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My New Dog Is Jealous Of My Other Dog!

By: Author Paris Permenter

We love sharing our home with multiple dogs–but, if you do, you know that there is a chance for relationship issues between the dogs. Today dog trainer Alecia Evans looks at how to help in two different situations. Both readers have added a new dog and have different issues–but one big similarity: their new dog is jealous of their other dog!

My New Dog is Jealous of My Other Dog!

Our new dog is jealous of our other dog. We just adopted a 2-year-old Husky and she is extremely jealous when we give love and attention to our 6-year-old Golden Retriever/Samoyed.

Lola, the Husky, has snapped twice at Molly, our older dog, when we’ve been petting her, and constantly tries to butt in between us and howls.

We try to give equal attention to the two, but no matter how much attention we give Lola, she gets upset when we pet Molly.

It seems like it’s usually the other way around – the older dog jealous of the new dog – so we are at a loss at how to handle this.

The two dogs get along fine other than this issue and enjoy spending time with each other. I don’t want Lola to be aggressive to Molly and I don’t want Molly to feel like we’ve replaced her. What should we do?

Molly was rescued and showed signs of abuse. She is a shy and skittish girl. Lola was rescued and had been passed around multiple animal shelters and foster homes until we took her in. She was also physically abused in the past. Thanks, Kim

Dear Kim,

What a loving mom you are. And in a challenging position.

One of the things I share with all of my rescue parents is that it is essential to let go of your dog’s past story as soon as they begin living with you.

I say this because in the wild, a dog’s past history is of no importance while living in a healthy, balanced pack. The only thing that is important is their present now.

And in the present now, there is always a leader and following members of the pack. Your dogs will only hold onto their past as long as you do.

So in this case, you are going to need to be a more assertive leader and not allow Lola to continue her pushy behavior. I am going to make the assumption that she also leads her walks, and this has been allowed and she is pushy (while not aggressive) with meal time as well.

I am going to suggest that you go back to retraining sessions with the girls. Practicing sits, stays (very important), downs, comes, and healing on the leash.

You will not need to do long sessions, perhaps 5 minutes or less, but the important thing is that the girls get it that they are now in working mode and their only job is to listen to you.

Praise them when they do and then go about your day. Try to do so at least 3 times a day.

Increase the timing of stays each session. This will assist Lola in learning to calm herself.

Also I suggest using a front clip harness on Lola such as the Walk In Sync™ System to assist her in learning how to be in her body in a calm way while releasing her past.

Paws Up! Alecia

My German Shepherd is Jealous of My Other Dogs

My New Dog Is Jealous Of My Other Dog

Dear Alecia,

I just adopted a one-year-old German Shepherd. She’s a very sweet girl. Playful, doesn’t pull on the leash, and is very affectionate.

However, I have 2 other dogs that she is ridiculously jealous of: a 10-month-old German Shepherd and a 2-year-old American Eskimo.

She’s showed more aggression towards the German Shepherd. Mostly when I’m petting him she will show teeth and get snappy.

I immediately reprimand her and if she calms I’ll allow her to stay but sometimes she doesn’t stop so I put her outside. I have worked with training her separately from the others as I fear food aggression and she’s as smart as to be expected.

She has a crate so at night there aren’t any concerns but how can I get over this hurdle so my children aren’t in danger with her and bond as a family? Or how can I make her feel more comfortable like when I’m petting my previous dogs it isn’t taking anything from her? — Tori

Dear Tori,

Wow. Sounds like you have a pretty full house.

I am going to start this from a back door approach because there is the potential that your children could be the unintentional recipients of your newest family members jealousy. As a trainer, safety is always paramount for me when working with behaviors. When children are involved, it is non-negotiable for me to have a qualified trainer involved to ensure everyone’s safety.

And because children are involved I do not feel that an email description of how to handle this would be adequate enough for me to coach you through this. And throwing her outside is a temporary fix but will not teach her how to handle that energy or address the root of the issue.

So to answer your question, I would investigate positive reinforcement trainers in your area: APDT.com is a great resource, as is your local dog day cares and veterinarians.

Have a trainer come to your home, evaluate your new shepherd’s behavior and develop a safe, effective training protocol to assist in moving through and ending the jealousy issue.

I would also simultaneously address any potential body issues that she may have such as a misalignment in her spine or neck which could be OK most of the time and set her off more when she is stressed about something, such as your affection.

I say this because I am seeing a very high correlation between dysfunctional behavior and body biomechanics being off center and want to make sure that if this is the case it is addressed from the beginning.

So, to this end I would locate a dog chiropractor in your area and have her assessed as you may not know her entire history, so give her the benefit of the doubt and you will know you are starting with a clean slate.

I am sorry for not being more detailed but certain situations need to be addressed in person and I believe that this is one.

Let me know how it turns out!

Best, Alecia Evans

About the Author

Alecia Evans is the inventor of The Walk In Sync™ Humane Dog Walking and Training System with her exclusive 5 Minute Manners Makeovers using the Walk In Sync™ Harness and Accu-Grip Leash, along with her Walk In Sync™ 3 Easy Steps to teach any human/dog duos to Walk In Sync in just minutes.

The former host of the award-winning GrassRoots Aspen TV Series, The Whole Animal-An Alternative Approach to Animal Care, Alecia takes a natural approach to dog training and health care. Her work has been featured on Fox and Friends, The Sandra Glosser Show, NY 1, and in Aspen Magazine, DogTipper.com, The New York Daily News and Woof Report.

Paris Permenter
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This post originally appeared on DogTipper.com and is the sole property of DogTipper.com.