We have a Pomsky pup (11 weeks old male) and an Aussiedor (Australian Shepherd + English Labrador, 4 year old male). The Aussiedor is doing really well with the pup. He'll whine and sometimes give the pup a gentle correction, but he's almost too lenient when he's letting the pup jump on and bite him.
We have a lot of family with a lot of dogs, mostly medium- and large-sized. I'm concerned the Pomsky is not getting enough feedback from the Aussiedor to learn that he shouldn't jump on and bite (with his little puppy needle teeth) other dogs, especially larger ones that might not respond well to the annoyance.
I'm also worried about the stress put on the Aussiedor. He's been jumping up on the couch more to get away from the pup (which just makes the pup want to jump up and bite his tail/paws that hang over the edge).
Sometimes, I make a loud noise to surprise the pup out of the biting, which works. But it's a fear tactic I want to avoid. I've also tried redirecting with squeaky toys and treats when he responds to "leave it", but I have to be there with him 100% of the time to correct/reward his behavior.
When I am not there, I have to put him away in his pen, but then he's causing some other chaos like chewing on his donut bed (which is not durable and if he rips it, he'd pull all the fluff out) or the wood that holds his food/water bowls. He chooses these instead of the yak chews or other toys I put in there (which he does chew/play with, but he ignores them when he gets in destructo-mode).
Is this something where he just needs more exercise, time, and hands-on training? Or is there anything else I can do?
submitted by /u/Think-Jellyfish8561
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