 3 hours! It was a looooong night of crate training, but he did well with only one incident of peeing in his crate (and that may have been my fault because at one point I let him stay in there 4 hours and evidently 4 hours is just too long.)

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Meet Cupcake (born May 15, 2011) and Biscuit (born December 2, 2011)

now now Cupcake..

Submitted by Simone and Hanna on February 26, 2012 - 1:03pm.

play nice!

No experience with multiple bulldogs (YET!) but just had to say how precious your new addition is..

good luck with Cupcake.. silly girl!

Resource Guarding

Submitted by Deb and MacKenz... on February 26, 2012 - 1:53pm.

is what she is doing. Bitches IMO are far more difficult then males and they will rule the roost. But I am surprised she is being so naughty with him being a puppy. Usually they are more lienient with puppies. If she knows commands now is the time to use them, if not then she needs to be taught

I never feed my dogs together. It just keeps everyone happy. They all eat differently and they should not have to fight for their food. Once you have a fight over food, toys, etc. and they decide they really hate each other it can be a very long road trying to turn that around, if ever. Having to keep dogs separate in a household is very stressful. So IMO you just don't even go there when you have multiple dogs. And the puppy deserves to be able to eat without fear. He also needs to be fed more often then her.

Is she spayed?

Typically you want to introduce on nutural ground. It this stage I personally would keep them seperated. And only together at short intervals, and I would not make it a big deal that he is even there. Just go about your business. Don't over do any playing or attention to either of them. Give her a chance to get used to him without pushing him upon her. If she sleeps with you then take that away. Make her sleep in a crate next to the puppy. If she's allowed on the couch, then stop that, until she can demonstrate being nice. Their own beds on the floor, and if she gets in his bed...its an "Naw" or some command...other then "No" and remove her from his bed and put her into her bed.

You may have to remove toys as well. What ever you do you are going to have to mointor closely so she doesn't attack him.

Don't scold her, redirect her away from the puppy with something else.

Sometimes it takes time.

When Bonnie got Suri, she did't like Otis at all. They keep them separated for a week or so and they are now best buds. They sleep on the same hammock and in the same crate together all snuggled up. So it can happen Cupcake is just being bitchy and territorial.

I know there is a good book that Lynne has suggected in the past about multiple dog families but I can't remember the name off had. Hopefully someone remembers the name.

Congrats!

Submitted by animal005 on February 26, 2012 - 3:45pm.

We had Kilmore first and then got Winnie. Winnie came in and took over the household right away. So we didn't have the trying to get Kilmore to get along with Winnie. They each had their own dishes, both food and water. My parents rescued a female bulldog and Winnie and her didn't get along. My parents bulldog has the whole toy issue, but Winnie and her had the beotch syndrome with eachother. Now that we have Oliver and Rocco they tend to need to be separated when they eat, because they like to keep switching food bowls. The funny thing is when we were getting another English bulldog we were told two females usually have issues. Then when researching the French Bulldogs it two males. Luckily our two are brothers, so they are find. Good luck! Bulldogs are like chips, you can't just have one. Looks like you have two cuties on your hands.

Sarah

Congratulations...

Submitted by Michelle Plankt... on February 26, 2012 - 5:15pm.

Biscuit is adorable. My 2 older boys accepted Viper right away as did Plank when I got Squid but they came from a family of Bulldogs so they were used to it. I feed all 3 of mine in separate food bowls spread a little bit apart from one another. When they are done they go and lick each others bowls to make sure no one missed anything but they wait for each other to finish eating first. I have a few water bowls spread around that they all 3 share. Good luck I'm sure it will work out.

Give it some time

Submitted by LynnKing on February 26, 2012 - 5:43pm.

most dogs are pretty tolerant of pups.

Don't push the issue. Allow them together for short periods of time, feed them separately and pick dishes up after meals, no toys etc., Take them for short walks together.

Cupcake is feeling a little bit bent out of shape, you have time on your side, use it.

Great books on the subject of multiple dog households

Go to Dogwise.com

search By Subject

Basic Dog Training

Multiple Pets

My favorite author has a book "Feeling Outnumbered" by Patricia B. McConnell PhD.

