introducing our new puppy

[pinkkitty]

We have 3 dogs - 2 Sprockers who are 5 years old, and a 2 year old shih tzu, they all get along ok. Yesterday we bought a 13 week old puppy, and took her and the other 3 dogs to a neutral location to meet for the first time. That went well, and one of our sprockers has accepted the new pup pretty much immediately. The other one is still a little shy, but we know she will come round. It's our shih tzu that's causing the problems, he seems really scared of the new puppy, even though she is tiny compared to him. If she comes too close he will growl and then bark if the pup doesn't back off. He's retreated to a chair in the corner and doesn't want to come close, even when offered a treat as an incentive. is there any way we can help our shih tzu to be less afraid? I know it's only early days, but we want them all to get along and the puppy just wants new friends to play with. TIA! Kitty.

[Schutzengel]

What is a sproker

[pinkkitty]

A Cocker-Springer spaniel cross.

[lankeela]

A Sprocker is a made up name for a crossbreed.

Leave them to get on with it. Don't allow the puppy to interfere with the Shih Tzu, make sure he can get away from the pup if he wants to. He will come round in his own time, but if you force the issue he may nip the puppy and frighten or even hurt him. Give the pup a crate or pen to sleep and play in away from the others so he can't pester them if they don't want to play.

[pinkkitty]

Actually "sprocker" is the recognised name for a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Springer Spaniel. Sprockers are recognised as a crossbreed in their own right.

It's not going so well, the dog who has been most friendly to the puppy bit her face in a row over food and we had to rush the pup to the vets last night, her eye had come loose. They managed to push her eye back in and now the eyelid has been stiched shut. They almost decided to remove her eye completely but the eye went back into the socket better than they had hoped. She is now almost certainly blind in that eye, and the vet fears her sight may have been damaged in the unaffected eye as the optic nerves are connected. She looks a sorry sight at the moment, but i guess we're lucky as she could have been much more badly hurt.

[gelda]

So what do you think your next move should be towards their behaviour, you'll have to watch them very carefully.

[lankeela]

Find the poor little ****** a home or send it back to the breeder before it gets killed. And a crossbreed by any other name is still a crossbreed, no matter what the con artists tell you who just want you to buy a non pedigree at greatly inflated prices.