Hi

It sounds as if the Cavalier is undersocialised with other dogs and therefore showing fearful agression, put this with your 16 week old puppy, who doesn't know how far she can go and you have a receipe for trouble!!

Whilst it is often a good idea to let dogs get on with it and sort themselves out, this isn't always that easy, it is probable that one of them will get bitten badly and result in a vets visit, however, what is more worrying for me is that Maisy who at 16 weeks in still in the imprinting stage, will become fearful herself.

Without seeing the dogs it is really hard to suss out what is going on, if Pebbles is retreating and trying to avoid Maisy, but having no option to do this as she gets launched at, then you are probably talking fearful. If the moment Maisy gets in the door Pebbles rushes through to 'sort her out', then it is more likelyl to be territorial.

If it is the latter, then you need to do lots of work with the dogs meeting outside the house, and walking on the leads together on neutral ground, walking side by side i.e. dog to dog is, as you have been told, ideal. When you go back into the house, let Maisy go in first, but don't let her get too over the top, which will aggravate an already defensive dog.

If it is the former, then you need to give Pebbles somewhere safe to go, where she doesn't feel stressed and therefore needs to react. If she feels safe she will start to trust Maisy and along with meeting outside when Maisy shouldn't be allowed to 'jump' her, then her confidence with Maisy will increase.

In the meantime, your little puppy, and Beagles are not the easiest of dogs, as they are boisterous and fairly strong willed, needs to meet dogs of her own age and learn how to play nicely, i.e. as soon as she gets too boisterious, stop the play and get her back, she will soon learn what is acceptable and isn't acceptable.

I know at the moment it seems unfair on Maisy to be shut outside whilst at the house and it won't help her not getting excited at seeing the other dog, as this will heighten her excitment when she does and it is not going to solve the problem, but it is very difficult for other people to see a young dog come into a house - a dog that probably they haven't 'bonded' with as yet, not as much as they will have with Pebbles - and see it as they see it 'upset' the older established dog.

As Maisy grows she will calm down, as Pebbles feels less threatened, he/she will accept.

At the moment they will be reletively matched if they have a scrap, but when Maisy is fully grown and Pebbles is still the same size, they won't be.

If things don't calm down, you will need to get someone to have a look at what exactly the dynamics are between the two.

Kate

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