Good luck and congratulations

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Lynn King CPDT-KA

my thoughts

Submitted by RobinandLeo on February 26, 2012 - 7:01pm.

First - congratulations on the new pup!

Most adult dogs are very tolerant of pups and give them lost of leeway, the trick is usually to keep the pup from pestering the adult.

Feed the 2 separately, even in their own crates, so the pup gets his food and your girl gets hers without either feeling they need to rush thru the meal or guard it from the other one.

You mentioned the pup hops around like a bunny rabbit, that would alarm me if he does that all the time as it would signal a weak rear to me.

Thanks for your advice!

Submitted by Sarah P. on February 26, 2012 - 7:47pm.

Well he sometimes hops along like a bunny rabbit when he's running to keep up with us or with Cupcake outside (sort of like prancing in a puppy sort of way.) But otherwise he walks normally.

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Meet Cupcake (born May 15, 2011) and Biscuit (born December 2, 2011)

What a cutie

Submitted by SNACPete on February 26, 2012 - 7:35pm.

Your babies are beautiful! Have you watched any of the Dog Whisperer episodes? He makes alot of sense when he talks about dogs with possessiveness. But when Cupcake growls or does whatever to Biscuit, are you giving her extra love and attention at that moment? Cesar says that when you give the love in a moment when the dog is being possessive, fearful etc, then you are rewarding the behavior. Everyone gave some great advice. Good luck and I'm sure things will get alot better with time.

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Nakina

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

Submitted by Sarah P. on February 26, 2012 - 8:02pm.

As Day 2 went on, Cupcake has gradually gotten better. They're not BFFs or anything, but I followed your suggestions and had them eat in separate bowls and away from each other. Cupcake still tries to go over to his bowl and smell it (and get a bite if we're not looking) but every time we have redirected Cupcake to the appropriate behavior (bringing her over to HER food bowl.)

I tried to feed new puppy in bathroom with door closed but he freaked out about being in there alone, so I brought his food/water bowls out to living room area and he'll eat his food happily as long as we're all together. So now his food bowls are in one corner of the room, and Cupcake's food bowls are in an opposite corner of the same room... Hope that was the right thing to do...but shutting him in a room by himself with his food just wasn't working. Perhaps I should try feeding him in his crate.

Now I just have to supervise the two dogs and make sure Cupcake doesn't try to eat his food (which is tiring, but I'm hoping she'll back off soon. She's a little less aggressive as the day has gone on...still needs some work and training, but better than it was earlier.)

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful ideas and suggestions. I really respect everyone on here and know they have a lot more experience than me at this!

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Meet Cupcake (born May 15, 2011) and Biscuit (born December 2, 2011)

I would get in the habit of feeding separately

Submitted by LynnKing on February 26, 2012 - 11:00pm.

So neither one learns to surf for food. I have always fed my dogs either in crates or separate rooms. Dogs eat at different paces, some eat slow, some gulp their food. I want all of my dogs to relax and be able to eat in peace, not having to worry about being stalked. When they are done, I pick up their dishes.

Good luck and have fun

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Lynn King CPDT-KA

Agree - I feed in crates

Submitted by Deb and MacKenz... on February 27, 2012 - 2:22am.

n/m

Preventing issues from developing is a lot easier then

Submitted by LynnKing on February 27, 2012 - 11:27am.

trying to "fix" them later. Since meal time/food dishes seem to be a hot spot with some dogs, I've just never taken the chance of an argument. One fight can change the relationship between dogs forever.

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Lynn King CPDT-KA

Yep - Exactly what I said in my post :)

Submitted by Deb and MacKenz... on February 27, 2012 - 6:58pm.

n/m

OOhhh, someones nose is sure bent out of shape!

Submitted by AmyandSophia on February 26, 2012 - 9:01pm.

Ha ha! She will get over it. In the meantime, no meals in the same bowl (I wouldn't do that anyways, even if they were best buds). No toys at the same time. Walks together. Pretty much everything Lynn King said, as well as others who answered!

And congrats! What a cutie pie!

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Amy and Sophia