Current Dog bites new puppy

[elnora]

So my husband had the brilliant idea to get a new puppy. Well our 6 year old lab isn't too happy about it.
He doesn't want to play with the puppy and this evening he bit the puppy and punctured his face.

We aren't sure how to proceed from here...anyone have any ideas?

[elnora]

we cleaned with peroxide and then put neosporin over top. The puncture wound is starting to swell. You can clearly see it compared to the one side of his face.

Jeter, the Lab, has always been a bit aggresive. He would normally growl as a warning. He used to be physically aggressive, but we let him know we weren't scared of him and that we were the boss. He will back down from us. But sometimes the reaction from him with another dog is so quick and unexpected. It normally involves food. This particular incident happened during our dinner time. I think the intrusion and the possibility the puppy might get his scrap was the instigator in this situation. Even though we don't feed Jeter scraps he still begs for them.

The puppy was severly distraught..yelped for a few minutes. We had no real choice but to put the Lab outside and take care of the puppy.

I like the walking idea. We will definately try that. Our Lab loves to swim, so we were going to take him to the river and throw the frisbee.

We also have a mini pin that just constantly barks at the puppy. We have started making her heel at the door before the other dogs go out so she can't bite their heels. Then she is allowed to go out.

The puppy is kenneled at night and during work hours so the other dogs have the freedom of the house for right now. I come home during lunch and let them all out together and throw the ball with the Lab.

This was my concern about getting the new puppy especially so soon after the loss of our Beloved Dog Dakota

[Jaybay]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!  Introducing a new dog to the pack doesn't always go as well as we imagine it will.  Ideally, both dogs should be on a leash so you can correct any aggressive behavior.  Before they even get to have an up-close-and-personal butt-sniffing session, they should be walked together with one dog on either side of you.  They aren't allowed to so much as look at one another, so walk briskly so they're attention is on walking.  Since dogs learn about their environment, other people, and other dogs with their noses more than anything else, they're still able to get each other's scent and become familiar with it.  After a good 20 minutes, take a break and see how they do with dog-style introductions.  That means they can sniff each other, and a well-socialized, well-behaved, stable dog will himself to be sniffed anywhere - and reciprocate.  It's just good dog manners to sniff rear ends.  :-)

What happened when your lab attacked the puppy?  Was the pup wanting to play and the lab didn't?  Was the pup minding his own business and the lab just decided he wanted that pup out of his territory?  Has the lab ever shown aggression to other dogs? The most important question is how did you and your husband react to the incidnet?  Does your lab think he is the pack leader in your home, or is it the humans?  (Think hard on that one - usually in these cases the dog rules the roost with the humans being none the wiser!)  Any information you can provide will help us to better help you.

In the meantime, I wouldn't leave the pup alone with the lab.  It may take a few weeks before your lab is trustworthy enough for them to spend time together without a referee. Dogs always advertise their intentions to attack.  You just have to know what body language to look for, and some dogs are so quick in their signals it can be difficult to read.  If your lab's posture becomes stiff and very still, and he's staring hard at the pup with dilated pupils - look out!  That's an advertisement that he's fixin' to kick some puppy rear end.  Some dogs will growl or bark a warning, but not always.  If they get to the point of making a move, "usually" the first bite is a warning shot and nothing really serious if the other dog backs off.  A serious, "I want you dead" dog attack without warning and without escalation is actually pretty rare.

Most importantly, how serious are those puncture wounds?  Dogs have filthy mouths (contrary to the old wive's tales) and bite wounds can quickly become infected.  If you haven't yet taken care of puppy shots, tomorrow would be a good time to do it have your vet evaluate the injuries.  If you have some neosporin (or similar) ointment in the house, go ahead and start using that on the punctures.