Shifting pack dynamics advice needed
We have a bit of a unique pack dynamic going on, and I’m curious if anyone else has experienced something similar.
We have an 8-year-old female GSD who has recently become increasingly aggressive toward our 13-year-old terrier mix.
For context, we’ve always been a 3-dog household. Our terrier may be small, but he’s always been the pack leader. He’s confident, fair, and our GSD has always respected him.
A few months ago, we lost our male GSD, and our female was very bonded to him. Around the same time, our terrier was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and has understandably slowed down quite a bit.
About two months ago, we brought home a male Portuguese Water Dog puppy. Our female has been absolutely wonderful with him, but her behavior toward our terrier has changed dramatically. It seems like she’s challenging him more and more, almost as if she’s trying to take over now that he’s physically declining.
We’ve already contacted a trainer, and she’ll be going to a two-week board-and-train program because we want to address this before it gets any worse.
I’m mainly wondering if anyone has experienced a shift in pack dynamics like this when an older dog begins to decline or after the loss of another bonded dog. Did your GSD suddenly start challenging the older dog? Were you able to improve things?
Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated. We’re committed to doing what’s best for all three dogs and want to help our senior guy live out his remaining time as peacefully as possible.