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Art. Thank you for sharing the story. I tend to agree that the salient issue revolves around uncertainty to the older dog. When a single dog household, there was predictably and consistency of resources, which I surmise, was led by the dog and not the owner. While the owner provided for the dog, my sense is that the older dog ultimately made decisions as to the provision of those resources, and not vice versa. By way of example, the owner may have left food down and it was the dog’s decision when and how often to eat. I venture the dog also had unfettered discretion as to when it did or did not want to jump up on furniture, etc. Leadership was completely absent by the owner, and in the absence of such, the older dog filled that position. With the introduction of the puppy, a new, uncontrolled variable was added to the older dog’s otherwise stable environment. When the friend and owner made overt action toward the puppy, the older dog conceivably viewed the action(s) as a challenge to its leadership which resulted in outward aggression. Territorial aggression or a protective instinct over the puppy may have played a role, though I do not see either being a real driver behind the aggression. I am surprised, and would welcome others’ thoughts on this sub-issue, as to the high degree of aggression displayed. I tend to agree with Allie that the most likely cause of the severity of the attack was breed related, but am curious as to other possible reasons.
