@DebraDownSouth Thanks Debra, you've given me a lot to think about. I think I'll start immediately with the "leave it" training at home and then get in touch with some trainers/behaviorists in my area. I'm not expecting any miracles here but, like you said, even just learning to ignore other dogs would make such a difference.
How should I get Tesla used to having another dog around?
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This past weekend we adopted a male italian greyhound mix (Sparky) and brought him home. Tesla had met him before and played just fine with him so we figured it wouldn't be too incredibly bad. I understand that she is looking at our apartment as her domain and so Sparky being here is him invading on her space, but we're trying to get her accustomed to him. The only time we really have an issue is when Tesla gets in a play mood where she gets a little jealous of Sparky and sometimes goes for him instead of the toys because he is the one that is moving. My worry is that when she does go after him she always goes to bite his throat - which is also the first thing she does to any new toy that she gets - and she'll hurt him because lets face it, he's kind of a smaller more compact dog. Because of this, we don't leave the two of them home unattended when we leave, one always gets kenneled. She is fine with him around eating, getting treats, on walks, at the park, and sleeping in the same bed, it's really only when she gets excited that we have to pull them apart, and it is 99% of the time instigated by her. I realize that its going to take time and patience, but I was wondering if you had any tips or pointers on how to go about breaking this habit.
Thanks!
