u/Every_Blacksmith1778

Hi, let me preface this by saying I’ve only had this 3.5 month old female puppy (alleged Shar-pei and JRT mix) for about 2 days. We had her rescued and transported from a kill shelter across the country. I am praying that this is behavior is just due to that stress and will go away.

We got a puppy so that our 6.5yr old female spaniel mix would have someone to play with. It has gone the complete opposite. I knew our puppy would need time to acclimate, but she has been snipping and growling at our older dog whenever she gets close (getting on the same couch or bed she’s on, walking near her food). For reference, our puppy has been being fed in a pen, so our older dog doesn’t have any intentions of taking the food. She just wants to look out the window next to it. There is resource guarding happening with food, toys, and attention. But when our spaniel barks at the mailman or something, our puppy shakes like a leaf. If the spaniel is running around trying to get her to join in on play, puppy walks away subdued and nervous. When our older dog is growled at, she reads the room and backs off, but my heart breaks for her.

I’ve never had a puppy show aggression towards an older dog. I’m torn between correcting the behavior so she knows it’s not okay, but then also I’ve read that disciplining warning signs can sometimes encourage a bite. I just want both of my dogs to feel safe.

How do I fix this? Will it go away with time? What training can I do to make my puppy like our dog?

If I’m missing any info please lmk, I’m a first time poster