posted 03-16-2004 12:52 PM         

Suddenly Banjo is laying around, not greeting us at the door, he lets the little puppy jump and mouth him. We have tried greeting Banjo first, playing with him more, gave him ice cream, etc. but he just don't seem to care anymore. I hate to see him so sad. How long does this last?

Also, he does not share any toys. What was his is his, what is new is his, if it is in the house it is his. Even though he has not tried to hurt the puppy, the puppy can't have anything without it being taken away. I am sometimes afraid he will hurt the puppy since he is so strong. Last night they were both pulling on a toy and I thought he could possibly sling the little one and hurt him. But if he hears the puppy cry or bark he goes running to see what is going on.

Is all of this normal? Does it end? Or do sometimes do they never get along?

Sorry for the long post.

posted 03-16-2004 01:49 PM         

I have a 4 year old chihuhua (sorry for the spelling) and just recently brought home a 2 month old yellow lab mix. My 4 year old acted the same way as you described, he was withdrawn, and would sit up on the couch and wait for us to come to him. He did not greet us at the door any longer and was not as enthusiastic anymore about much.

posted 03-16-2004 02:22 PM         

I have a rat terrier also; aren't they great? Anyway, he was mine for years and then shortly after I moved in with my husband we got a puppy- now there are three!

I think your rat's reaction is very normal and it's a positive sign he's not hurting the puppy. It does sound as though he's trying to establish the alpha order and is letting the pup know who comes first. Your rat may be feeling a little jealousy, so be sure to make a big deal about him (when there a cute little one in the house, it's hard!)

Chances are that he won't hurt the baby in play-- our 60 lb mutt really gets going with our tiny Jack Russell- they love to play, though, and even though it may seem a bit rough, she never squeals-- he is really careful with her.

I would say just give it a bit of time. Make sure your rattie knows he's king-- do some special things for him (like extra rides in the car, or whatever else he likes.) He'll come around. If he didn't like the pup at least a little, he wouldn't play with it. And this might sound silly- but we always feed our rat terrier first, the next dog we got second, and the third last.