protective aggression in a new puppy

[dawnjelly]

hi,
just got a japanese chin male puppy about 4.5 months old last night. breeder said he's shy at first but playful. i asked if he does well with other dogs she said yes. i got home and as soon as the first of my other dogs got near him, he started growling/snarling immediately. he did that to all my other dogs. then after an hour or so he seemed to have warmed up and was fine with them. today he seemed fine, was playing with the other dogs. decided he really likes my smallest male japanese chin who is about 1.5 years old (by the way all my dogs are neutered except the puppy). he's done a lot of dominance play with this particular chin of mine which i thought seemed normal since this one is pretty wimpy and small and easy to dominate. but after a few hours of this he seemed to have decided that this boy is his. they were laying together in a large bed, and when one of my other sweethearts walked up to lay down, the puppy went after him. he didn't bite but he didn't need to as the other dog left quickly. within the next couple hours the puppy did this to another dog twice. i dont know what to do. i just got him and already he's like this. he's so protective over another male dog who he only just met last night. i want to keep him but i already have a pekingese with aggression issues and i really don't want 2 aggressive dogs in the same house. i just emailed the breeder about it but she hasn't gotten around to emailing me back just yet. i feel like this dog must not have been properly socialized as a puppy, which really sucks. i'm not sure what to do, keep him and take him to a trainer and possibly risk my other dogs getting hurt by him? or try to send him back to the breeder, if she'll even take him? he's really sweet to people and cute and seems real smart, he seems so perfect if not for this one very large flaw. i was immediately upset and worried when he was growling at the other dogs upon their first meeting, as that's just what my aggressive pekingese did when he first came home. i'm really at a loss here. please help!!

[That_girl]

I think this is an easily fixable situation. When the puppy growls at another dog, remove him from the dog he likes and put him in a kennel or a bedroom for 1-2 minutes.

Growling for him is a way to protect the other dog, like you said. By removing him when he growls, he is getting the opposite of what he wants. He wants to be with the other dog. So, he needs to learn that growling will not be tolerated.

It'll probably take some time, but you must remove him every time he does it. Be consistent and don't let him get away with anything. You just got him, you need to set up rules in the house immediately.

[Macawpower58]

I think it's possessiveness you're seeing. He's attached himself to one dog, and doesn't want to share. I doubt it's protection at his age. I have a pup myself who does this very same thing, especially to my older, very submissive dog. She'll try and 'scare' by attacking him, into leaving when she's with another of my dogs. When with him alone she's fine. She does have a huge pack drive though, and is making a place for herself quickly...as top dog.

I keep my pup separated from my older boys. I do not want (as you also don't) any episodes like this to escalate. I can't see my pup losing her desire to rule my other dogs, so will have to handle it on a day to day basis.

I can't say for sure whether your pup will calm down, or not. Mine is a very in your face dog, who takes a mile if given an inch.

My honest thinking is that if you really can't or don't want to deal with it, now is the time to work with the breeder. The pup is young enough to easily be found a new home, and perhaps the breeder has a softer pup she can offer you instead.

If you decide to work with him, I'd advise keeping him away from the other dogs until you have a strong bond yourself with him, and some obedience under your belt.